South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 153 — Constitutional amendment

Last action — Referred to Committee on Finance

  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 11, 2024. 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.

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

Stalled 24% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    6 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 JOINT RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, BY REPEALING SECTION 4, ARTICLE XI RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION ON PUBLIC FUNDS BEING USED FOR THE DIRECT BENEFIT OF A RELIGIOUS OR OTHER PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

32 added · 5 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill S 153 proposes to repeal a constitutional section that currently prohibits the use of public funds for the direct benefit of religious or private educational institutions in South Carolina. This change is significant because it could allow state funds to be used for these types of institutions, which may raise concerns about the separation of church and state as well as equity in funding among different types of schools. Voters will have the opportunity to decide on this amendment in the next general election.

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2025-2026 Bill 153 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
±¤h²NMP´D 
11, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 153Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A joint Resolution   PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, by repealing Section 4, Article xi RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION ON PUBLIC FUNDS BEING USED FOR THE DIRECT BENEFIT OF A RELIGIOUS OR OTHER PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  It is proposed that Section 4, Article XI of the Constitution of this State be repealed, which reads:
      Section 4.
No money shall be paid from public funds nor shall the credit of the State or any of its political subdivisions be used for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.
  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 4, Article XI of the Constitution of this State, relating to the use of public funds, be amended so as to repeal the prohibition on public funds being used for the direct benefit of a religious or other private educational institution?   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 11, 2024 at 04:46 PM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Finance

  2. Introduced and read first time

  3. Referred to Committee on Finance

  4. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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6 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 164 not signed on

Sponsors (6)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (164)

164 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 164 →

"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 education
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 153 do?
A JOINT RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, BY REPEALING SECTION 4, ARTICLE XI RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION ON PUBLIC FUNDS BEING USED FOR THE DIRECT BENEFIT OF A RELIGIOUS OR OTHER PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.
Who sponsors S 153?
S 153 is sponsored by Senator Matthew W. "Matt" Leber, Senator Jeff Zell, Senator Josh Kimbrell, Senator Rex F. Rice, Senator Jason Elliott, and Senator Carlisle Kennedy.
What is the current status of S 153?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 11, 2024. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 153?
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