Senate Debated Hemp Into the Night, Reversed Course by Lunch, and Added Barack Obama to the Highway Naming Wars
- Alpha Strategies
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
ALPHA STRATEGIES | LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE | WEEK 10
Week of March 16, 2026 | South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session
There is a simple version of Week 10: the House was on furlough, the Senate passed a hemp bill, and candidate filing opened.
It is also incomplete.
The House stayed home. The Senate did not. A marathon debate over hemp-derived THC products ended with a failed vote late Wednesday, reconsideration Thursday morning, and final passage Thursday afternoon. The Senate also passed a major SCDOT restructuring bill, moved horse racing and monument protection legislation out of Finance, and added a new highway-naming resolution to a session already crowded with symbolic transportation politics. And on Monday, candidate filing opened and a new candidate for governor entered the race before most people had finished their coffee.
Here is what happened, what it means, and what is coming next.
The Highway Naming Wars Have a New Entry
You remember Week 8. The House passed resolutions to name a highway after Charlie Kirk, a bridge after Charlie Kirk, and an interstate after Donald Trump. All now sit in the Senate awaiting action.
Week 10 added a new entry.
Sen. Darrell Jackson introduced S. 1040 (President Barack H. Obama Highway Designation), a concurrent resolution requesting that DOT name the portion of I-77 from U.S. Highway 1 to I-20 in Richland County the "President Barack H. Obama Highway."
Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee on March 18 voted out S. 508 (Monuments and Memorials Protection Act) with a favorable recommendation. The bill expands protections for monuments and memorials on public property, penalizes counties and municipalities that violate the law by withholding Local Government Fund disbursements, and creates standing for private citizens and organizations to sue to prevent violations or seek remedies.
The Main Event: Five Days, One Late Night Failure, and a Bill That Rose Again
H. 3924 (Regulating Hemp-Derived Consumables) has been the Senate's longest-running debate of the 2026 session. Should South Carolina regulate THC-infused drinks and gummies? The industry says yes, carefully. Some conservatives say ban it entirely. Some Democrats argue against wiping out a growing industry.
The timeline matters. Industry advocates argue that federal changes taking effect in November 2026 could eliminate most of the existing product market if South Carolina does not act first.
Senators debated through Wednesday night with competing amendments flying. After roughly ten hours of debate, the bill failed 15-25. An unlikely coalition of Republicans who wanted a total ban joined with Democrats who wanted fewer restrictions on independent hemp retailers. The bill appeared dead.
It was not.
Sen. JD Chaplin, having voted on the prevailing side when the bill failed, made the motion to reconsider Thursday morning. Sen. Shane Massey moved to carry the reconsideration motion over. The Senate recessed, returned, and the votes flipped.
The final compromise: H. 3924 prohibits anyone under 21 from buying consumable hemp products. Retailers with beer, wine, and hemp licenses can sell up to 5-milligram single-can 12-ounce THC drinks kept behind the counter. Beverages above that amount must be sold at licensed liquor stores. Gummies containing up to 40 milligrams of THC per package can only be sold at liquor stores and must also be kept behind the counter. Stand-alone hemp stores may continue operating if they obtain a license conforming to liquor-store requirements. Restaurants are prohibited from selling the drinks. Democrats supported the compromise in part because it preserved a path forward for independent hemp retailers.
The final vote was 35-4. For some senators, opposing the compromise risked leaving the status quo in place with essentially no age restrictions.
The bill now returns to the House with significant Senate changes. The House must decide whether to accept the Senate version, reject it, or send it to a conference committee. Lawmakers have until May 7 to act.
The Other Bill That Passed the Senate: S. 831 (SCDOT Modernization)
In a 37-1 vote, the Senate passed S. 831 (SCDOT Modernization), a broad restructuring bill affecting how SCDOT delivers transportation projects.
Among other changes, the bill creates a new Coordinating Council for Transportation and Mobility, expands authority to pursue design-build and construction manager/general contractor project delivery methods, grants SCDOT FHWA-assigned environmental review authority, authorizes tolling in limited circumstances, restructures county transportation committees, and creates a new user fee on electricity sold at publicly accessible EV charging stations.
The bill now moves to the House.
What Came Out of Senate Finance
H. 3368 (Overtime and Bonus Pay Tax Exclusion). The federal conformity bill aligning South Carolina's tax code with overtime and bonus pay exclusions in federal law. Expected to reduce state revenue by approximately $288.5 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1.
S. 344 (South Carolina Equine Advancement Act). Would open the door to pari-mutuel horse race wagering through a newly created SC Equine Commission.
S. 508 (Monuments and Memorials Protection Act). Expands monument protections and allows private parties to seek enforcement.
S. 866 (Municipal Tax Relief Act). Would authorize certain municipalities to impose up to a one-percent sales tax to provide property-tax relief for owner-occupied homes and fund projects.
H. 3514 (American-Made Flags Procurement Act). Requires government entities to purchase only U.S.-made flags.
The Week 9 Context You Need
The House was not in session during Week 10, but what it did the week before shapes everything coming next.
The House approved a $15.4 billion spending plan and sent a bill to the governor restructuring the state income tax into two brackets: 1.99 percent on taxable income below $30,000 and 5.21 percent above that threshold.
Republicans called it a tax cut. Democrats called it a tax increase on working people.
Another development: Gov. Henry McMaster issued his first veto of 2026, refusing to sign H. 4902 (NIL Revenue-Sharing Transparency Act), which would have shielded certain contracts between public colleges and student-athletes from public disclosure. An override would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
What the Senate Introduced This Week
S. 1037 (Protecting Children from Chatbots Act): Age-verification requirements, engagement limits, parental consent frameworks, and penalties for covered entities.
S. 1029 (Personal Vaccination Exemptions for Minors): Adds a personal-belief exemption to South Carolina immunization requirements for school attendance and day care.
S. 1030 (Right to Keep and Bear Arms Constitutional Amendment): Proposed amendment clarifying that the right to bear arms cannot be abridged by international treaty.
S. 1027 (Community Development Corporations Authorization Act): Authorizes CDCs in state law and establishes lending authority.
S. 1019 (Prostate Cancer Screening Insurance Coverage Act): Eliminates cost-sharing requirements for prostate-cancer screenings.
Candidate Filing Week: The Race for Governor Just Got More Complicated
The partisan filing period opened at noon on March 16 and closes at noon on March 30, setting the ballot for the June 9 primaries.
Rom Reddy, the Isle of Palms millionaire businessman whose fight with state regulators over a seawall protecting his beachfront mansion made him a public figure, entered the crowded Republican field for governor on opening day, pledging $1 million of his personal fortune in the campaign's first two weeks and saying he would not seek endorsements or accept donations.
He joins a Republican primary field that already includes Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Sen. Josh Kimbrell, and Congressman Ralph Norman.
What Is Coming in Week 11 and Beyond
The House returns on Tuesday, March 24.
H. 3924 returns to the House with significant Senate changes.
H. 4764 (Mandatory 287(g) Immigration Enforcement Agreements) is before the House Judiciary Committee.
H. 4756 (South Carolina Student Physical Privacy Act) passed the House and now sits on the Senate calendar.
S. 733 (Prohibition on Drag Performances for Minors) is scheduled for Senate Judiciary subcommittee debate.
S. 983 (Eviction Record Auto-Removal Act) would automatically remove eviction records from public indexes after five years.
Senate budget hearings continue. Floor debate on the Senate version of the budget is expected the week of April 21.
Sine Die is May 14. Seven weeks.
The clock is real. The calendar is moving. The question now is which bills cross the finish line and who is in the room when they do.
Alpha Strategies tracks South Carolina’s legislative process week by week to help organizations understand not just what happened, but what it means and what is coming next
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