South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 735 — Sanctuary Jurisdictions and Release of Illegal Aliens

Last action — Scrivener's error corrected

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 20% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-10 SO AS TO CREATE THE "PROHIBITION OF SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS ACT"; BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-20 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS APPROPRIATED BY THE STATE MUST NOT BE OBLIGATED OR EXPENDED FOR A COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, CITY, PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICT, SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICT, SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT, OR ANY TYPE OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISION DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO BE A SANCTUARY JURISDICTION; BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-30 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PUBLISH THE IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE REPORT AND FOR THE STATE TREASURER TO WITHHOLD DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND TO ANY COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY NOT CERTIFIED AS COMPLIANT IN THE REPORT; BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-10, RELATING TO A PERSON CHARGED WITH A NONCAPITAL OFFENSE MAY BE RELEASED ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AN ILLEGAL ALIEN DETAINED BY A LOCAL OR STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY NOT BE RELEASED INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT HELD UNTIL TRANSFERRED TO THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-30, RELATING TO MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING CONDITIONS OF RELEASE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN ALIEN UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 17-15-10(C) BE FOLLOWED.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

19 added · 19 removed

19 line(s) added, 19 removed.

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Latest
2025-2026 Bill 735 Text of Previous Version (Jan.
2025-2026 Bill 735 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
21, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 735Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
10, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 735Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-30 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PUBLISH THE IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE REPORT AND FOR THE STATE TREASURER TO WITHHOLD DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND TO ANY COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY NOT CERTIFIED AS COMPLIANT IN THE REPORT;
BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-30 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PUBLISH THE IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE REPORT AND FOR THE STATE TREASURER TO WITHOLD DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND TO ANY COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY NOT CERTIFIED AS COMPLIANT IN THE REPORT;
AND BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-30, RELATING TO MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING CONDITIONS OF RELEASE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN ALIEN UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 17-15-10(C) BE FOLLOWED.
AND BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-30, RELATING TO MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING CONDITIONS OF RELEASE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN ALIEN UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF 17-15-10(C) BE FOLLOWED.
      Section 17-15-10.  (A) AExcept as provided in subsection (C), a person charged with a noncapital offense triable in either the magistrates, county or circuit court, shall, at his appearance before any of such courts, be ordered released pending trial on his own recognizance without surety in an amount specified by the court, unless the court determines in its discretion that such a release will not reasonably assure the appearance of the person as required, or unreasonable danger to the community or an individual will result.
      Section 17-15-10.   (A) AExcept as provided in subsection (C), a person charged with a noncapital offense triable in either the magistrates, county or circuit court, shall, at his appearance before any of such courts, be ordered released pending trial on his own recognizance without surety in an amount specified by the court, unless the court determines in its discretion that such a release will not reasonably assure the appearance of the person as required, or unreasonable danger to the community or an individual will result.
      Section 17-15-30.  (A) In determining conditions of release that will reasonably assure appearance, or if release would constitute an unreasonable danger to the community or an individual, a court may, on the basis of the following information, consider the nature and circumstances of an offense charged and the charged person's:
      Section 17-15-30.   (A) In determining conditions of release that will reasonably assure appearance, or if release would constitute an unreasonable danger to the community or an individual, a court may, on the basis of the following information, consider the nature and circumstances of an offense charged and the charged person's:
----XX---- This web page was last updated on January 21, 2026 at 01:40 PM
----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 10, 2025 at 02:31 PM
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Action History

  1. Scrivener's error corrected

  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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4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 166 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (166)

166 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 166 →

"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 S 735 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-10 SO AS TO CREATE THE "PROHIBITION OF SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS ACT"; BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-20 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS APPROPRIATED BY THE STATE MUST NOT BE OBLIGATED OR EXPENDED FOR A COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, CITY, PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICT, SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICT, SPECIAL TAX DISTRICT, OR ANY TYPE OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISION DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO BE A SANCTUARY JURISDICTION; BY ADDING SECTION 8-31-30 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PUBLISH THE IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE REPORT AND FOR THE STATE TREASURER TO WITHHOLD DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND TO ANY COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY NOT CERTIFIED AS COMPLIANT IN THE REPORT; BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-10, RELATING TO A PERSON CHARGED WITH A NONCAPITAL OFFENSE MAY BE RELEASED ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AN ILLEGAL ALIEN DETAINED BY A LOCAL OR STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY NOT BE RELEASED INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT HELD UNTIL TRANSFERRED TO THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-30, RELATING TO MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING CONDITIONS OF RELEASE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN ALIEN UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 17-15-10(C) BE FOLLOWED.
Who sponsors S 735?
S 735 is sponsored by Senator Carlisle Kennedy, Senator Tom Fernandez, Senator Matthew W. "Matt" Leber, and Senator Lee Bright.
What is the current status of S 735?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 735?
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