South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

H 4259 — Oath of office

Last action — Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Kilmartin, 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 March 27, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · 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.

  • 67 sponsors

    67 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

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 ADDING ARTICLE 29 TO CHAPTER 1, TITLE 1 SO AS TO REQUIRE ALL MEMBERS OF ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OF BOTH THE STATE AND ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, TO TAKE THE CONSTITUTIONAL OATH OF OFFICE BEFORE TAKING OFFICE.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

28 added · 6 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Bill H 4259 establishes a requirement that all members of state and local boards or commissions in South Carolina must take an oath of office before starting their duties. This change ensures that all officials adhere to the constitutional oath, reinforcing accountability and commitment to their roles. Additionally, it mandates that any existing members who joined before the law takes effect must take the oath at their next scheduled meeting. This enhancement aims to build public trust in governance by standardizing the process for all appointed officials.

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2025-2026 Bill 4259 Text of Previous Version (Mar.
27, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4259Indicates 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 adding article to chapter 1, title 1 SO AS TO REQUIRE ALL MEMBERS OF ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OF BOTH THE STATE AND ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, TO TAKE THE CONSTITUTIONAL OATH OF OFFICE BEFORE TAKING OFFICE.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  Chapter 1, Title 1 of the S.C.
Code is amended by adding:
  Article 29   Statewide Provisions       Section 1-1-1910.  All members of any state board or commission, or any board or commission of any political subdivision of this State, including school districts, must take the oath of office set forth in Section 5, Article VI of the Constitution of this State before they enter upon the duties of their respective office.
  SECTION 2.  If any member of a board or commission subject to Section 1-1-1910 took office prior to the effective date of this act without having taken the oath of office, then such member must take the oath of office at the next scheduled meeting of the board or commission.
  SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on March 27, 2025 at 11:18 AM
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Action History

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

  2. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Introduced and read first time

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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67 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 103 not signed on

Sponsors (67)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (103)

103 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 103 →

"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

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 4259 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING ARTICLE 29 TO CHAPTER 1, TITLE 1 SO AS TO REQUIRE ALL MEMBERS OF ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OF BOTH THE STATE AND ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, TO TAKE THE CONSTITUTIONAL OATH OF OFFICE BEFORE TAKING OFFICE.
Who sponsors H 4259?
H 4259 is sponsored by Representative James E. Teeple, Representative Michael F. Rivers, Sr., Representative Daniel Gibson, Representative Heather Bauer, Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus, Representative April Cromer, Representative Thomas Lee Gilreath, Representative Charles V. Hartz, Representative Sylleste H. Davis, Representative John R. McCravy III, Representative M. Brian Lawson, Representative Thomas Beach, Representative Paula Rawl Calhoon, Representative Micajah P. "Micah" Caskey IV, Representative Brandon Guffey, Representative David Martin, Representative Jackie R. Terribile, Representative Travis A. Moore, Representative Robert Q. Williams, Representative William "Bill" Clyburn, Representative Mike M. Neese, Representative Donald G. "Don" Chapman, Representative Thomas R. "Randy" Ligon, Representative William "Bill" Hager, Representative Chris Wooten, Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest, Jr., Representative Jeff Bradley, Representative Shannon S. Erickson, Representative Cody T. Mitchell, Representative David Vaughan, Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr., Representative Joseph M. "Joe" Bustos, Representative Kathy Landing, Representative Gary S. Brewer, Jr., Representative Gil Gatch, Representative Robby Robbins, Representative Richard L. "Richie" Yow, Representative Lonnie Hosey, Representative Luke S. Rankin, Representative Leon D. "Doug" Gilliam, Representative Heath Sessions, Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis, T. Case Brittain, Jr. (Republican), Representative William R. "Bill" Whitmire, Representative Paul B. Wickensimer, Representative Kevin Hardee, Representative Donald Ryan McCabe, Jr., Jason Luck (Democrat), Representative Lucas Atkinson, Representative Nathan Ballentine, Representative Bruce W. Bannister, Representative Phillip Bowers, Representative Neal A. Collins, Representative Craig A. Gagnon, Representative Jackie E. "Coach" Hayes, Representative William M. "Bill" Hixon, Representative Harriet A. Holman, Representative Wallace H. "Jay" Jordan, Jr., Representative W. Scott Montgomery IV, Representative Dennis C. Moss, Representative Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis, Representative Bill Taylor, Representative Mark N. Willis, Representative John Gregory "Jay" Kilmartin, Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White, Representative Brandon L. Cox, and Representative Marvin "Mark" Smith.
What is the current status of H 4259?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 27, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 4259?
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