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Senator Cash withdraws hold; South Carolina Senate agrees to floor debate on hate-crimes bill
Summary
After visitors and advocates urged action, Senator Cash removed his long-standing objection and allowed open floor debate on a hate-crimes measure; sponsors and backers said they will continue pushing for passage, while Cash said constitutional concerns remain and he plans to offer an amendment.
Senator Cash (Senator from Anderson) told the Senate he had been the member blocking the state’s hate-crimes measure for several years but had removed his objection "for today" to allow floor debate and public airing of the proposal. "For today, I'm willing to let it be debated," he said, adding that he still has constitutional concerns and an amendment on the desk.
Supporters who had come to the gallery were recognized on the floor by Senator Tedder (Senator from Williamsburg), who said the delegation and advocates will "continue to push for this legislation" and that passage would send a message that "hate will not win." Senator Jackson (Senator from Richland), a long-time sponsor and former lead on the issue, thanked members for removing procedural obstacles and urged bipartisan engagement.
The exchange began after a group of visitors and civil-rights advocates—including representatives noted from local NAACP chapters and other community organizations—were introduced to the chamber and urged senators to act. Senators who spoke on the floor described the measure as a topic of long-standing debate in the General Assembly and said they hoped to continue conversations during the coming legislative days.
Senator Cash described his decision as permitting debate rather than signaling final support: "If the bill was constitutional, I don't think the bill would be a good idea for a variety of reasons... I'm probably still gonna be against it at the end of the day. But I understand the desire to be heard." Senator Jackson responded that he appreciated Cash's willingness to allow the body to discuss the issue openly.
Next steps recorded on the floor included committee and floor procedures for consideration; Senator Cash indicated he had an amendment on the desk that he might pursue as part of the debate. The Senate did not record a final vote on the hate-crimes measure during this session; senators framed the moment as the opening of debate rather than adoption.
