S 77 — Streaming of School Board Meetings
Last action — Act No. 28
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed House
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 11, 2024. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Henry McMaster (Republican) on May 12, 2025.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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3 sponsors
3 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 2 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-19-85 SO AS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY REQUIRING SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT PROVIDE LIVESTREAM OR ALTERNATE ELECTRONIC MEANS TRANSMISSION OF SUCH MEETINGS, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION; AND TO REQUIRE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT MUST BE IMPLEMENTED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2026. - RATIFIED TITLE
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
6 added · 49 removed6 line(s) added, 49 removed.
2025-2026 Bill 77 Text of Previous Version (Feb.(Dec.
12,11, 2025)2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 77Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.) Indicates Matter Stricken Indicates New Matter Committee ReportA Februarybill 12, 2025TO AMEND S.THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-19-85 SO AS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY REQUIRING SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT PROVIDE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF SUCH MEETINGS AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION;
77 Introduced by Senators Hembree, Grooms and Zell S.
Printed 2/12/25--S.
Read the first time January 14, 2025 ________ The committee on Senate Education To whom was referred a Bill (S.
77) to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-19-85 so as to promote public access to school board meetings by requiring school boards to adopt and, 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, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-19-85(A) and (B) and inserting:
(A) Each public school governing body, including the governing bodies of charter schools and special schools, must make reasonable efforts to ensure the entirety of the regularly scheduled or special called all meetings subject to the provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act of its full governing body are open and accessible to the public and also available by means of live video and audio electronic access, hereafter referred to as livestream access, except during a lawful executive session.
(B) If a governing body cannot provide such livestream access to the public despite making reasonable efforts to restore livestream access during the meeting, it must make a clear audio and video recording of the meeting in its entirety available on its website as soon as practicable and in no more than two business seven days after the meeting.
Amend the bill further, by striking SECTION 2 and inserting:
SECTION 2. The provisions of this act must be implemented by July 1, 2025January 1, 2026.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
GREG HEMBREE for Committee.
_______ A bill TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-19-85 SO AS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY REQUIRING SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT PROVIDE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF SUCH MEETINGS AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION;
----XX---- This web page was last updated on FebruaryDecember 12,11, 20252024 at 07:4304:43 PM
Action History
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Act No. 28
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Effective date 05/12/25
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Signed By Governor
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Ratified R 46
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Concurred in House amendment and enrolled
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Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments
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Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-0
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Read second time
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Requests for debate-Rep(s). Hayes, Wooten
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Amended
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Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and Public Works
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Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
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Introduced and read first time
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Read third time and sent to House
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Roll call Ayes-41 Nays-0
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Read second time
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Amended
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Committee Amendment Adopted
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Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education
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Referred to Committee on Education
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Introduced and read first time
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Referred to Committee on Education
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Prefiled
Sponsors
- Senator Greg Hembree · Primary
- Senator Lawrence K. "Larry" Grooms · Primary
- Senator Jeff Zell · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →3 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 167 not signed on
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (167)
167 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 167 →"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.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 106 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 110 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 0% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (122)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 41 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 41 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 91% | 0% | 0% | 9% |
How each member voted (45)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does S 77 do?
- AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-19-85 SO AS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY REQUIRING SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT PROVIDE LIVESTREAM OR ALTERNATE ELECTRONIC MEANS TRANSMISSION OF SUCH MEETINGS, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION; AND TO REQUIRE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT MUST BE IMPLEMENTED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2026. - RATIFIED TITLE
- Who sponsors S 77?
- S 77 is sponsored by Senator Greg Hembree, Senator Lawrence K. "Larry" Grooms, and Senator Jeff Zell.
- What is the current status of S 77?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 11, 2024. Enacted.
- Where can I track S 77?
- Track S 77 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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