South Carolina Lawmakers Advance Key Legislation: DUI Laws, Tax Breaks, and Economic Growth in 2026 Session

South Carolina lawmakers returned to the State House last week for the 2026 session, swearing in new members like Rep. Greg Ford and advancing key bills. Senate Judiciary strengthened DUI laws in S. 52, sending it to the floor as a priority, according to South Carolina Public Radio. The Senate Finance Committee pushed S. 768 to double the homestead exemption from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars and lower the eligibility age to sixty, despite cost concerns topping two hundred forty-five million dollars. In the House, an ad hoc committee drafted transportation reforms for the DOT, including tolling options and electric vehicle fees, while eyeing bathroom bill H. 4756.

Economically, South Carolina Commerce reports industry recruitment hit nine point one two billion dollars in 2025, with rural areas capturing forty-six percent of investments and thousands of jobs from firms like Ironline Metals in Hampton County, MCIS in Orangeburg, and Fenner Precision Polymers in Cherokee. Construction remains robust, with contractors optimistic about hospitals, K-12 schools, and data centers, per Carolinas AGC, though labor shortages persist. The education sector eyes growth, including JEDA's thirty-three point eight million dollar bonds for Libertas Academy Woodruff charter school opening in 2026-27, and Spartanburg District Six's bond referendum for new schools and renovations.

Public safety dominates headlines with a surging measles outbreak. The South Carolina Department of Public Health reports four hundred thirty-four cases, up one hundred twenty-four recently, with hundreds in quarantine amid exposures at Upstate schools and businesses like Spartanburg Walmart, per CIDRAP and WYFF News 4. Mobile vaccine units are active. No major weather events reported.

Looking Ahead: Senate Finance reviews the House income tax bill H. 4216 this week, alongside energy consumer protections in S. 784 and judicial reforms. Budget hearings continue, with education proposals for teacher support and school safety under scrutiny.

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