H. 3431, the S.C. Social Media Regulation Act, passed out of the House Judiciary subcommittee favorably with amendment. The amendments expand the bill to include elements from the Senate’s S. 268, which was introduced by Sen. Sean Bennett last week. The bill now advances to the full House committee.
The Social Media Regulation Act will bring parental rights to the realm of social media. While its use provides opportunity for communication, social media poses great risks to teenagers and children. A 2023 Pew Research Center report found that 1 in 5 American teens report being on a form of social media “constantly.” That same year, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory to warn of social media's negative impact on the self-worth, impulse control, attention, sleep, mental health and emotional development of children. Additionally, social media platforms use algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged — by serving up content that appeals to each user — often leading to "doom-scrolling," or the compulsive and continuous scrolling through social media posts and videos.
Many parents are struggling to regulate their child’s social media access. H. 3431 would allow parents to oversee their child’s use of this technology, as well as require social media companies to cease the use of algorithms on children and teens. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the full House Judiciary committee this Tuesday, Feb. 11 in the Blatt Building, room 516.

First — S. 28 and S. 29 we reported favorably from the Senate Judiciary committee. These bills deal with the creation of pornographic and obscene images that can be produced using artificial intelligence (AI), specifically of minors. These bills, S. 28, called “AI child abuse” and S. 29, “Morphed images of identifiable children,” will protect minors from the uncharted landscape of AI by making this type of usage a crime.
AI represents new realms of possibility for science and technology. However, it can be used to the detriment of respect for another person’s dignity. As this technology continues to improve, it will be possible for people with illicit or nefarious intentions to generate sexually explicit content that resembles and depicts real people engaging in lewd or violent acts — without that person’s consent. AI requires safeguards. Specifically, we must protect children, their likenesses and futures from being used in and by AI.
S. 28 and 29 were placed on the second reading calendar of the Senate and debate is expected to begin next week. We thank Sen. Brad Hutto for introducing this legislation and addressing the potential dangers of AI.  
The bills were placed on the second reading calendar of the Senate and debate is expected to begin on the bills next week. We thank Sen. Brad Hutto for introducing this legislation and addressing the dangers of AI.  

Second — Judicial elections also took place Feb. 5. The election of our state judges is critical. While the legislature has the ability to make laws, judges are responsible for enforcing them. The Catholic Conference prays that all judges will act for the common good and interpret the law with prudence and discernment.  

The K-12 Education Lottery Scholarship (S. 62) was given third reading in the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives. The new scholarship program would provide recipient students with a scholarship worth 90% of the per-student cost determined by the public schools for the previous academic year. If passed into law, the scholarship could be used for nonpublic school tuition, tutoring, uniforms, transportation and many other academic purposes.  
The bill now resides in the House Committee on Education and Public Works, chaired by Rep. Shannon Erickson.
The Catholic Conference again thanks the Senate for their quick action on this bill and calls on the House committee to pass the bill to the floor as soon as possible so school choice can be restored in South Carolina. 

Jan. 25 — Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops’ Committee on Migration, along with Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, issued a joined statement on immigration. The statement agreed with the "need for just immigration enforcement" and affirmed "the government’s obligation to carry it out in a targeted, proportional, and humane way." It stressed, however, that "non-emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities, or other sensitive settings where people receive essential services would be contrary to the common good." Read the full statement HERE.

Jan. 30 — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 30 entitled “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families.” In celebration of the executive order, Bishop David M. O’Connell, CM, on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said he welcomed the order, “which takes meaningful steps to expand educational freedom for families across the country. This order rightly recognizes that parents are the primary educators of their children.” Click HERE to read the full statement.  

Feb. 5 — The president signed another executive order to prohibit men from competing against women in sports. Bishop Robert Barron and Bishop O’Connell released a statement on behalf of the USCCB saying that consistent with the Church’s clear teaching on equality between men and women, “we reaffirm that, in education and in sports as elsewhere, policies must uphold human dignity.” Click HERE to read the full statement.

Feb. 8 — This is the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking which also marks the feast St. Josephine Bakhita, patron of Sudan who was sold into slavery. She is invoked on behalf of trafficking victims. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso said, “We seek the intercession of St. Josephine as we pray for an end to human trafficking and for the healing, protection, and safety of all victims and survivors alike, especially for children and those in our society who are afraid to seek help because they are marginalized.” Read the full statement HERE.