South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

H 4716 — Constitutional Amendment

Last action — Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White

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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 December 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Prognosis

Stalled 18% · 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.

  • 3 sponsors

    3 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 JOINT RESOLUTION TO AMEND SECTION 26, ARTICLE V OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MAGISTRATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THEY SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR BY AND WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RATHER THAN BY THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE; TO PROVIDE FOR A MAJORITY VOTE OF EACH CHAMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO DELETE PROVISIONS PROVIDING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL PROVIDE FOR MAGISTRATES' TERMS OF OFFICE AND THEIR CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JURISDICTION; AND TO PROVIDE FOR TERMS OF OFFICE OF MAGISTRATES OF FOUR YEARS AND UNTIL THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE APPOINTED AND QUALIFIED.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

46 added · 8 removed

46 line(s) added, 8 removed.

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2025-2026 Bill 4716 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
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17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4716Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A joint Resolution   TO AMEND Section 26, ARTICLE V OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, RELATING TO THE appointment of magistrates, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT they SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR by and WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RATHER THAN By the advice and consent of the senate;
to provide for a majority vote of each chamber of the general assembly;
to delete provisions providing the general assembly shall provide for magistrates' terms of office and their civil and criminal jurisdiction;
and to provide for terms of office of magistrates of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  It is proposed that Section 26, Article V of the Constitution of this State be amended to read:
      Section 26.
The Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the SenateGeneral Assembly, shall appoint a number of magistrates in such number for each county as may be provided by law.
The General Assembly shall provide for their terms of office and their civil and criminal jurisdiction.
The terms of office must be uniform throughout the State.
The General Assembly shall require a majority vote of each chamber.  The terms of office of magistrates shall be four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.
  SECTION 2.  The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives.
 Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
      "Must Section 26, Article V of the Constitution of this State, relating to the appointments of magistrates, be amended so as to provide that magistrates shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the General Assembly, rather than by and with the advise and consent of the Senate only;
to provide for a majority vote of each chamber of the General Assembly;
to delete provisions providing the General Assembly shall provide for magistrates' terms of office and their civil and criminal jurisdiction;
and to provide for terms of office of magistrates of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified?   Yes     o No      o   Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'." ----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:28 PM
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Action History

  1. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White

  2. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Introduced and read first time

  4. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  5. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 167 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

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.

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 civil-rights elections
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 4716 do?
A JOINT RESOLUTION TO AMEND SECTION 26, ARTICLE V OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MAGISTRATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THEY SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR BY AND WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RATHER THAN BY THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE; TO PROVIDE FOR A MAJORITY VOTE OF EACH CHAMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO DELETE PROVISIONS PROVIDING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL PROVIDE FOR MAGISTRATES' TERMS OF OFFICE AND THEIR CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JURISDICTION; AND TO PROVIDE FOR TERMS OF OFFICE OF MAGISTRATES OF FOUR YEARS AND UNTIL THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE APPOINTED AND QUALIFIED.
Who sponsors H 4716?
H 4716 is sponsored by Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus, Representative Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope, and Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White.
What is the current status of H 4716?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced December 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 4716?
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