2023 South Carolina legislative session
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| 2023 South Carolina legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 10, 2023 Session end: May 11, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Thomas Alexander (R) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the South Carolina State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10, 2023, and adjourn on May 11, 2023.
The representatives serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans had a 30-15-1 majority in the Senate and won a 88-36 majority in the House. Republicans controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, South Carolina was one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
South Carolina State Senate
- Senate president: Thomas Alexander (R)
- Majority leader: Shane Massey (R)
- Minority leader: Brad Hutto (D)
South Carolina House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: G. Murrell Smith Jr. (R)
- Majority leader: Davey Hiott (R)
- Minority leader: James Rutherford (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
South Carolina was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
South Carolina was also one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the South Carolina State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.
South Carolina State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 15 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Other | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | |
South Carolina House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 36 | |
| Republican Party | 88 | |
| Total | 124 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 27 standing committees in South Carolina's state government, including one joint legislative committee, 14 state Senate committees, and 12 state House committees.
Joint committees
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
Senate committees
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Corrections and Penology Committee
- Education Committee
- Family and Veterans' Services Committee
- Finance Committee
- Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Transportation Committee
House committees
- Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee
- Education and Public Works Committee
- House Ethics Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Legislative Oversight Committee
- House Rules Committee
- Invitations and Memorial Resolutions Committee
- Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee
- Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee
- Operations and Management Committee
- Regulations and Administrative Procedures Committee
- Ways and Means Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the South Carolina Constitution can be amended:
The South Carolina Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution— a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. South Carolina requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Legislature
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the South Carolina State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 82 votes in the South Carolina House of Representatives and 30 votes in the South Carolina State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
In South Carolina, the Legislature needs to approve a constitutional amendment for a second time after voters approve the amendment. This second vote requires a simple majority in the House and Senate.
Convention
According to Section 3 of Article XVI of the South Carolina Constitution, a constitutional convention can be held if two-thirds of the members of both houses of the South Carolina State Legislature vote to put the question on the ballot.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of South Carolina.
South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the South Carolina State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 30-16 majority. Republicans gained control in 2000 and expanded their majority to 30-16 by 2020. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Carolina State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
South Carolina State Senate election results: 1992-2020
| Party | '92 | '96 | '00 | '04 | '08 | '12 | '16 | '20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 30 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| Republicans | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 30 |
Most of the movement in partisan balance in the state Senate occurred in the three election cycles between 1992 and 2004. Republicans gained four seats in the 1996 and 2000 elections, with the elections in 2000 resulting in Republicans gaining control of the chamber. The GOP would go on to pick up another three seats in 2004.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the South Carolina House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. After the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 73-50 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 1994 and, by 2022, expanded their majority to 88-36. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Carolina House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
South Carolina House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 73 | 58 | 53 | 59 | 54 | 51 | 50 | 51 | 53 | 48 | 46 | 47 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 36 |
| Republicans | 50 | 62 | 70 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 88 |
The most significant shift in the partisan balance of the state House occurred as a result of the 1994 elections. Republicans gained 12 seats that year and took control of the chamber. The following three election cycles—1996, 1998, and 2000—had the chamber moving back and forth between having seats gained by Democrats and Republicans, but with the GOP remaining in the majority. Between 2000 and 2020, the Republican majority slowly expanded from 70-54 in 2000 to 88-36 in 2022.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
See also
| Elections | South Carolina State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
