South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

H 5271 — Public Assistance and Citizenship Verification

Last action — Referred to Committee on Ways and Means

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

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

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 AMENDING SECTION 43-5-15, RELATING TO APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC AID AND ASSISTANCE, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES TO VERIFY APPLICANTS' CITIZENSHIP STATUS AND ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE THE REQUESTED BENEFITS.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

26 added · 8 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill H 5271 now includes a requirement for the South Carolina Department of Social Services to verify an applicant's citizenship status before they can receive public aid and assistance. Specifically, the bill states that applicants must prove they are U.S. citizens and eligible for benefits, unless federal laws dictate otherwise. This change is significant because it aims to ensure that only eligible residents receive assistance, potentially reducing fraud and ensuring resources are allocated to those who truly qualify.

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2025-2026 Bill 5271 Text of Previous Version (Feb.
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26, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 5271Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A bill   TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 43-5-15, RELATING TO APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC AID AND ASSISTANCE, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES TO VERIFY APPLICANTS' CITIZENSHIP STATUS AND ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE THE REQUESTED BENEFITS.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  Section 43-5-15 of the S.C.
Code is amended to read:
      Section 43-5-15.
(A) Applications for assistance under the provisions of this chapter shall be made as provided in this chapter and when no such provision has been made in accordance with the manner and form prescribed by the department.
    (B) Prior to approval of an application for assistance, the department must verify an applicant's citizenship status and benefit eligibility pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 29, Title 8.
Unless otherwise required by federal law, the department shall not approve an application for assistance without verifying that the applicant is a United States citizen and eligible to receive the requested benefits.
  SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on February 26, 2026 at 11:14 AM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Ways and Means

  2. Introduced and read first time

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 169 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (169)

169 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 169 →

"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

Subjects

public-safety immigration
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does H 5271 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 43-5-15, RELATING TO APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC AID AND ASSISTANCE, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES TO VERIFY APPLICANTS' CITIZENSHIP STATUS AND ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE THE REQUESTED BENEFITS.
Who sponsors H 5271?
H 5271 is sponsored by Representative Steven Wayne Long.
What is the current status of H 5271?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 5271?
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