2022 SC Legislative Scorecard 2021-
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the South Carolina General Assembly in 2021 and 2022 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
This is our first state-level Scorecard; the selected votes may not be reflective of legislators' overall records. Their cumulative scores will change as we add more votes. Please check regularly for updates.
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H3770 disburses funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to assist eligible households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Carolina State Senate passed H3770 on March 24, 2021 by a vote of 41 to 0. We have assigned the pluses to the nays because subsidized loans are a way government interferes in the free market economy. Subsidies make individuals more reliable on government assistance and when the government has their hands in places they shouldn't, the people lose more control and freedom. This legislation's purpose is to redistribute the wealth and bring us one step closer to socialism.
H4408 authorizes the expenditure of federal funds that have been disbursed to the state in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 passed by congress and signed by the President.
The South Carolina State Senate passed H4408 on April 19, 2022 by a vote of 41 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the spending of taxpayer money for purposes not authorized under Art. 1 Sec. 8 of the U.S. Constitution tightens the federal-state lockstep on redistribution of income. Additionally, distribution of federal taxpayer dollars comes with contingencies and requirements, forcing states into situations that violate the U.S. Constitution.
H3094 amendment 3B would allow constitutional carry and would leave it so the requirement that you must possess a permit when carrying a concealable weapon or firearm.
The South Carolina State Senate voted to table H3094 amendment 3B on May 5, 2021 by a vote of 25 to 21. We have assigned the pluses to the nayes because this amendment would have made South Carolina a Constitutional Carry state. The fundamental right of the American people to keep and bear arms is protected by the U.S. Constitution, particularly in the 2nd, 9th, and 10th Amendments, and should not be infringed. The Constitution does not state where you can or cannot possess a firearm.
H4100 amendment 16 directs that none of the state funds appropriated for family planning shall be expended to directly or indirectly subsidize abortion services and procedures or to an organization that provides abortion services.
The South Carolina State Senate rejected to table H4100 Amendment 16 on April 28, 2021 by a vote of 23 to 23. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the U.S. Constitution. Taxpayer money should not be expended to perform abortions.
H3126 prohibits state and local government entities from accepting federal funds to enforce illegal federal mask or vaccine mandates. This legislation also prohibits any discrimination against individuals who choose not to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, no government body or school district in the state can impose a vaccine mandate for employees, students, or volunteers.
The South Carolina State Senate passed H3126 on April 6, 2022 by a vote of 29 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because an individual’s personal health care decisions should not be the object of government, nor be under its federal, state, or local jurisdictions in the United States. Forcing an individual to receive a vaccination or partake in any medical procedure would be a violation of their fundamental rights, freedoms, privileges, or immunities protected by the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
H3205 applies to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the U.S. Constitution, to call for a “Convention of the States limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”
The South Carolina State Senate passed H3205 on March 9, 2022 by a vote of 27 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the nays because a so-called “Convention of the States” would not be of “limited” purpose. The vague and contradictory text contained in this joint resolution dangerously permits what Article V of the U.S. Constitution describes as a “Convention for proposing Amendments” or second constitutional convention. Notably, Article V of the U.S. Constitution was designed to correct structural deficiencies in the federal government, not the behavior of its elected officials. H3205 should be opposed in favor of less risky, more precise, and immediate solutions that would restore power back to the states and to the people, such as clear-cut proposals in Congress to repeal bad amendments or state nullification of specific unauthorized federal laws.
