The State House Gavel: SC Senate OKs school voucher bill funded by Lottery

Happy Friday, and happy last day of January. You made it.

That means third week of the S.C. Legislature is over.

It’s been an incredibly busy week that was capped by Gov. Henry McMaster’s penultimate State of the State and the S.C. Senate’s passage of an expansive school choice bill that funds K-12 vouchers with state Education Lottery dollars.

We’ll also note that the state of South Carolina is scheduled tonight to perform the country’s first execution of the new year. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected what is expected to be the final appeal by inmate Marion Bowman Jr., 44, who is the third person to be executed in South Carolina since the restart of the death chamber after the Legislature passed a law shielding companies that make the lethal drugs.

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Late Thursday, Bowman opted not to seek clemency from the governor.

This is The State House Gavel, a new daily reporter notebook by reporters Gavin JacksonRuss McKinney and Maayan Schechter that will preview and capture what goes on at the South Carolina Statehouse this year while lawmakers are in session.

Notebook highlights:

  • S.C. Senate passes private school voucher bill using state Education Lottery dollars. Now, it’s the House’s turn, where its path is rockier.
  • The so-called “nuclear power renaissance” is on the horizon after a legislative panel gave the green light to state-owned utility Santee Cooper to move forward on proposal requests to complete two reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear site.
  • State lawmakers want to expand the definition of “household member” in a bill to offer greater protections from domestic violence in the law. Why the NRA says it has some concerns.

The South Carolina Statehouse

GAVIN JACKSON

The South Carolina Statehouse

Lottery-backed vouchers head to House

The South Carolina Senate did what it promised months and weeks ago: it passed a new version of the K-12 voucher bill that, in large part, would help families of a certain financial threshold send their kids to private schools.

This time around, the Senate passed a bill 32-12 that would cover the vouchers using state Education Lottery dollars as opposed to spending regular general fund dollars.

The vote fell mostly along political party lines, with one Republican — Spartanburg Republican Sen. Shane Martin, a former school board member — joining Democrats to oppose the bill.

The debate did expose some minor Republican friction after a trio of senators led an effort to further expand the bill to universal school choice.

Senate Budget Chairman Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, questioned the amendment’s lead sponsor, Sen. Wes Climer, R-York, on how he would fund the vouchers given, at least one senate said, it could cost upwards of more than $300 million.

“Do you have earmarks in mind,” Peeler asked Climer, referring to the member-requested projects that most senators like to take back to their districts every year.

What the bill does: It would allow parents who earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level apply to get about $7,500 in lottery dollars to pay for private school tuition or other accepted K-12 costs. Up to 10,000 students would be able to apply, but in the next fiscal year the financial threshold would go up to 400% for up to 15,000 students. How much money each student gets would be dependent on how much money is sent to public schools, but would come to 90% of per-pupil costs.

As background: The Legislature passed a similar law in the last two-year session but used general fund dollars in the state budget. The state Supreme Court ruled the spending unconstitutional because the state Constitution includes a provision that says public money cannot be used for the direct benefit of private schools.

There’s three questions now:

  • Will the House agree to this bill at all, or strike most of it and send the Senate back something completely different?
  • If the Education Lottery spending stays, will the state’s high court view that spending as non-public dollars and rule it constitutional?
  • And if it is ruled constitutional, will the Legislature have enough money to fund other currently Lottery-funded spending, like scholarships? (Remember, revenue for the state Lottery is projected to drop the next two years.)

Frankly, House Republicans leaders haven’t given reporters much confidence that they like the Senate version. The last time we asked, about three weeks ago, the response was muted: “We’ll look at it.”

And it’s really not all clear that the Supreme Court will OK this version, though Republicans say they want to get a bill to the court ASAP, also given that the court’s membership this time around is different.

But the bill heads to the House Education and Public Works Committee, headed by Chairwoman Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, who will be tasked with figuring this all out.

Stay tuned.

The S.C. Senate debates a K-12 voucher bill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

MAAYAN SCHECHTER

The S.C. Senate debates a K-12 voucher bill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

Lawmakers go all nuke

Efforts at the Statehouse to see increased energy generation for the state are at full speed, and the so-called “nuclear power renaissance” is the latest buzz phrase.

In his State of the State address Wednesday night, Gov. Henry McMaster got behind calls to bring the defunct V.C. Summer nuclear project back to life.

He told lawmakers that he backs state-owned utility Santee Cooper’s efforts to gauge interest in the private sector to step in and finish construction of two nuclear reactors at the Fairfield County facility.

Don’t forget: A mammoth project to build the reactors collapsed in 2017 leaving customers of Santee Cooper and then SCE&G, now Dominion Energy, holding the bag. The $9 billion loss is viewed as the largest business failure in state history.

What are lawmakers doing now: A Senate Judiciary subcommittee moved forward Thursday on a joint resolution that would support Santee Cooper’s efforts.

Santee Cooper President Jimmy Staton told the panel that the “nuclear power renaissance” is seeing private companies express interest in similar projects around the country, and that the possibility of 2,300 new megawatts of power produced by the two reactors would go a long way in ensuring the state’s future energy needs are met.

The Senate panel also approved a bill Thursday that gives Santee Cooper the green light to partner with Dominion for the construction of a new gas-turbine generation plant at Dominion’s Canadys facility in Colleton County. It’s expected to generate some 2,000 megawatts of power.

Both measures will next be considered by the full Judiciary Committee.

FILE - Construction is well underway for two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, S.C. on Monday, April 9, 2012. A judge threw out criminal charges Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, against former Westinghouse executive Jeffrey Benjamin for lying about the project's progress before it fell apart, but also left open the possibility federal prosecutors can indict Benjamin again. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

Jeffrey Collins/AP

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AP

FILE – Construction is well underway for two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, S.C. on Monday, April 9, 2012. A judge threw out criminal charges Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, against former Westinghouse executive Jeffrey Benjamin for lying about the project’s progress before it fell apart, but also left open the possibility federal prosecutors can indict Benjamin again. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

Dating violence bills move forward

South Carolina is one of four states that does not provide dating partners extensive protections from abusers they are dating, such as quicker access to orders of protection

Earlier this week a Senate Judiciary subcommittee passed out two bills (S. 143, S. 180) to the full committee that would expand the definition of what a “household member is” to include people who are or have cohabitated together and people who are presently or have formerly been in a dating relationship.

Expanding that definition is an idea the S.C. Supreme Court has upheld.  

Sarah Barber, executive director of the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, says without changes to the law, many including victims are left confused.

What she said: “The statutory language still contains the terms male and female, caus(ing) ongoing confusion amongst the courts, attorneys, advocates, and victims. This confusion often results in qualifying victims believing or being told that they are not entitled to the protections of the statute.”

The bills in the Senate would give a broader definition of dating relationship that takes into consideration the length of a relationship, the nature of it, frequency of interactions and time since a break up.

Advocates say these expanded definitions will provide judges in Family Court, where a protection order would be granted, the ability to decide on these matters for people who are currently unprotected

The bills moved on, but one group says it needs more work.

The National Rifle Association expressed opposition to the proposals on the grounds that they argue expanded law could result in a judge revoking an abuser’s gun rights.

“So these due process concerns for revoking fundamental rights should be reserved for those charged with serious felonious crimes,” Taylor McKee, Mid-Atlantic regional director for the NRA testified.
  
Expect some tweaks to the bills in the full committee. 

The first year of the legislative session is set to end May 11, which is less than a month away. Crossover Day was April 10 which is a time when bills have to clear one chamber to another in order to have a higher chance of making it to the governor’s desk before Sine Die this year.

Gavin Jackson

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SCETV/SC Public Radio

Reporter spotlight: Tiny mic edition

We’re not stopping our freshman spotlight — tiny mic edition.

If anything, we’re planning to add more spotlights in the coming days!

But we do think it’s time for any new readers or listeners or watchers to meet the authors behind The State House Gavel.

Starting with reporter Maayan Schechter, who has worked for SCETV and S.C. Public Radio for a year-and-a-half but has covered and lived in South Carolina for more than a decade.

How long have you covered the Statehouse: I’ve covered the state Legislature for going on eight years. Before ETV, I worked for The State newspaper’s Statehouse team, and, before that, reported on all things local government for the Aiken Standard and the Greenville News.

Why do you like covering the Legislature: I think it’s important that South Carolinians know what the state’s most important policymakers are doing when they’re in Columbia because it affects you, your family and your community. I try to tell people all the time that what happens at the Statehouse affects you far faster than what goes on in DC.

What are your tips for surviving the legislative session: Slow down, take a breath, drink a ton of coffee. Maybe have a pack of chewing gum in your backpack and meal prep (my 2025 resolution). Coming to work with everything ready to go that can be easily eaten is the best way to go.

What’s your favorite place to eat in Columbia: I have a few favorite spots. Where I eat the most, Il Focolare Pizzeria in Cottontown. It’s a really great pizza spot, has good salads and the pizza crust is amazing.

What was the last show you watched: I watched Landman and I’m still not sure what to think about it.

What is your go-to song or artist right now: I’m a big Spotify random music playlist person, but probably Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan appear the most. I have been getting back into my pop punk era.

Gamecocks or Tigers: I didn’t go to a school with a football team but I have embraced the Gamecock fandom.

Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson

Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson

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