South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 520 — SC Pray Safe Act

Last action — Referred to Committee on Judiciary

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  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 April 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

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 ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA PRAY SAFE ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 23-3-90 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE SOUTH CAROLINA PRAY SAFE GRANT PROGRAM WITHIN THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PROVIDE GRANTS FOR SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS TO CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE AT RISK OF BEING VICTIMS OF A RELIGIOUSLY MOTIVATED CRIME.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

84 added · 21 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill S 520, now known as the "South Carolina Pray Safe Act," introduces a new grant program aimed at enhancing security for organizations at risk of religiously motivated crimes. This includes providing financial assistance for security improvements to private organizations that meet specific criteria, such as being federally recognized as tax-exempt. This change matters because it offers targeted support to vulnerable communities, helping them better protect against potential threats and ensuring their safety.

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2025-2026 Bill 520 Text of Previous Version (Apr.
•X¦!Iz{ ÄPMMví_À dC5Œ¢= ÍW–ä_À Ov]ë»j„ý 9²¢É­ˆ²>•uh / €"F`¦5 Õv‰äªƒo? î ­(Šf2üou Máe²U[Ò-í qÀ³‰ÄÕâ^P=]³ Éè,bÏôT ¦ä–°TµûI¶¶×¥Ùgñƒõ–ÛKKˆ¦Ì}«›ŽbZVw%–g{c/n­åò!«²¶G~^Wf¾/¢¢2‚2õ°ñ·<ø«3ä^˜ÈGPµõfy²MÂâ#~Ò°¶¦b˜5ã47*+æK¹™óÒÕ´|Yº?ƒžVD"ס•‹UH÷µo—%ÂQôô½?â7@ò25ÉÅ÷¿Û<›ë+0Ó*gœ>£}χ0¬Îêß¿Ÿ¦ÈÅxrʗeï«÷ÿFþ?½»gà}ùqw}÷ÑÃV•dôº “k÷ýÉXºh9ÒÀ
01, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 520Indicates 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 ENACTing THE "south carolina PRAY SAFE ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 23-3-90 SO AS TO establish the SOUTH CAROLINA PRAY SAFE GRANT PROGRAM WITHIN THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PROVIDE GRANTS for SECURITY enhancements TO certain organizations that are at risk of being victimS of a religiously motivated crime.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  This act may be cited as the "South Carolina Pray Safe Act."   SECTION 2.  Article 1, Chapter 3, Title 23 of the S.C.
Code is amended by adding:
      Section 23-3-90.
(A) As used in this section:
       (1) "Eligible applicant" means a private organization that is:
           (a) qualified for federal tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
and            (b) at particular risk of being subject to a religiously motivated crime.
       (2) "Eligible facility" means real property owned or operated by an eligible applicant.
       (3) "Offense against an organization" includes an offense against an employee or agent of the organization.
       (4) "Religiously motivated crime" means the commission, attempted commission, or alleged commission of an offense against an organization based on the religious ideology or mission of the organization or the population served by the organization.
       (5) "Security enhancements" includes, without limitation:
           (a) security assessments and training;
           (b) security personnel;
           (c) upgrades or improvements including, but not limited to, windows, doors, gates, or security-related landscaping;
and            (d) high-intensity lighting, camera systems, alarms, or other security systems.
    (B)(1) There is established the South Carolina Pray Safe Grant Program within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to provide grants to eligible applicants for security enhancements to eligible facilities.
Grants may be awarded to eligible applicants in amounts not to exceed seven hundred fifty thousand dollars.
       (2) SLED may develop the form and manner in which eligible applicants may apply for grants.
SLED shall rank applications based on the criteria set forth in subsection (C) and award grants based on rankings and available monies.
    (C) SLED shall, by rule, establish criteria for ranking grant applications under the grant program.
Criteria must include, but need not be limited to:
       (1) an eligible applicant's and eligible facility's level of risk of being subject to a religiously motivated crime or domestic terrorism;
       (2) whether an eligible applicant or eligible facility has previously been subject to a religiously motivated crime or domestic terrorism;
and        (3) the level of security measures already in place at eligible facilities.
    (D) SLED shall adopt rules to implement the grant program.
Rules must include, but need not be limited to:
       (1) policies and procedures for the grant application process;
       (2) terms and conditions of grant agreements entered into by the department and grant recipients;
and        (3) procedures for verifying that grant monies have been used for the purposes for which they were awarded.
    (E) There is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the general fund, the South Carolina Pray Safe Grant Program Fund.
The monies in the fund only may be used to fund grants authorized by this section.
 SLED may not award grants that exceed the balance in the Fund.
  SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on April 01, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  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.

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"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

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Frequently asked questions

What does S 520 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA PRAY SAFE ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 23-3-90 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE SOUTH CAROLINA PRAY SAFE GRANT PROGRAM WITHIN THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO PROVIDE GRANTS FOR SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS TO CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE AT RISK OF BEING VICTIMS OF A RELIGIOUSLY MOTIVATED CRIME.
Who sponsors S 520?
S 520 is sponsored by Senator Tom Davis.
What is the current status of S 520?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 520?
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