South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Passed House

H 4610 — American Sign Language Symbol Act

Last action — Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 16, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 56% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 36 sponsors

    36 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-687 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE "I LOVE YOU" (ILY) HAND GESTURE AS THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; AND BY ADDING ARTICLE 29 TO CHAPTER 1, TITLE 1 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES SHALL INCORPORATE THE "I LOVE YOU" GESTURE AS APPROPRIATE.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

92 added · 123 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of Bill H 4610, the "I Love You" hand gesture has been officially designated as the state's American Sign Language symbol, and the Governor's Office along with certain state agencies will promote its use. This gesture is important as it conveys love and inclusivity for deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Additionally, a section previously included in the bill has been removed, but the emphasis on recognizing the gesture remains strong. This matters because it further supports accessibility and the cultural significance of American Sign Language in South Carolina.

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Previous
Latest
2025-2026 Bill 4610 Text of Previous Version (Mar.
2025-2026 Bill 4610 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
26, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4610Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4610Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.) Committee Report March 26, 2026   H.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A bill   TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-687 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE "I LOVE YOU" (ILY) HAND GESTURE AS THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA;
4610   Introduced by Reps.
J.
Moore, Oremus, M.
M.
Smith, Davis, Robbins, Pope, Bustos, Landing, Teeple, Hartnett, Sessions, B.
Newton, Wickensimer, Wetmore, Bradley, Reese, Cox, Stavrinakis, Gatch, J.
L.
Johnson, Rutherford, Hosey, Gilliard, Grant, Hart, Crawford, Guest, McGinnis, Hardee, Holman, Bamberg, Willis, Burns and Chumley   S.
Printed 3/26/26--H.
Read the first time January 13, 2026   ________   The committee on House Education and Public Works To whom was referred a Bill (H.
4610) to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by enacting the "South Carolina State American Sign Language Symbol Act" by adding Section 1-1-687 so as to designate the, etc., respectfully Report:
That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:
     Amend the bill, as and if amended, by deleting SECTION 4 from the bill.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
  SHANNON ERICKSON for Committee.
    statement of estimated fiscal impact Explanation of Fiscal Impact State Expenditure This bill recognizes the ASL "I Love You" (ILY) hand gesture as the official ASL symbol of South Carolina, which must be recognized in all official contexts related to South Carolina state emblems.
This bill will have no expenditure impact on state agencies as it does not create any new responsibilities or impose new requirements on agencies.
    Frank A.
Rainwater, Executive Director Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office   _______                 A bill   TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-687 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE "I LOVE YOU" (ILY) HAND GESTURE AS THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA;
----XX---- This web page was last updated on March 26, 2026 at 05:42 PM
----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 12:52 PM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services

  2. Introduced and read first time

  3. Read third time and sent to Senate

  4. Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-0

  5. Read second time

  6. Amended

  7. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bowers, Guffey

  8. Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and Public Works

  9. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: J.L.Johnson, Rutherford, Hosey, Gilliard, Grant, Hart, Crawford, Guest, McGinnis, Hardee, Holman, Bamberg, Willis, Burns, Chumley

  10. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Oremus, M.M.Smith, Davis, Robbins, Pope, Bustos, Landing, Teeple, Hartnett, Sessions, B.Newton, Wickensimer, Wetmore, Bradley, Reese, B.L.Cox, Stavrinakis, Gatch

  11. Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works

  12. Introduced and read first time

  13. Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works

  14. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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36 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 134 not signed on

Sponsors (36)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (134)

134 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 134 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Passage of Bill

Passed 110 Yea · 0 Nay · 14 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 1070012
Republican 2000
Democrat 0002
Total 1090014
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (123)
Member Party Vote
Brittain, T. Case, Jr. — Yea
Representative Luke S. Rankin — Yea
Henderson-Myers, Rosalyn D. — Yea
Johnson, Jeffrey E. — Yea
Johnson, Jermaine L., Sr. — Yea
Representative Adam L. Duncan — Not Voting
Representative Annie E. McDaniel — Yea
Representative April Cromer — Yea
Representative Beth E. Bernstein — Yea
Representative Bill Taylor — Yea
Representative Brandon Guffey — Yea
Representative Brandon L. Cox — Yea
Representative Brandon Newton — Yea
Representative Bruce W. Bannister — Yea
Representative Cally R. "Cal" Forrest, Jr. — Yea
Representative Carl L. Anderson — Yea
Representative Chandra E. Dillard — Yea
Representative Charles V. Hartz — Yea
Representative Chris Wooten — Yea
Representative Christopher R. "Chris" Hart — Not Voting
Representative Cody T. Mitchell — Not Voting
Representative Courtney S. Waters — Yea
Representative Craig A. Gagnon — Yea
Representative Daniel Gibson — Yea
Representative David Martin — Yea
Representative David R. Hiott — Yea
Representative David Vaughan — Yea
Representative Dennis C. Moss — Yea
Representative Dianne Mitchell — Yea
Representative Donald G. "Don" Chapman — Yea
Representative Donald Ryan McCabe, Jr. — Yea
Representative Elizabeth "Spencer" Wetmore — Yea
Representative Fawn M. Pedalino — Yea
Representative Gary S. Brewer, Jr. — Yea
Representative Gil Gatch — Yea
Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter — Yea
Representative Greg Ford — Yea
Representative Hamilton R. Grant — Yea
Representative Harriet A. Holman — Yea
Representative Heath Sessions — Yea
Representative Heather Ammons Crawford — Not Voting
Representative Heather Bauer — Yea
Representative J. David Weeks — Yea
Representative J. Todd Rutherford — Yea
Representative JA Moore — Yea
Representative Jackie E. "Coach" Hayes — Yea
Representative Jackie R. Terribile — Yea
Representative James E. Teeple — Yea
Representative James Mikell "Mike" Burns — Yea
Representative Jeff Bradley — Yea
Representative Jerry N. Govan, Jr. — Yea
Representative John Gregory "Jay" Kilmartin — Yea
Representative John R. McCravy III — Yea
Representative John Richard C. King — Yea
Representative John T. Lastinger, Jr. — Yea
Representative Jordan S. Pace — Not Voting
Representative Joseph M. "Joe" Bustos — Yea
Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White — Yea
Representative Josiah Magnuson — Not Voting
Representative Justin T. Bamberg — Yea
Representative Kambrell H. Garvin — Yea
Representative Kathy Landing — Yea
Representative Keishan M. Scott — Yea
Representative Kevin Hardee — Yea
Representative Lee Hewitt — Yea
Representative Leon D. "Doug" Gilliam — Yea
Representative Leon Howard — Not Voting
Representative Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis — Yea
Representative Lonnie Hosey — Not Voting
Representative Lucas Atkinson — Yea
Representative M. Brian Lawson — Yea
Representative Mark N. Willis — Yea
Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus — Yea
Representative Micajah P. "Micah" Caskey IV — Yea
Representative Michael F. Rivers, Sr. — Yea
Representative Mike M. Neese — Yea
Representative Nathan Ballentine — Yea
Representative Neal A. Collins — Yea
Representative Patrick B. Haddon — Yea
Representative Paul B. Wickensimer — Yea
Representative Paula Rawl Calhoon — Yea
Representative Phillip Bowers — Yea
Representative Phillip D. Lowe — Yea
Representative Richard Blake Sanders — Yea
Representative Richard L. "Richie" Yow — Yea
Representative Robby Robbins — Yea
Representative Robert J. "Rob" Harris — Not Voting
Representative Robert Q. Williams — Yea
Representative Robert T. Reese — Yea
Representative Roger K. Kirby — Yea
Representative Sarita L. Edgerton — Yea
Representative Seth Rose — Yea
Representative Shannon S. Erickson — Yea
Representative Steven Wayne Long — Yea
Representative Sylleste H. Davis — Yea
Representative T. Alan Morgan, Jr. — Not Voting
Representative Terry Alexander — Yea
Representative Thomas Beach — Yea
Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest, Jr. — Yea
Representative Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope — Not Voting
Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr. — Yea
Representative Thomas Lee Gilreath — Yea
Representative Thomas R. "Randy" Ligon — Yea
Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis — Yea
Representative Travis A. Moore — Yea
Representative W. Scott Montgomery IV — Yea
Representative Wallace H. "Jay" Jordan, Jr. — Yea
Representative Wendell G. Gilliard — Yea
Representative Wendell K. Jones — Yea
Representative William "Bill" Clyburn — Yea
Representative William "Bill" Hager — Yea
Representative William C. "Chris" Huff — Yea
Representative William H. Bailey — Yea
Representative William M. "Bill" Chumley — Yea
Representative William M. "Bill" Hixon — Yea
Representative William R. "Bill" Whitmire — Yea
Representative Wm. Weston J. Newton — Yea
Smith, G. Murrell, Jr. — Not Voting
Smith, Marvin — Yea
Jason Luck Democrat Not Voting
Tiffany R. Spann-Wilder Democrat Not Voting
Carla M. Schuessler Republican Yea
Stephen D. Frank Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

civil-rights education
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Frequently asked questions

What does H 4610 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-687 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE "I LOVE YOU" (ILY) HAND GESTURE AS THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SYMBOL OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; AND BY ADDING ARTICLE 29 TO CHAPTER 1, TITLE 1 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES SHALL INCORPORATE THE "I LOVE YOU" GESTURE AS APPROPRIATE.
Who sponsors H 4610?
H 4610 is sponsored by Representative JA Moore, Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus, Representative Sylleste H. Davis, Representative Robby Robbins, Representative Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope, Representative Joseph M. "Joe" Bustos, Representative Kathy Landing, Representative James E. Teeple, Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr., Representative Heath Sessions, Representative Brandon Newton, Representative Paul B. Wickensimer, Representative Elizabeth "Spencer" Wetmore, Representative Jeff Bradley, Representative Robert T. Reese, Representative Brandon L. Cox, Representative Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis, Representative Gil Gatch, J.L. Johnson, Representative J. Todd Rutherford, Representative Lonnie Hosey, Representative Wendell G. Gilliard, Representative Hamilton R. Grant, Representative Christopher R. "Chris" Hart, Representative Heather Ammons Crawford, Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest, Jr., Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis, Representative Kevin Hardee, Representative Harriet A. Holman, Representative Justin T. Bamberg, Representative Mark N. Willis, Representative James Mikell "Mike" Burns, Representative William M. "Bill" Chumley, Representative Phillip Bowers, Representative Brandon Guffey, and Representative Marvin "Mark" Smith.
What is the current status of H 4610?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 16, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track H 4610?
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