South Carolina H 3324: First Steps Board and Advisory Council

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3324 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3324

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates 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 ADDING SECTION 
10-1-220 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CONFEDERATE VETERANS 
MONUMENT; BY ADDING SECTION 10-1-230 SO AS TO ESTABLISH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CONFEDERATE 
VETERANS MONUMENT COMMISSION, TO PROVIDE THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION, TO 
PROVIDE THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION, TO ESTABLISH A DEADLINE FOR 
THE SUBMISSION OF A PROPOSED DESIGN AND LOCATION OF THE MONUMENT, AND TO 
PROVIDE FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE COMMISSION.

Whereas, the South 
Carolina General Assembly finds that the contributions made by African 
Americans in service to the State of South Carolina during the War Between the 
States are not reflected in the South Carolina Social Studies Academic 
Standards, curriculums of local educational agencies, posteducational agencies, 
and historical institutions and agencies, and while there is representation of 
those African Americans from South Carolina who took up arms for the Union, 
there is nothing to show the contributions, sacrifices, and honor of their 
Confederate counterparts; and

Whereas, it is 
reflected in our state records that in the 1920s, hundreds of still living 
African American Confederate pensioners drew pensions in relation to their 
service to our State, but their contributions and service are not included in 
the current academic standards; and

Whereas, we find the 
exclusion of African American Confederate soldiers in the current academic 
standards to be completely unacceptable, that this type of manipulation and 
exclusion of facts in historic record and representation creates a distorted 
perspective of our State and national history, and to exclude, neglect, or 
otherwise disregard the contributions of African American Confederate soldiers 
is a gross disrespect to their service and memory; and

Whereas, all people 
should know of, and remember, African American Confederate soldiers who served 
South Carolina and the United States during the War Between the States and 
others, and it is in fact vital to educate our citizens on their stories during 
the war and afterwards; and

Whereas, it is the 
policy of the State of South Carolina that the history of the African American 
Confederate soldiers, the depth of their impact in our society, and the 
triumphs of African American Confederate soldiers and their significant 
contributions to the development of this State and our nation is the proper 
concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of the 
State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, it is 
therefore desirable to create an organized body to survey, design, encourage, 
and promote the implementation of education and awareness programs in South 
Carolina concerned with African American Confederate soldiers' stories and the 
contributions of African American Confederate soldiers in building our State 
and country, to develop workshops, institutes, seminars, and other teacher 
training activities designed to educate teachers on this subject matter, and to 
be responsible for the coordination of events on a regular basis, throughout 
the State, that provide appropriate memorialization of the events concerning 
African American Confederate soldiers and their descendants in South Carolina 
and the United States, as well as their contributions. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 1, Title 10 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
10-1-220. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2-1-240, there is hereby 
established on the grounds of the State House an African American Confederate 
Veterans Monument. The design and location of the monument shall be determined 
by the commission appointed pursuant to Section 10-1-230. The commission shall 
make reasonable efforts to incorporate the names of Charles Dougherty Hayne and 
all African American Confederate veterans on this monument. The monument must 
be erected as soon as is reasonably possible after the design plan has been 
approved by the General Assembly by concurrent resolution.

 Section 
10-1-230. (A) An African American 
Confederate Veterans Monument Commission is created to determine the design of 
the monument to Charles Dougherty Hayne and all African American Confederate 
veterans and its location on the State House grounds. The commission is empowered 
and directed to raise private funds and may receive gifts and grants to carry 
out its purpose. The commission has the power to create a tax-exempt nonprofit 
corporation for the purpose of receiving and disbursing funds for the monument. 
The staff of the Department of A