Hotlist: April 6, 2026
After a couple slower weeks at the Statehouse, the pace picked up last week. Thank you to everyone who joined our Conservation Coalition Lobby Day and Oyster Roast. It was energizing to see advocates from across South Carolina connect with lawmakers and build momentum together. We are grateful to the partners, legislators, and supporters who made it a success.
Last week brought encouraging progress on conservation priorities, with key bills advancing on land and water protection and energy efficiency. We also saw progress on data center policy. Meanwhile, the Senate overrode the Governor’s veto on the College athletics contracts or Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) bill and rejected tax conformity, while the House focused on a contentious debate over local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.
This week, the House is on furlough and the Senate is in perfunctory session (committee work only). Our team will be working to advance priorities in Senate committees and preparing for the Senate floor debate on a crucial growth management bill.
As timelines tighten, we are pushing to get priority bills across the finish line, and we are grateful to have you as part of this work. Let’s dive into the details.
SC Protected Lands Act moves to House floor!
The South Carolina Protected Lands Act (H.5069) moved quickly through the House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs Committee last week where it received a unanimous vote in support. The bill now moves to the House floor and we are hopeful that we can get it to the Senate in short order.
By making official state goals for land and water protection we will have a tangible benchmark to measure success and further justification of ambitious conservation funding year after year. CVSC applauds Rep. Travis Moore and Rep. Patrick Haddon for their leadership on this bill, the many cosponsors for their robust support, and the House Ag committee for taking swift action to move this bill forward.
Work continues on Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements
Senate Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements bill (S.227) appeared briefly on the Senate floor last week and received additional amendments from Senator Tom Davis. CVSC met with the Senator and his staff to go through the changes line by line and make sure that the end result is a tool that helps our local governments manage increasing growth pressure across the state. The full Senate will not convene this week, which means debate on S.227 will likely not happen until next week. CVSC and partners are working with lawmakers in both chambers to set the bill up for success in a final push before session closes out.
Dueling data center bills and the Energy Affordability Act
Last week, the Senate held multiple hearings on data center legislation in the Judiciary and Agriculture & Natural Resources Committees. Three hearings occurred, including two simultaneously, creating a hectic schedule. For the sake of alliteration, we’ll refer to Senator Davis’ proposal (S.867) and Senator Rankin’s (S.902) as the “dueling data center bills.”
While no official action was taken by either committee, the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee discussed a proposed amendment to S.867 that addresses key gaps in protections for existing electric customers and closes loopholes previously identified by CVSC and partners. The amendment also ensures the reforms apply to all utilities statewide.
Although not yet adopted, CVSC supports the committee’s efforts to strengthen the bill to protect both electric customers and the environment. These dueling proposals are expected to move through committee soon for a Senate floor debate.
In the House, no action has occurred on data center bills. However, Representative and gubernatorial candidate Jermaine Johnson introduced the “Energy Affordability Act” (H.5484), which would provide consumer and environmental protections for data center development, advance energy efficiency, and explore low-income electric rates. CVSC applauds this comprehensive approach and encourages the House to act.
With session time limited, a stalemate between chambers is possible. Visit our Action Center to urge your legislators to pass data center protections this year!
Energy conservation building code bill moves to the floor
While much attention at the General Assembly has focused on utilities and data centers, building codes play a critical role in controlling energy use, environmental impact, and resilience. Last week, we were pleased to see the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee advance the Energy Conservation Building Code bill (H.5216) to the House floor.
This bill modernizes energy conservation standards for commercial and public buildings, updating codes that have not been revised since 2009. By improving efficiency in new construction and renovations, H.5216 helps lower energy costs, ease strain on the grid, and reduce the environmental footprint of future power generation, all while enhancing resilience against severe weather. With South Carolina families and businesses facing high electricity bills and the state trailing national efficiency benchmarks, this is a practical, cost-effective step toward a smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy future.
Thank you to Representative Chapman and Subcommittee Chair Ligon for championing this proposal.
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.
- 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
Shoutouts
CVSC was proud to join the SC Conservation Coalition’s 23rd Annual Lobby Day and Oyster Roast last week. Alongside our partners, we welcomed and guided 100 South Carolinians to the Statehouse, many sharing their stories and meeting with legislators for the first time, to speak up for sustainable growth, land and water conservation, and energy affordability solutions. Those conversations are already making an impact, with key bills such as the SC Protected Lands Act quickly advancing in the following days. Thank you to everyone who showed up, made your voice heard, and helped drive meaningful change for South Carolina’s future. We look forward to advocating alongside you again next year!
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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!