Senate votes to fire health director Simmer

With the House out of session this week, all the action was in the S.C. Senate, where members effectively fired the state’s health director when they voted 40-0 for a bill placing new limits on the governor’s interim appointment powers.

Dr. Edward Simmer, a longtime Navy doctor who oversaw the care of millions of U.S. veterans and their families as head of TRICARE, was denied confirmation by the S.C. Senate in April 2024 due to his support of masking and vaccines during the Covid pandemic. He has served in an interim capacity since 2021.

Bills that are on the move

Taxes: A bill to cut the state’s top tax rate from 6% to 5.21% is on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature. Further property and income tax cuts totaling more than half a billion dollars are advancing in both chambers.

Concurrency: A bill by Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis that would allow local governments to limit development in areas with insufficient infrastructure was amended and advanced on March 12 by the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.

Juvenile justice: Two bills have passed the House, one making it easier to try 16 and 17 year olds as adults and another to mandate fingerprinting when juveniles come into the system. LATEST: A bipartisan bill to add additional guardrails before some juveniles are moved to adult court is pending before the House Judiciary Committee.

Bills in less of a hurry

Immigration: Currently in the House Judiciary Committee, H. 4764 would require all S.C. sheriffs to partner with the federal government to enforce national immigration laws. LATEST: A House subcommittee approved the measure on Feb. 26, sending it on to the full Judiciary Committee for further action.

Judicial selection: A bill with the support of leaders in both chambers would give the governor more power in selecting state judges. LATEST: S.C. House members passed the bill 86-25 on Feb. 11, sending it to the Senate for further consideration.

DOGE SC: Multiple bills promising to cut the state workforce and the regulations they enforce have been introduced for consideration in 2026. In particular, House GOP leaders have pledged to get their “Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act” passed through the S.C. Senate this session. LATEST: Senate leaders say the bill could come up for consideration this month.

Rolling back affirmative action and DEI: Several bills are still currently awaiting consideration, including one to codify Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order ending affirmative action in state contracting.

Abortion: A House Judiciary subcommittee on Jan. 14 killed one bill to treat abortion as homicide and advanced another to reclassify abortion pills as Schedule IV drugs. LATEST: The S.C. House on Feb. 4 voted 81-31 to advance the abortion pill rescheduling bill to the S.C. Senate.