South Carolina S 1130: James Moughon, Lions Clubs Intl. director

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 1130 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 27, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 1130

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 AMENDING 
SECTION 8-13-100, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING STATE ETHICS LAWS, SO AS 
TO PROVIDE THAT THE HEAD OF EACH CERTIFIED POLITICAL PARTY IS SUBJECT TO THE 
STATE'S ETHICS LAWS; BY AMENDING SECTION 8-13-1300, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS 
CONCERNING CAMPAIGN PRACTICES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE HEAD OF EACH POLITICAL 
PARTY IS SUBJECT TO THE STATE'S CAMPAIGN PRACTICES LAWS; AND BY AMENDING 
SECTION 2-17-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING, SO 
AS TO PROVIDE THAT CERTIFIED POLITICAL PARTIES ARE LOBBYIST'S PRINCIPALS AND 
SUBJECT TO THE STATE'S LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING LAWS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THOSE 
ACTING ON BEHALF OF CERTIFIED POLITICAL PARTIES THAT ENGAGE IN LOBBYING 
ACTIVITIES ARE LOBBYISTS SUBJECT TO THE STATE'S LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING LAWS.

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

SECTION 1. Section 8-13-100(27) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (27) "Public official" means an 
elected or appointed official of the State, a county, a municipality, or a 
political subdivision thereof, including candidates for the office, and the head of each certified political party. 
"Public official" does not mean a member of the judiciary except that for the 
purposes of campaign practices, campaign disclosure, and disclosure of economic 
interests, a probate judge is considered a public official and must meet the 
requirements of this chapter.

SECTION 2. Section 8-13-1300(28) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (28) "Public official" means an 
elected or appointed official of the State, a county, a municipality or a 
political subdivision thereof, including candidates for the office, and the head of each certified political party. 
However, "public official" does not mean a member of the judiciary except for 
purposes of campaign financing. A probate judge is considered a public 
official and must meet the requirements of this article.

SECTION 3. Section 2-17-10(14) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (14) "Lobbyist's principal" means the 
person on whose behalf and for whose benefit the lobbyist engages in lobbying 
and who directly employs, appoints, or retains a lobbyist to engage in 
lobbying. However, a lobbyist's principal does not 
include a person who belongs to an association or organization that employs a 
lobbyist, nor an employee, officer, or shareholder of a person who employs a 
lobbyist. If a membership association or organization is a lobbyist's 
principal, the association or organization must register and report under the 
provisions of this chapter. A person is considered a lobbyist's principal only 
as to the public office or public body to which he has authorized, pursuant to 
this chapter, a lobbyist to engage in lobbying. Each 
certified political party is a lobbyist's principal.

SECTION 4. Section 2-17-10(13) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (13) "Lobbyist" means any person who is 
employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by another 
person, including a certified political party, to 
influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: 
(i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the 
Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning 
any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official on any state agency, 
board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the 
action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any 
covered gubernatorial actions. "Lobbyist" also means any person who is 
employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by a state 
agency, college, university, or other institution of higher learning to 
influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: 
(i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the 
Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning 
any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official of any state agency, 
board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the 
action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any 
covered gubernatorial actions. "Lobbyist" does not include:

 (a) 
an individual who receives no compensation to engage in lobbying and who 
expresses a personal opinion on legislation, covered gubernatorial actions, or 
covered agency actions to any public official or public employee;

 (b) 
a person who appears only before public sessions of committees or subcommittees 
of the General Assembly, public hearings of stat