Hotlist: April 20, 2026
We’re in the final stretch of the legislative session, with just 12 days left for bills to cross the finish line and become law.
Last week brought some meaningful progress. The House passed the SC Protected Lands Act (H.5069), establishing a statewide goal of 7 million acres of protected land and water. The Conservation Easement Tax Credit Enhancement (H.3409) also advanced out of subcommittee, strengthening incentives for private land conservation.
At the same time, several key priorities remain unresolved. The Senate has not yet taken up Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (S.227), a critical step toward more responsible growth. A House regulatory reform bill (H.3021) was improved in subcommittee, but still warrants close attention. Meanwhile, momentum on data center reforms has slowed, leaving important gaps in protections for communities and our natural resources.
Here’s where things stand with one month to go:
Updates
Major land & water protection wins in the House
We started off last week with a big House win as a nearly unanimous vote sent the SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act (H.5069) to Senate. After being recommitted to the House Agriculture, Natural Resources, & Environmental Affairs committee, the bill has been on a meteoric rise moving from subcommittee to the Senate in only 3 House business days. We are hopeful that we can see as swift of action in the Senate as the bill now heads to the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee. Help continue to build on the success of this bill by visiting our Action Center and urging your senator to support the SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act!
We also saw the Conservation Easement Tax Credit Enhancement (H.3409), introduced by Rep. Patrick Haddon, receive a favorable subcommittee report and be sent to the full House Ways & Means Committee. We fully support making the protection of land more appealing by increasing the economic incentive and this bill does just that. The bill quadruples the per acre tax credit cap, significantly sweetening the deal to put land under easement. Private lands make up nearly a third of the protected lands in the state and help agricultural and timber lands stay as working lands instead of getting developed, with passage of this bill we hope to see that number increase!
Sweeping regulatory proposal sees major overhaul
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee reconvened last week to discuss its major overhaul of the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act (H.3021). After hearing testimony from advocates, agencies, and industries about the original bill’s unintended consequences, the subcommittee agreed on a compromise “strike-and-insert” amendment (replacing the original amendment with entirely different langugage) that benefits all stakeholders involved. Among other things, the new amendment gives agencies 5-8 years to submit a report reviewing their regulations to the already established Legislative Audit Council. If an agency fails to submit a report, that agency may not promulgate (pass) any new regulations with the exception of emergency regulations until the report is submitted.
Ultimately, this is a win for conservation in South Carolina. Simply put, we can’t do our work without effective agency operation. With this amendment, H.3021 now provides a workable framework for agencies helping to protect South Carolina’s environment. There’s still much work to be done to ensure that this bill stays workable, so we’ll make sure to keep you all updated every step of the way.
Concurrency runs in place
CVSC continued to meet with senators to prep them for the impending Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements floor vote that failed to materialize again last week. As we approach the end of session, it is imperative that the General Assembly understands the urgency associated with growth management in our state. We cannot wait another year to address unprecedented growth, while our infrastructure lags and our quality of life suffers. Visit our Action Center bleow to contact your senator and tell them we need action now!
Action Center
Here’s a round-up of current actions you can take to help us advance conservation policy during this legislative session. If you’ve already taken these actions, thank you! We’ll add more actions and provide updates as progress unfolds.
- NEW Ask your senator to support the SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act
- Tell your legislator to support guardrails for new data center development
- Tell your senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- Tell your representative to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- Tell your senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: TDRs
The Legislative Hotlist is a weekly update from CVSC’s Senior Vice President of Policy & Government Relations, John Brooker. Sign up for emails to get the Hotlist delivered directly to your inbox!