Here are all of the abortion debates happening this week in US courts and statehouses
May 24, 2023 GMTLawmakers in South Carolina passed an abortion ban while a judge in Montana was weighing restrictions there in the latest developments in the shifting landscape of law since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has a new top accountant after a 20-year officeholder resigned amid pressure over a $3.5 billion reporting error.
Brian Gaines will oversee a comptroller general's office that has received mounting scrutiny from lawmakers who want to dismantle its responsibilities.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Thursday was supposed to be the final day of the regular session for the South Carolina General Assembly.
South Carolina House agrees to larger state worker raises
May 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's economy keeps doing better than predicted, leading the House to vote Tuesday to increase the raises it wants to give to nearly every state employee.
Courson, Edge sentenced as Statehouse corruption probe ends
April 30, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The final two former South Carolina lawmakers charged in a nearly eight-year investigation into corruption at the Statehouse have avoided time behind bars.
Presidential battleground states weigh more election funding
April 29, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, officials in several battleground states have proposed boosting funding to add staff, enhance security and expand training within election offices that are facing heavier workloads and heightened public scrutiny.
2 abortion bans failed, 1 passed in US statehouses this week
April 28, 2023 GMTTen months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and a nationwide right to abortion, states are pushing in opposite directions on the issue.
This week, one state adopted a ban, two states tried to but didn't get support from enough lawmakers and three states advanced measures to protect abortion access.
$13B budget quickly OK’d in harmonious South Carolina Senate
April 19, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate unanimously approved its version of the state's $13 billion spending plan in an unusually short debate lacking the typical back-and-forth the upper chamber usually has over the budget.
South Carolina House OKs tax cut on feminine hygiene items
April 7, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill to eliminate the state sales tax on feminine hygiene products has passed the South Carolina House.
Representatives voted unanimously Wednesday to get rid of the so-called “period tax," exempting the 6% state sales tax and extra local tax from items like tampons, pads and sanitary napkins.
Horse gambling beats long odds; passes South Carolina House
April 6, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — It seemed like quite the longshot when this year started — a bill to expand gambling in conservative South Carolina sponsored by a Democrat passing the House where Republicans hold a super majority.
State worker raises planned in South Carolina Senate budget
April 4, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After years of rapid growth in tax collections, South Carolina lawmakers want to share the windfall with nearly every state employee.
Transgender Day of Visibility rallies held amid backlash
April 1, 2023 GMTMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Thousands of people rallied across the country Friday as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility in support of the rights of transgender people and their resilience amid what many denounced as an increasingly hostile environment.
South Carolina’s top accountant to resign after $3.5B error
March 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's embattled top accountant will step down next month after a $3.5 billion error in the year-end financial report he oversaw, according to a resignation letter written Thursday that was obtained by The Associated Press.
With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties
March 20, 2023 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S.
Trump silent on abortion as 2024 campaign pushes forward
March 20, 2023 GMTDAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — No elected Republican has done more to restrict abortion rights in the U.S. than Donald Trump.
But in the early days of the 2024 presidential contest, no Republican has worked harder to avoid the issue than the former president.
SC House’s $13.8B budget debate slowed by Republican battle
March 14, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The debate in the South Carolina House over the state's $13.8 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year didn't go as smoothly as previous years.
Kimpson leaving South Carolina Senate to join Biden admin
March 12, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, a South Carolina lawmaker and early backer of President Joe Biden, is leaving his legislative post more than a year early to take an appointment in the Biden administration.
Governor taps current workforce chief of staff to run agency
March 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's governor didn't have to look far to find his nominee to run the state's workforce and unemployment agency.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced Thursday that he has tapped the Department of Employment and Workforce's chief of staff, William Floyd, who spent more than 35 years as a labor lawyer.
South Carolina House OKs hate crime bill, sends it to Senate
March 8, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House on Wednesday gave key approval to a bill that would make the state the 49th in the country to pass a law allowing harsher punishments for violent hate crimes.
Murdaugh judge’s own legal story unfolded in South Carolina
March 3, 2023 GMTThe judge who sentenced Alex Murdaugh on Friday to life in prison for killing his wife and son has earned attention and plaudits for his even-handed demeanor throughout the trial and for his dressing-down of the once-prominent lawyer just before he sent him to prison.
Lessons about the human psyche from the Murdaugh trial
March 3, 2023 GMTWALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh has now been convicted of murder in a trial that attracted intense public attention to the Southern depiction of privilege and deceit.
S. Carolina House OKs new penalties for convictions on bond
March 2, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — People charged with a violent crime and then convicted of a second violent offense while released on bond could face more prison time under additional sentences in a bill passed by the South Carolina House on Wednesday.
Harris promotes broadband in South Carolina as 2024 looms
February 27, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris promoted the Biden administration's achievements on broadband internet access during a visit to South Carolina, recently minted as the site of Democrats' first presidential votes of the 2024 campaign.
In 2024 campaign, kingmaker reprise for South Carolina?
February 26, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is accustomed to increased attention in the years leading up to presidential elections, with the state hosting the South’s first voting contests for several of the last cycles.
Push returns for South Carolina to add hate crime law
February 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker who called the late pastor of Emanuel AME Church a friend is continuing his push to make South Carolina the 49th state with a hate crime law.
State lawmakers alarmed in probe of $3.5B accounting error
February 17, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Throughout several hours of sworn testimony before lawmakers tasked with investigating a $3.5 billion accounting error, South Carolina's chief fiscal watchdog struggled to delineate a clear timeline about an admittedly complex mapping problem that plagued the office for at least a decade.
Haley’s candidacy shows balancing act for women in politics
February 16, 2023 GMTIn announcing her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination this week, Nikki Haley made a subtle reference to the historic nature of her candidacy.
S. Carolina House passes abortion ban; no sign of budging
February 16, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — For the second time since the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections, the South Carolina House has passed a near-total abortion ban — and shows no sign of budging.
Things to know about Nikki Haley, GOP presidential hopeful
February 15, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Republican Nikki Haley joined the 2024 race for president this week, becoming the first major rival to former President Donald Trump in a field that is expected to grow in coming months.
Nikki Haley announces run for president, challenging Trump
February 14, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday, becoming the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Haley faces ‘high-wire act’ in 2024 bid against Trump
February 13, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Few have navigated the turbulent politics of the Trump era like Nikki Haley.
In early 2016, the then-South Carolina governor said she was “embarrassed” by candidate Donald Trump and decried his reluctance to condemn white supremacists.
South Carolina Senate passes new abortion ban after ruling
February 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate passed an abortion ban on Thursday in the Republican-led chamber's latest quest to craft a law that passes constitutional muster, but differences with a stricter proposal from the House could derail the effort once again.
South Carolina becomes only state with all-male high court
February 8, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina on Wednesday became the nation's only state without a woman on its Supreme Court — a development that comes amid increasing Republican scrutiny of the court that narrowly struck down the conservative state's abortion ban last month.
Dueling abortion bans emerge in South Carolina chambers
February 7, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Dueling abortion bans are once more advancing in the South Carolina House and Senate as Republican lawmakers approach a familiar standstill.
SC Republicans to appeal redistricting case to Supreme Court
February 6, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court has denied South Carolina Republicans' motion for a stay in the ongoing challenge over the state's congressional district map.
Leading GOP lawmakers will now take their case to the U.S.
Chinese balloon’s downing creates spectacle over tourism hub
February 6, 2023 GMTMYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon just off South Carolina’s coast created a spectacle over one of the state’s tourism hubs and drew crowds reacting with a mixture of bewildered gazing, distress and cheers.
DeSantis eyes 2024 from afar as GOP rivals move toward runs
February 3, 2023 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be months away from publicly declaring his presidential intentions, but his potential rivals aren't holding back.
S. Carolina bill shielding death penalty drugmakers advances
February 2, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republicans' quest to resume executions in South Carolina overcame another hurdle Thursday.
The state Senate Corrections and Penology Committee approved a bill that would shield the identities of the companies that dispense the drug cocktail used to execute people on death row.
Abortion foes: 2024 GOP hopefuls must back federal limits
February 1, 2023 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party.
Attorney general asks court to reconsider abortion ruling
January 30, 2023 GMTOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's attorney general on Monday asked the state's high court to reconsider its ruling striking down the state’s six-week abortion ban.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a rehearing request with the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Trump opens 2024 run, says he’s ‘more committed’ than ever
January 29, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with stops Saturday in New Hampshire and South Carolina, events in early-voting states marking the first campaign appearances since announcing his latest run more than two months ago.
Georgia DOT plans to raise Savannah bridge for larger ships
January 27, 2023 GMTSAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia officials have signed off on a plan to raise Savannah's towering suspension bridge to make room for larger cargo ships to reach the city's busy seaport.
The state Department of Transportation's board at its January meeting approved hiring a contractor later this year to consult on the project while it's still in the design phase.
Pandemic, culture wars revive ‘school choice’ policy push
January 27, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nichole Mason first became concerned when she learned administrators at her children's public school were allowing transgender students to use girls' bathrooms. Her frustrations mounted when she felt her children's next school went too far with how they enforced COVID regulations during the pandemic.
Court demands more info in South Carolina death penalty case
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a lower court to collect more information from the Department of Corrections regarding the state agency's attempts to acquire lethal injection drugs.
SC abortion ban gets hearing for first time this session
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina Supreme Court decision five days before the General Assembly returned for 2023 raised the possibility that abortion bans could once more dominate legislative debate in the state.
SC governor renews push for abortion ban in State of State
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster vowed Wednesday to press forward with efforts to further restrict abortion in the state.
Democratic response to SC State of the State address
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Here is the text as prepared of South Carolina Sen. Ronnie Sabb of Greeleyville giving the Democratic response to Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State address Wednesday:
Text of SC Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State speech
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State remarks as prepared for delivery on Wednesday:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly, my fellow South Carolinians.
S.C. committee advances limits to classroom teaching on race
January 24, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill that would limit certain teachings on race in public schools and allow parents to challenge educational materials is moving through the Republican-controlled South Carolina House of Representatives.
State lawmakers propose power grid protections after attacks
January 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When gunshots at two electrical substations cut power to thousands of central North Carolina homes for several days in early December, Republican state Rep.
South Carolina still seeking a way to hold executions
January 19, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As judges decide if the electric chair or a firing squad are legal execution methods in South Carolina, lawmakers are trying to figure out how 14 other states have managed to get the drugs for lethal injections.
South Carolina Supreme Court set for all-male bench
January 18, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — No woman is expected to serve on the South Carolina Supreme Court for the first time in 35 years.
Lawmakers appear poised to replace Justice Kaye Hearn with Judge Gary Hill after the two other candidates under consideration — both women — dropped out.
Increasing fine for left lane slowpokes gets quick traction
January 18, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill allowing police to charge a bigger fine for people driving slow in the left lane of interstates and other multilane highways is one of the first to be taken up at the South Carolina Statehouse in 2023.
Trump to be joined by Graham, McMaster at January SC event
January 17, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will be joined by two high-profile South Carolina supporters — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster — at his first public 2024 presidential campaign event in the early voting state later this month.
Longtime politician, bridge namesake Arthur Ravenel dies
January 17, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Arthur Ravenel, the former congressman and state lawmaker who helped build the Republican Party in South Carolina and get money for the graceful bridge that dominates the Charleston skyline and bears his name, has died.
McMaster launches final term at South Carolina inauguration
January 11, 2023 GMTGov. Henry McMaster touted South Carolina's economic growth and pledged educational advancement and environmental conservation in his inaugural address on Wednesday as he entered what could be a historic final term.
Abortion a surprise focus of the South Carolina Legislature
January 10, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina General Assembly opened its 2023 legislative session Tuesday with a surprising priority: abortion.
States target transgender health care in first bills of 2023
January 7, 2023 GMTAfter a midterm election and record flow of anti-transgender legislation last year, Republican state lawmakers this year are zeroing in on questions of bodily autonomy with new proposals to limit gender-affirming health care and abortion access.
South Carolina US House district ruled racial gerrymander
January 6, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal judges ordered South Carolina lawmakers to draw new congressional maps, ruling Friday that the U.S. House district lines of a seat flipped by Democrats four years ago were intentionally redrawn to split Black neighborhoods to dilute their voting power.
SC governor’s budget seeks pay bumps to shore up workforce
January 6, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to increase 2022's record amount of capital investment and offset shortages across workforces like education and law enforcement, according to the budget request he released Friday.