South Carolina H 3557: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO EXTEND THE PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE BELTON-HONEA PATH HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY BASEBALL TEAM OF ANDERSON COUNTY WITH THE TEAM COACHES AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS, AT A DATE AND TIME TO BE DETERMINED BY THE SPEAKER, FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEING RECOGNIZED AND COMMENDED FOR CAPTURING THE 2016 SOUTH CAROLINA CLASS AAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3557 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 01, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

 South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

April 1, 2026

H. 3557

Introduced by Reps. B. Newton, Pedalino, Taylor, Guest, Crawford, Schuessler and Hixon 

S. Printed 4/1/26--S. [SEC 4/1/2026 5:46 PM]

Read the first time April 1, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 7-11-15, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS TO RUN AS A CANDIDATE IN GENERAL ELECTIONS, SO AS TO SHORTEN THE CANDIDATE FILING PERIOD, TO REQUIRE ALL CANDIDATES FROM EACH POLITICAL PARTY IN THIS STATE TO PAY A FILING FEE, AND TO AUTHORIZE POLITICAL PARTIES TO CHARGE A CERTIFICATION FEE TO ALL CANDIDATES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 7-11-210, RELATING TO THE FILING OF PARTY PLEDGES BY CANDIDATES, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DATE BY WHICH A PARTY PLEDGE MUST BE FILED.

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

SECTION 1.A. Section 7-11-15 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 7-11-15. (A) In order to qualify as a candidate to run in the general election, all candidates seeking nomination by political party primary or political party convention must file a statement of intention of candidacy and party pledge and submit any filing fees between noon on March sixteenth and noon on March thirtieth twenty-fifth as provided in this section. If March sixteenth is on a Saturday or Sunday, then the time for filing begins at noon on the next business day. If March thirtieth twenty-fifth is on a Saturday or Sunday, then the time for filing extends to noon on the next regular business day. For purposes of this section and Section 7-13-45, "next regular business day" means a day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

 (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, candidates seeking nomination for a statewide, congressional, or district office that includes more than one county must file their statements of intention of candidacy, and party pledge and submit any filing fees with the State Election Commission.

 (2) Candidates seeking nomination for the State Senate or House of Representatives must file their statements of intention of candidacy and party pledge and submit any filing fees with the State Election Commission or county board of voter registration and elections in the county of their residence. The state executive committees must certify candidates pursuant to Section 7-13-40.

 (3) Candidates seeking nomination for a countywide or less than countywide office shall file their statements of intention of candidacy and party pledge and submit any filing fees with the county board of voter registration and elections in the county of their residence.

 (B) All candidates seeking nomination by political party primary or political party convention for a general election or special election must pay a filing fee equal to one percent of the total salary for the term of the applicable office, or one hundred dollars, whichever is greater. The filing fees for the candidates, except filing fees for candidates for municipal office, must be transmitted by the respective political parties to the State Election Commission and placed by its executive director in an account designated for use in conducting elections. A lieutenant governor candidate is not required to pay a filing fee.

 (C) Political parties may charge a certification fee of up to one hundred dollars to candidates seeking nomination for a general election. To implement a certification fee, a political party's state executive committee must notify the executive director of the State Election Commission of its decision to charge the fee, and the amount of the fee, no later than December first of the year preceding a general election. A certification fee must be submitted with the filing fee and retained by the applicable political party. A lieutenant governor candidate is not required to pay a certification fee.

 (B)(D) Except as provided in this section, the State Election Commission and county board boards of voter registration and elections with whom the documents in subsection (A) are filed must provide a copy of all statements of intention of candidacy, the party pledge, receipt, and filing fees, to the appropriate political party executive committee within two days following the deadline for filing. If the second day falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, the statement of intention of candidacy, party pledge, and filing fee must be filed by noon the following day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. A candidate's name may not appear on a primary election ballot, convention slate of candidates, general election ballot, or special election ballot, except as otherwise provided by law, if (1) the candidate's statement of intention o