South Carolina H 3220: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-59-175 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL, TO PROVIDE FOR ITS MEMBERSHIP, DUTIES, AND FUNCTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROVISION OF SECTION 59-59-175 EXPIRE FIVE YEARS AFTER ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNLESS OTHERWISE EXTENDED. - ratified title

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3220 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3220

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 enacting THE 
"NONCITIZEN TERRORIST ACTIVITY PROHIBITION IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 
LEARNING ACT"; BY ADDING SECTION 59-101-230 SO AS TO PROVIDE EACH PUBLIC 
INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THIS STATE SHALL IMPLEMENT A POLICY THAT 
PROHIBITS STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF WHO HOLD NONIMMIGRANT VISAS FROM 
PUBLICLY ESPOUSING TERRORIST ACTIVITY OR SUPPORTING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS 
UNLESS THE POLICY OR PRACTICE OF THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTS SUCH ACTIVITY OR 
ORGANIZATION, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES AND PROCEDURES FOR VIOLATIONS, TO PROVIDE 
ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS CONCERNING INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS, AMONG OTHER 
THINGS.

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

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Noncitizen Terrorist Activity Prohibition 
in Public Institutions of Higher Learning Act."

SECTION 2. Article 2, Chapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
59-101-230. (A) Each public institution 
of higher education in the State must have and enforce a policy that:

 (1) 
prohibits all students, faculty members, and staff members, if they hold a 
nonimmigrant visa, from publicly espousing terrorist activity related to an 
ongoing conflict or, at any time or place, persuading others to endorse or 
espouse terrorist activity related to an ongoing conflict or to support a 
terrorist organization, as such terms are defined in 8 U.S.C. sections 1182 and 
1227, unless it is the policy or practice of the United States to support such 
activity or organization;

 (2) 
upon a first finding of guilt or responsibility under item (1), suspends a 
student or ends a faculty or staff member's employment for at least one year;

 (3) 
upon a second finding of guilt or responsibility under item (1), expels a 
student or ends a faculty or staff member's employment permanently;

 (4) 
immediately upon suspending or expelling a student or terminating a faculty or 
staff member under item (1), the institution is required to update the 
individual's record in the Department of Homeland Security's Student Exchange 
Visitor Information System (SEVIS) or successor system to show that the 
individual is no longer enrolled as a full-time student of the institution or 
employed by the institution; and

 (5) 
does not permit a student, faculty, or staff member to transfer to, enroll at, 
or become employed by the institution if the individual has been suspended, 
expelled, or terminated from another institution of higher education under item 
(3).

 (B) 
The provisions of subsection (A) include, but are not limited to, holders of 
F-1, M-1, and J-1 visas.

 (C) 
Enforcement against individuals:

 (1) 
An institution of higher education, upon suspecting or receiving a credible 
allegation that an individual has violated its policy described in subsection 
(A)(1), must investigate and, if warranted by the factual results of the 
investigation, enforce its policy against the individual.

 (2) 
The standard of evidence for a finding of guilt or responsibility under the 
institution's policy shall be a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard.

 (D) 
Enforcement against institutions:

 (1) 
The Attorney General or any other applicable official of the executive or 
judicial branch of the state may compel an institution of higher education to 
enforce its policy as described in subsections (A), (B), and (C).

 (2) 
An investigating official under item (1) or the official's designee may compel 
production of documents and other evidence from an institution suspected of 
violating this section, including all education and employment records and 
other relevant records.

 (3) 
If the Attorney General, the Attorney General's designee, or a court of 
appropriate jurisdiction determines that an institution of higher education has 
failed to comply with the provisions of this section, the official or court may 
issue a fine against the institution of not less than ten thousand dollars and 
not more than one hundred thousand dollars for each violation.

SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, 
paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for 
any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not 
affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, 
the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act, and 
each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, 
phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other 
sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phra