Ways and Means Committee reports four Senate bills favorably

The full Ways and Means Committee met April 30, 2026, and reported favorably on four Senate bills following short presentations and roll-call votes, the committee chair announced at the meeting.

Most consequential for local governments was Senate Bill 866, the Municipal Tax Relief Act. Representative Collins told the committee the bill "would allow basically 3 counties — Beaufort, Greenville and Oconee — to allow their cities to implement a 1% sales and use tax by ordinance," with each local ordinance subject to a referendum. Collins said witnesses, including the Association of Counties, supported the measure. The chair announced the committee gave S.866 a favorable report by a vote recorded in the transcript as 20 to 0.

On environmental fees, Representative Collins presented Senate Bill 893, which the transcript characterizes as concerning a "superb account" intended "to alleviate petroleum contamination." Collins said the Department of Environmental Services (not spelled out in the transcript, shown as "DES") and the South Carolina Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association asked that certain fees be increased from $100 to $200 "to help with administration of that." The chair announced a favorable report for S.893 by a vote recorded in the transcript as 21 to 0.

The committee also considered Senate Bill 769, a continuing resolution. Representative Collins described the bill as a CR and, with no amendments or questions raised, the committee voted. The chair announced S.769 received a favorable report by a vote recorded in the transcript as 21 to 0.

Senate Bill 238, introduced at the start of the meeting, makes scheduling changes to legislative deadlines. Representative Cobb Hunter said the subcommittee amendment "adjusts dates," restoring the House budget deadline to March 31 instead of March 10 and moving the final day in the timeline "from the first Thursday in June to the last day in June." Hunter described the changes as precautionary: "We're doing it just to be on the safe side and just to make sure that we have thought this all the way through." The chair announced a favorable report for S.238 by a vote recorded in the transcript as 19 to 0.

The chair conducted roll-call votes after each presentation and announced the tallies listed above. The transcript includes some individual roll-call entries that appear inconsistent with the announced totals (for example, isolated "no" entries appear in one sequence), but the chair's announced tallies are the official record noted in the hearing transcript.

With no additional bills on the agenda, the chair adjourned the committee.