Hotlist: May 4, 2026
Late-night committee meetings, marathon floor debates, and a flood of legislation moving at once can only mean one thing: we’ve officially entered the chaos of the final weeks of South Carolina’s legislative session.
Among the major developments last week, the Senate began debate on Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements (S.227), Senator Tom Davis’ bill, which focused on responsible growth and development.
The SC Protected Lands Act (H.5069), which sets a statewide land and water protection goal, advanced out of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and is now nearing the finish line on the Senate floor. The Data Center Development Act (S.867) and the sweeping Regulatory Reform bill (H.3021) also advanced out of committee to the Senate floor, though both bills face an uphill battle as they are both ‘contested’ and competing with a crowded Senate calendar.
Meanwhile, the House passed the Commercial Energy Conservation Bill (H.5216), which would allow for higher energy-efficiency standards in commercial buildings.
Looking ahead, the House returns to the budget this week and will take a crucial vote to accept or reject Senate changes, including three data center provisos that advance transparency and accountability for data center water use and economic incentives.
Plenty to unpack this week, let’s get into it.
Updates
Final chance for Senate to act on responsible growth and development
The Concurrent Infrastructure Requirements bill (S.227) finally reached the floor for substantive debate last Wednesday. The bill generated a lot of interest as senators dug into the concept, and Senator Tom Davis skillfully went to bat championing the policy. Unfortunately, the bill was contested, delaying debate, and the Senate moved on to other matters. With only six working days left in session, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk isn’t very likely, but passing the Senate still remains within reach. We are hopeful that the Senate will continue debating the bill this week and hold a vote.
If we are able to pass the bill over to the House, we not only put S.227 on a strong footing for next session but also maintain a narrow window to pass it in the final days of the 2026 session. CVSC is working tirelessly to push this bill across the finish line, and we could use your support–visit the Action Center below to urge your senator to take action before it is too late.
Protected Lands Act nears finish line
The SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act (H.5069) received a favorable report from the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee last week and is now on the Senate floor, where it is a vote away from being sent to the Governor’s desk. CVSC is working with senators to ensure this bill crosses the finish line. Join us in that effort by visiting the Action Center below and asking your senator to support the SC Protected Lands & Conservation Coordination Act!
House to vote on data center provisions in the budget
The House will vote this week on whether to accept or reject three data center provisos passed by the Senate two weeks ago as part of the state budget. While the provisos are only effective for the fiscal year and are far from comprehensive guardrails for data center development, they offer a modest step forward in increasing transparency and accountability and can provide data to inform more comprehensive legislation. The provisos include:
- Water use transparency (55.28) through annual reporting on data center water use, allowing our state to measure the impact of data center development on crucial state water resources.
- Accountability on economic incentives (50.31) by restricting the Department of Commerce from utilizing state funds for economic incentives to recruit or support expanding data centers in our state. This ensures the Department of Commerce is accountable for not offering these incentives to data centers.
- Transparency on tax exemptions (109.18) through requirements that the Department of Revenue provide a report on the amount of state sales and use tax exemptions claimed by data centers for computer equipment and electricity tax exemptions.
Urge your representative to accept these provisos and stand up for basic transparency and accountability for data center development via our Action Center!
While the data center provisos are the most viable opportunity for action this year, the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee advanced Senator Davis’ Data Center Development Act (S.867) to the Senate floor. While the bill may be debated, we don’t expect the House to take it up before the end of session, but will continue to keep you posted.
House passes bill to advance energy efficiency in commercial buildings!
Last week, the House passed the Commercial Energy Conservation Code Bill (H.5216), which allows outdated commercial energy codes to be modernized for greater energy efficiency in non-residential buildings. We applaud the House’s passage of this common-sense legislation and applaud Representative Chapman for his leadership on this issue!
Efficient buildings help lower electricity bills, reduce strain on our electric grid (and the need to build expensive new power plants), and create safer, more resilient infrastructure in our state. This bill now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee. While the timeline is short, CVSC and its partners are working to determine whether there’s a pathway to advance this common-sense measure.
Sweeping regulatory reform proposal moves forward
The Senate has made dramatic improvements to the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act (H.3021) since it was first sent over from the House, and has now advanced the legislation to the Senate floor.
However, concerns with the legislation remain. This includes language that threatens the impartiality of courts when considering regulations, and cumbersome administrative procedures for state agencies that could hamper regulations protecting our environment, public health, and safety. However, perhaps a larger issue is that the House version of the bill contains a broad array of sweeping changes that threaten fundamental regulatory protections. If the Senate passes its revised version, the two chambers will still need to negotiate final language, leaving many of those concerning provisions in play. Senator Hutto has contested the bill on the floor, recognizing the clear risks of passing it, but CVSC and partners will remain vigilant.
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 senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- 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 representative to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: CIR
- Tell Public Service Commission regulators to stop the Edisto gas plant
- Tell your senator to vote in favor of sustainable planning tools: TDRs
In the News
SC property owners upset about pipeline face legal action if they don’t cooperate | The State
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!