January 10, 2026 Facts, Act Now!

SC Legislative PAWs Report, 1/12/26

When the legislature is in session, things can move quickly—and quietly. In this article, IUSC’s team of Political Action Watchdogs (PAWs) breaks down what’s scheduled at the state house this week so you can stay informed, steady, and ready to act.

by IUSC Staff

Indivisible Upstate SC is keeping steady eyes on gatherings that are scheduled each week by the SC Senate and SC House, particularly hearings about proposed bills. Remember a bill is NOT YET a law, so let’s take a deep breath and take some calculated action together!

Jump to section:

Alert: Two Ominous Abortion Bills

THIS WEDNESDAY, JAN 14, the SC House Judiciary (Constitutional Laws) Subcommittee is holding two abortion-related hearings at noon on Wed, Jan 14, 2026, in Room 110 of the Blatt Building on the State House grounds.

Both bills warrant strong opposition. Together, they would dramatically expand government surveillance, criminalization, and fear surrounding pregnancy and reproductive health care. If enacted, they would push criminal law deep into medical decision-making, treating pregnancy and health care as matters for policing rather than evidence-based medicine. Access to abortion is essential for people to make their own decisions about their reproductive lives, health, and families.

For physician perspectives about how severe, uncompromising abortion laws can undermine the practice of medicine, see IUSC’s September 2025 article entitled “Justice Demands Safe, Legal Care for Women in SC.”

H.3537 Death Penalty Bill

Sponsored by 10 House members, H.3537 defines a “person” as a fertilized egg at any stage of development. Under this definition, individuals whom the state believes have harmed a fertilized egg could be charged with homicide and face penalties up to and including the death penalty.

This is an extreme and punitive proposal that would vastly expand criminalization and state control over pregnancy outcomes. It moves South Carolina toward a system where medical decisions are subject to law enforcement scrutiny, replacing care, trust, and clinical judgment with fear and punishment.

This bill was originally introduced in the SC House in 2025 on January 14 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Fact sheet (SC Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network):
https://www.scwren.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Death-Penalty.pdf
Direct link to bill (“Prenatal Equal Protection Act”):
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/3537.htm

H.4760 Attack on Abortion Medication Bill

Sponsored by 35 House members, H.4760 would criminalize abortion medication by creating new felony offenses related to the delivery, possession, and distribution of abortion pills. Rather than relying on established medical evidence, the bill substitutes punishment and policing—cutting off access to safe, widely used medication abortion and pushing people toward delayed or unsafe care.

Though less overt than H.3537, the bill is no less dangerous. It mirrors a law enacted in Louisiana that reclassified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances, despite decades of safe, routine medical use. These medications are essential not only for abortion care, but also for managing miscarriages, treating pregnancy complications, and preventing postpartum hemorrhage.

This bill was prefiled in the SC House in December 2025 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Read more (“Abortion, Every Day” article on Substack):
https://jessica.substack.com/p/when-our-bodies-become-crime-scenes?open=false#%C2%A7south-carolina-moves-to-make-abortion-pills-a-controlled-substance
Direct link to bill (“Abortion-Inducing Drugs”):
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/4760.htm

How to Voice Opposition to Both Abortion Bills

Important! Your deadline to hit lawmakers’ radar is 5pm Tuesday, Jan 13. Earlier is better! When calling or writing, clearly state your name, your SC address, the bill(s) you are referencing, and that your position is in opposition to the bill(s).

CALL the SC House Judiciary Committee at (803) 734-3120.
EMAIL your SC State House Representative. Look them up here by entering your address, click on their name, then click “send message” and complete the email form.
Easier: You may also use this safe and effective tool in which you may use or adapt pre-determined verbiage. Be sure to click on each bill separately to ensure you’ve voiced opposition to not one but BOTH bills: https://www.scwren.org/act-now/?blm_aid=227980
EMAIL written testimony to HJudConstitutionalLaws@schouse.gov.
Pro Tip: Click here for WREN's Guidelines for Preparing, Writing, and Giving Testimony.
SHOW UP at the SC State House on January 14.
> If you wish to give verbal testimony, we expect it will be first come, first served for each bill, so plan to arrive as early as possible to sign up for the specific bill(s) you wish to oppose.
> Seating in the room is limited, but there will probably be a crowd of protesters outside. Bring your signs and loud voices!

Alert: Bill Targeting Trans Kids

ALSO THIS WEDNESDAY, JAN 14, the SC House Judiciary (Constitutional Laws) Subcommittee is holding a hearing at 10:45am on Wed, Jan 14, 2026, in Room 110 of the Blatt Building on the State House grounds.

H.4756 Student Bathroom Policing

Sponsored by 55 members of the SC House, H.4756 is a student privacy and sex-segregation bill that would impose enforceable rules governing access to restrooms, changing facilities, and overnight lodging in public K–12 schools and public colleges.

Despite that it does provide some reasonable accommodations for disabled persons and young children who need physical assistance, this bill threatens transgender students and adults and people who don’t conform to rigid societal expectations. Specifically, it…

Defines “sex” as biological sex at birth for purposes of school facilities.
Requires public schools and colleges to enforce single-sex restrooms, changing facilities, and sleeping accommodations, with limited exceptions for emergencies or situations where no one is undressed.
Prohibits students from being required to share multi-occupancy facilities or overnight lodging with opposite-sex peers during school-authorized events, except for family members.
Creates a new enforcement mechanism allowing individuals to sue schools or colleges for violations, seek court orders to stop noncompliant practices, and recover attorney’s fees—placing institutions at risk of legal and financial penalties.

H.4756 could expose school districts and colleges to lawsuits and financial penalties for alleged violations. This threatens the physical and emotional well-being of transgender and gender-diverse students by forcing them into facilities that do not align with their identity, increasing stigma, exclusion, and the risk of harassment or harm.

This bill was prefiled in the SC House in December 2025 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Direct link to bill (“Student Physical Privacy Act”):
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/4756.htm

How to Voice Opposition

When calling or writing, clearly state your name, your SC address, the bill(s) you are referencing, and that your position is in opposition to the bill.

CALL the SC House Judiciary Committee at (803) 734-3120.
EMAIL your SC State House Representative. Look them up here by entering your address, click on their name, then click “send message” and complete the email form.
SHOW UP at the SC State House on January 14, as far in advance of the 10:45 am hearing as possible. In an email dated January 8, the SC ACLU said that showing up in person matters most right now. You do not need to speak. You do not need to be an expert. Your presence alone…
> Shows lawmakers this bill has real-world consequences
> Signals that trans kids and their families are not alone
> Counters fear-based narratives with visible community support
> Helps ensure the room reflects the people this bill would actually harm

Watchlist: Possible Voter Suppression Bills

Subcommittee meetings will be held this week regarding the four bills below; however, IUSC is not recommending action at this time. They are still early in the legislative process and this week’s hearings would not benefit greatly from immediate public pressure. We will continue to monitor their movement closely and share clear guidance if and when constituent outreach or public testimony could meaningfully influence outcomes.

The bills reflect a broader legislative push to tighten control over voter participation and election administration by standardizing who can participate, when elections occur, and how election processes are conducted and certified.

They emphasize party control, fixed timelines, and more rigid procedural rules—priorities commonly advanced in Republican-led state legislatures under a law-and-order or administrative-certainty framework. While proponents may frame these changes as promoting clarity and efficiency, they raise concerns about reduced local flexibility, new barriers to participation, and the consolidation of power over election rules and administration. Collectively, the bills align ideologically with conservative policy agendas often associated with groups such as the State Freedom Caucus, though there is no clear public evidence that they originate from Heritage Foundation or Project 2025 model legislation.

H.3310 Closed Primaries
Requires voters to register with a specific political party in order to vote in that party’s partisan primary or partisan advisory referendum, including adding party affiliation to the voter registration process and limiting participation in primaries to those registered with the party.
H.3643 Voter Registration, Party Affiliation
Would amend voter registration and election law to require voters to be registered with a certified political party or as unaffiliated at least 45 days before a partisan primary or advisory referendum in order to participate, add party affiliation information to registration forms, adjust candidate filing requirements (including fees and deadlines), and tighten eligibility for appearing on primary ballots based on recent party participation.
H.4669 Municipal Elections
Would amend South Carolina’s municipal election laws to require general elections be held on specified dates, shift certain administrative duties (including costs for partisan primaries), set procedures for vote counting and contesting results, and authorize county election boards to conduct municipal elections under agreed terms.
S.38 Special Elections
Would establish mandatory timelines and procedures for special elections, including specific deadlines for calling, conducting, and certifying special election results, as well as requirements for notifying voters and filling vacancies in state and local offices.