Things are picking up here at the State House! This week, the legislature discussed topics ranging from school choice, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and Safer Syringe Programs.
See more details on this week's highlights below!
Mar 5
H. 4624 was reported favorably by the Medical Affairs Committee. This bill would protect minors from harmful gender procedures, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender reassignment procedures. We thank Sen. Danny Verdin for his leadership in the committee.
Click HERE to urge your senator to pass this bill and protect children and teens around the Palmetto State.
Mar 6
First — The House Education and Public Works subcommittee found the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) expansion bill, H. 5164, favorable. The bill was heard in the full committee the following day, where it was also found favorable. It will now move to the House for a vote.
The ESTF program was passed into law last year; it allows families to receive a $6,000 per-child savings account to use toward approved education spending, such as private school tuition, homeschooling materials, tutoring and any other approved education-related costs. The current program is only available for families who meet certain federal poverty level thresholds.
The new bill would allow all families in South Carolina to apply for ESTFs. Parents should be able to direct the funding set aside for their child’s education. The South Carolina Catholic Conference commends Rep. Shannon Erickson, chairwoman, for proposing this expansion and for all members who supported this important bill. The Conference calls on the House to pass this legislation.
Click HERE to send a letter of support to your representative.
Second — The Safer Syringe programs bill, S. 854, was heard in the Senate Medical Affairs Committee. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Davis, would allow organizations to distribute needles to opioid users without risk of criminal penalties.
The intention of the bill is to reduce harm for those choosing to use illicit drugs by giving them clean paraphernalia, however, it is unjust to participate in and enable self-destructive behavior. People who suffer from addiction need our utmost love and support; we cannot aid them in harming themselves. We must help people to find treatment options.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement in 1997 which read in part that “distribution of sterile needles and syringes would send message that intravenous drug use can be made safe. But IV drug users mutilate and destroy their veins, introduce infection through contaminated skin, inject substances that often contain lethal impurities, and risk death from overdoses. A better approach to the drug epidemic would be increased government support for outreach and drug treatment programs.”
The South Carolina Catholic Conference urges the Senate Medical Affairs to find this bill unfavorable and to enact legislation that will benefit those with addictions long-term by helping them to recover.
Mar 7
S. 965, the Vaccination Discrimination Prevention Act, was heard in the Senate Medical Affairs Committee. The bill will now move to the full Senate for a vote.
This bill is nearly identical to House bill H. 3126 that was passed in 2022. However, the provisions in H. 3126 expired on Dec. 31, 2023. The new legislation would reenact this bill while removing the expiration date.
The purpose of the bill is to prevent employers, state and private, from mandating that employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine or booster shots. It also prohibits businesses from discriminating against people because of their vaccination status. People should not be coerced into action through fear of losing wages or employment.
“The following duties bind the wealthy owner and the employer: not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but to respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character” (Rerum Novarum, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII).
The South Carolina Catholic Conference commends Sens. Massey and Corbin for putting forward this important legislation.