S.C. Republican agenda for new session includes energy resilience, gender care, Black history, guns

COLUMBIA - Republican lawmakers who pull all the levers of the South Carolina Legislature want to dispense with so-called "social issues" and focus this session on matters hitting residents' pocketbooks.

The 170-seat General Assembly reconvened Tuesday after last year's work stretched into June with a prolonged debate about contentious new abortion restrictions, leaving part one of the two-year session with several boxes unchecked on the Republican wish list.

They converged on the capital city of Columbia after a year with a nation-leading 1.7% population increase and a decade-long addition of nearly 500,000 people by U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Growing pains are being felt from the booming coast, where some lawmakers hope to address rising housing costs, to infrastructure statewide. One of Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's big budget asks is $500 million to fix aging bridges, but that's already been rebuked by the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Securing more energy is key to keeping up with the population spikes and new industry. Electric cooperatives have warned that blackouts will become more regular if the energy grid does not catch up. Thousands of customers who depend on the state's largest provider saw rolling blackouts during last year's winter storm - a first, per Santee Cooper officials.

House Speaker Murrell Smith has a plan to boost generation capacity and increase short-term reliance on natural gas, said Republican state Sen. Tom Davis. Davis chairs the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee and will sponsor a companion bill.

Whether they manage to maintain their stated focus on bread-and-butter issues could be determined by the level of fear from establishment Republicans that right-wing challengers will oust them in this year's primary elections if they don't appease their conservative base.

Already, a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors is among the first bills to begin moving through the Republican-dominated South Carolina House. Similar to at least 22 other states, the South Carolina ban would prohibit gender-transition surgeries, hormone therapy and puberty blockers for anyone under age 18. It also requires that public school staff inform the parents of any young students who are transgender.

Republican leadership made clear they would go "full throttle" on banning gender-affirming care this year, Republican Sen. Danny Verdin told reporters Monday. Verdin, who chairs the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, said the House bill will have their attention whenever it clears the lower chamber.

With Republicans dominating both the House and Senate, outcomes are more often the result of chamber differences than partisan splits. Republicans hope to flex their majorities' collective muscle by settling a number of hot-button issues dividing their party and enacting cornerstone conservative legislation.

Carried over from last year is a so-called "critical race theory" ban outlining a process to remove any educational materials that challengers believe include discussions of topics such as white privilege and implicit bias. The sticking points for the Senate are two sweeping additions from the House; one allows anyone - not just local parents - to bring challenges in school districts, and another requires that teachers stick strictly to lesson plans posted several days ahead of class.

Also brewing are loosened gun restrictions. A House-passed bill would allow lawful firearm owners to carry handguns openly or concealed without obtaining a state permit, a process that involves about eight hours of training. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, who personally opposes the proposal, predicted a close vote, with 26 of the 30 Senate Republicans needed to defeat procedural tactics that opponents can use to block a bill.

Medical marijuana will once again get a push - likely within the first month, according to Massey. Senators will try again after a House procedural ruling shocked Senate leaders two years ago, ending a yearslong effort to legalize the drug's usage as medicine like some 40 other states have done.

Unexpected by Senate leaders to go anywhere is a hate crimes bill that has repeatedly cleared the House. Despite pressure from business interests and a revamped Democratic push after a white supremacist massacred nine Black churchgoers, South Carolina remains one of two states without enhanced penalties for crimes committed because of the victim's identity.

Receiving cautious optimism from opponents of further abortion restrictions is Massey's pledge to leave the state's strict abortion laws alone.

"I hope I can live up to my commitment," said Massey, who was criticized by a bipartisan group of five "Sister Senators" whose male colleagues passed a roughly six-week ban over their objections last year.

"Unless something really crazy happens in the judicial sphere, I don't anticipate us addressing that issue this year," he told The Associated Press.