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What to expect in the remaining weeks
We have just four weeks left in the SC Legislative Session. The rush of legislative actions we come to expect this time of year is usually tempered by the “crossover” date — the deadline by which a bill needs to have passed out of its originating chamber without a two-thirds vote. Crossover would have been last week, but lawmakers adopted new rules earlier this session removing this arbitrary deadline, so expect to see even more activity as we approach the last day of regular session — Sine Die — on May 8. After that date, lawmakers have agreed to return to the Statehouse to finalize the budget and address any vetoes.
The House is taking another week off, meaning no floor votes or committee work this week. As a reminder, we are waiting to see what the House will do regarding the Energy Security Act (H.3309) which passed the Senate on April 3rd with significant amendments to balance the bill. Read our analysis of the bill’s changes here. Next week, we should expect to see a decision on whether the House will amend the bill further and send it back to the Senate, concur with the Senate changes, or non-concur with the changes and send the bill to a conference committee made up of three members from each body.
The Senate, meanwhile, has a number of committee meetings this week and will be working through legislation on the Senate floor to clear the calendar before they take up the budget next week.
Leaner State Budget, Steady Conservation Support
The Senate Finance Committee made waves last week with the announcement that the 2025-2026 state budget would not include earmarks — one-time funds in legislator districts that go towards projects like infrastructure upgrades, public parks, and nonprofit community services — in further support of the proposed cuts to the state’s income tax and the desire to make the earmark process more transparent.
With this move, and with the latest report from the Board of Economic Advisors showing a $511 million dollar tax revenue surplus, the Senate Finance Committee assured they could provide a balanced budget. After next week’s budget debate in the Senate — where amendments can be taken up on the floor — we’ll do a deeper dive into where state agencies' budgets stand. For now, conservation budgets are looking healthy, and we are grateful for the continued commitment to the Conservation Bank.
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