[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6277805,"mediaKeyId","2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca","parentId",2646295,"title","Subcommittee advances pregnancy‑resource tax credit after debate over oversight and scope","audioSeconds",2776,"startMs",855480,"endMs",3631964,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca&start=855&end=3631","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca/thumbnail_855480.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6277805/South-Carolina/Subcommittee-advances-pregnancyresource-tax-credit-after-debate-over-oversight-and-scope","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277805-8fa414ce819bf84996efe7133b6682ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1773333443&Signature=akgjhkzxuUzh0X1OPazlb76e2H0fwCNiOCgxGZ0g7n3e9BauXTUyfiPF4Lvbp9Udcj4ANJQHQ0ndILmFnvYH3~hmdTlyManUxAgG~v0eIgbJfjl5E6bQXZZl~KepHVAJ1CaXo48hZb4O0~yQEUhMRj1nEX4BUtHQmxHJqeuBhXgxmBtGPclVpKEZVnZ-7cJploRCmesvnqhjaR4nyt20jvdUaORIwfS63L1aUwPfHSB~t4Xw8CqGVqasZLl0AF~nGeovBSVjkJO6EmhHY7C~ooooBaST9RNcIm1BDX3LKs8-cXzGyIZ8kbGwmYg-chvOSF3jI9LKGkSj1o-JpD9eTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-03-11T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Finance Committee sales and income tax subcommittee advanced S.32, a bill to create a state tax credit for contributions to qualifying pregnancy resource centers and related life‑affirming nonprofit organizations, after extended testimony from advocacy groups, service providers and opponents.

Grant, the committee staff presenter, summarized the bill: it would allow a tax credit for contributions to organizations exempt under the Internal Revenue Code §501(c)(3) that are pregnancy resource centers or similar entities; the credit would be limited to 50% of the taxpayer’s state tax liability, unused credits could be carried forward up to five years, and an annual aggregate cap would start at $3.5 million and rise to $10 million beginning in tax year 2026. The bill also caps administrative spending by an eligible organization at 20% of contributions and restricts allocations so no more than 25% of credits go to a single organization unless unallocated credits remain after June 1, 2026.

Supporters described services the bill would expand. Kathy Leek, state director for Lifeline Children’s Services, and Catherine Wade, executive director of Life Choices Pregnancy Care Center and chair of the South Carolina Association of Pregnancy Care Centers, described clinical services, material assistance and wraparound programs their centers provide. Wade said the association divides state funds among 15 centers and reported figures for 2022: 10,255 pregnancy tests, 5,130 free ultrasounds and more than $1.6 million in medical services provided by associated centers.

Mark Baumgartner, founder of A Moment of Hope, and other speakers cited volunteer and church‑based support and argued the credit would mobilize private donations to expand services.

Opponents and cautious voices urged stronger oversight and broader inclusion of organizations that provide post‑birth services. Ashley Leto, representing an advocacy organization, asked the committee to slow the bill and review existing state funding and reporting, saying the programs already receive approximately $2.4 million in state budget support and that reporting about that spending has been “lackluster.” Vicki Ringer of Planned Parenthood opposed the bill as written, arguing it gives special treatment to a single type of nonprofit and urged the committee to prioritize investments that expand clinical maternal‑health capacity; Ringer noted South Carolina’s high maternal and infant mortality rankings and said, “I would encourage you to examine how our tax dollars are being used for maternal health.”

Department of Social Services representative Connelly Ann Ragley said the credit could encourage some pregnancy centers to contract more closely with DSS and provide prevention services that reduce future child‑welfare caseloads.

John Mark Porter, a CPA and auditor speaking on behalf of A Moment of Hope, recommended clarifying periodic recertification, making allocation data publicly available, and ensuring the credit size is material enough to influence donor behavior.

After discussion of possible clarifications and with the sponsor’s willingness to work on amendments, the subcommittee moved a favorable report for S.32 and advanced it toward the full committee. The chair said members will “work on those amendments, heading to the full committee” and the motion passed by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: Motion for favorable report passed by voice vote; committee members signaled intent to refine eligibility, reporting and oversight in follow‑up work.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 11, 2025 3:00 pm Senate Finance Committee -- Finance Sales and Income Tax Subcommittee on S.11, S.32 and S.234","oneSentenceSummary","S.32, which would create a tax credit for donations to qualifying pregnancy resource centers and related organizations, drew competing testimony over accountability, eligible services, and maternal‑health priorities; the subcommittee gave the bill a favorable report with members signalling further work on clarifying language.","taxTitle","Finance, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17657,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277810,"Subcommittee agrees to carry over bill that would exclude tips from individual income tax",297,557095,854300,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca&start=557&end=854","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca/thumbnail_557095.jpg","/articles/6277810/South-Carolina/Subcommittee-agrees-to-carry-over-bill-that-would-exclude-tips-from-individual-income-tax","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277810-2e937b42f3da7f2069f9843bccfe1b06/orig.mp4?Expires=1773333443&Signature=dhWGEc0MxsdKV35ZesJkds5nKEend1SQJYvmrMCw7fdWwarP70WSnXLGENBEZmqSRmTS79VQr4VHORvV5YLuGQaBPhvbw3jsCBvZlDC9Du7kDv96pP5~mna0ET8381h9hj0E7w8GJlSE9jRcDwCe5WyXuffnVk6l8E5zUxIRiasnmrblrgyYqiMSpSFmPkF04lyoYT1yTdw5CrqahoL0oqFRnfzM1LRoIxO-1XzuA1EuRC1a-MTZRjab~dPShxrVcyFSgOHPrX32v8CiSy23wgjhLR0OA3L7tBlc-rGIWZdZm9F0IZWts7at9qYHitTrHugEIIjA7hbJd01axOOC4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee sales and income tax subcommittee discussed S.234, a measure to exclude customer tips from gross income for South Carolina individual income tax purposes.

Grant, the committee staff presenter, told members S.234 would amend the definition of gross income to exclude tips that are reported to an employer on federally required statements. The bill defines tips broadly to include cash tips and tips through electronic payment systems.

Senator Nikki (Lieber in transcript) — identified in committee as the bill sponsor — framed the proposal as broadly popular in hospitality areas, saying, “This bill is simply stolen from Donald Trump's agenda. No tax on tips. It's gonna be wildly popular in my area,” and added his district has a “huge hospitality sector” that supports the change.

Committee members asked how broadly the bill would apply. Grant said the exclusion would apply to “anyone receiving tips.” A senator raised a hypothetical concern that the change could permit shifting taxable income into untaxed tips; the sponsor and others acknowledged that potential edge cases exist and said proposed amendments could be drafted to address them.

After discussion of a possible perfecting amendment, the subcommittee voted to carry S.234 over so members could work on language and bring a perfected amendment at a later subcommittee meeting. The chair announced, “We will carry that bill over and work on an amendment until the next subcommittee meeting.” The carry motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The transcript records interest in working on a perfecting amendment and scheduling the bill for future consideration rather than immediate advancement to the full committee.","The subcommittee discussed S.234, a bill to exclude customer tips from state gross income for individual income tax, heard sponsor remarks praising the measure for hospitality workers, raised concerns about potential tax avoidance, and agreed to carry the bill over for amendment work.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277815,"Senate subcommittee narrows paid-family-leave definition to include time‑limited full‑time state employees",529,26430,556230,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca&start=26&end=556","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646295-1178405e2785021471350d3f09aac1ca/thumbnail_26430.jpg","/articles/6277815/South-Carolina/Senate-subcommittee-narrows-paid-family-leave-definition-to-include-timelimited-fulltime-state-employees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277815-da7b24cb3eb191c1286fb41ac8baf92a/orig.mp4?Expires=1773333443&Signature=Ijd2o9nG9JRHro1XJnzcT6LjuoMrBdg-RxOGAi5~jX-CiMkEwd9l7Or7-QZm8OEBy-oPEOtjS1JrUt0BL3DuRubx4gLb3ipAdxHrrubBZXhDojmBqO2A~KmgFQReTl~NmI9xHTIzs8jj2D9mIsQ2o92svR~kS8W6Kb-FDXlbBxtPNiAcdL96t5MaOmWbEsoTYi0iewYTjHR3txOeV4fiidpahA8g~2yOLkcbdbMMw4aQuP~OzHD0whynQTiLgYtmOJ8fclxXxej3n875Cn61PNGGIl1VCRorbp-eqvAD3h15ZTwtgg03kv5SA~bRwviKPW4PXP~WMN02kgWWKSaqig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Finance Committee sales and income tax subcommittee Chair and staff heard explanation and debate on S.11, a bill to amend the Paid Parental Leave Act’s definition of an eligible state employee so certain time‑limited full‑time state workers qualify for paid family leave.

The change would treat employees who are full‑time and accrue leave but occupy time‑limited positions as eligible for the leave benefit. Grant, a committee staff presenter, said the amendment clarifies that eligible employees “are full time employees” and explained the statute currently defines eligible state employees in terms of FTE percentages.

The clarification matters because, Grant said, some employees who work full time in time‑limited positions accrued leave and benefits but were excluded under the technical FTE definition. The amendment replaced the bill’s original wording with language covering “a person employed by any department, institution, commission, board, or other unit of government who occupy a position eligible to earn annual leave,” which sponsors said better targets employees who actually accrue leave and benefits.

Connelly Ann Ragley of the Department of Social Services told the subcommittee the change would affect a small share of her agency’s workforce: “we have 31 employees as of the last statistical report at the Department of Social Services out of our 4,600 employees that don't qualify for this.” Ragley said the inclusion would help recruitment and retention.

Chase Bailey, a full‑time statistical and research analyst at the Children’s Law Center speaking in a personal capacity, described how broader access to paid parental leave helped his family after his wife’s C‑section and urged the subcommittee to approve the amendment to “help make paid parental leave accessible to more families.”

The subcommittee adopted the amendment by voice vote and later moved a favorable report for S.11 as amended to the full Finance Committee. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript; the committee chair announced, “The ayes have it. We'll move that bill forward to the full committee.”

The bill, as amended, also changes the bill’s effective date from immediate gubernatorial approval to October 1, 2025, to give state human resources time to implement system changes identified by state HR staff.

Votes at a glance: The subcommittee adopted the amendment (voice vote) and gave S.11 a favorable report as amended to the full committee (voice vote).","The subcommittee adopted an amendment to S.11 to expand the definition of eligible state employee under the Paid Parental Leave Act to include full‑time, time‑limited state employees and set an October 1, 2025 effective date; the bill received a favorable report as amended and will go to the full committee.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Subcommittee advances pregnancy‑resource tax credit after debate over oversight and scope

Subcommittee agrees to carry over bill that would exclude tips from individual income tax

Senate subcommittee narrows paid-family-leave definition to include time‑limited full‑time state employees