SC lawmakers plan to address tort reform and other issues during legislative session

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Friday will mark one month since the current legislative session began for 2024.

Several bills have already been passed and many more will be debated and voted on over the next couple of months.

Already this legislative session, the South Carolina Senate has passed a bill that aims to ensure parents are more involved in their children’s healthcare, including requiring parental consent for surgery and prescriptions. 

“We spent some time last week dealing with carrying a firearm and making sure law-abiding citizens have the ability to carry,” said Senate majority leader Shane Massey. “We also came down pretty hard on criminals.”

The Constitutional Carry Bill includes graduated penalties for repeat offenders carrying illegal guns, something Governor Henry McMaster has repeatedly asked lawmakers to do. 

A bill that has long been on the books at the statehouse is now also getting renewed attention. 

“Today, we’re beginning debate on medical marijuana and whether South Carolina should join the growing list of states that have enacted that policy,” Massey said. “We had a good debate on that a couple years ago. We didn’t quite get finished so we’re going to have another debate here.”

Also at the statehouse on Wednesday, the South Carolina Coalition for Lawsuit Reform asked lawmakers to modernize liability laws. 

“It presently allows parties to be held totally liable for damages when they only have a small percentage of responsibility for the damage or injury,” said SCCLR president Tom Mullikin.

The proposed South Carolina Justice Act would ensure that businesses only have to pay damages equal to their share of fault in a civil lawsuit. 

“Assigning fault proportionally is not about absolving anyone of their responsibility,” said Sen. Ross Turner, a Republican from Greenville. “It’s about making sure that each party is held accountable for their actions and contributions to the situation. It’s about recognizing that justice isn’t served by overburdening one party while letting others off the hook.”

Massey also supports the proposed bill and also says there are many other ones to debate over the next three months. 

“I also hope to deal with judicial reform measures. That’s something we’ve been hearing a lot about,” the majority leader said. “I’m hopeful we can also deal with education and workforce development issues. Of course, we have the budget. That’s the big thing we do every year. There’s a lot of work left to do.”