South Carolina H 5542: Daisy Rogers McDuffie

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5542 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 16, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5542

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE 
MODERN SOCIETY'S RELIANCE UPON THE ELECTRICAL GRID AND THE HARM SOUTH 
CAROLINIANS COULD ENDURE IN THE EVENT OF AN EXTENDED DISRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICAL 
GRID DUE TO AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE OR SOLAR STORM AND TO ENCOURAGE THE SOUTH 
CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION TO CREATE A DETAILED PLAN WITHIN THEIR 
CURRENT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN THAT INCLUDES BOTH STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO 
HARDEN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE OR A SOLAR STORM, 
AS WELL AS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES TO PROVIDE INDEPENDENCE FOR AN EXTENDED 
PERIOD OF TIME SHOULD THE ELECTRICAL GRID BE INCAPACITATED, AND IN THE EVENT 
THAT THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION UPDATES ITS EMERGENCY 
PREPAREDNESS PLAN TO INCLUDE FACTORS RELATED TO ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES OR SOLAR 
STORMS, THAT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION BE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE THE 
UPDATED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN TO ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN THIS STATE.

Whereas, modern society 
is reliant upon the electrical grid in a manner inconceivable a century ago, as 
use of the electrical grid touches virtually every aspect of life, from 
transportation, utilities, communication, employment, food preservation, and 
safety, to critical life-saving and life-maintaining support in the form of 
access to daily medications and machines necessary for many to survive; and

Whereas, the citizens 
of South Carolina have endured extended disruptions caused by power outages 
from natural disasters; however, these disruptions could be minute on the scale 
of what could result from power outages resulting from an electromagnetic 
pulse, which may naturally occur through solar storms or may be intentionally 
created by adversaries intending to wreak havoc on our society; and

Whereas, the State has 
a compelling interest in protecting its citizens, including planning and 
preparing for known and unknown events that could restrict their ability to 
access electricity, potentially devastating their livelihoods and their way of 
life. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, recognize modern society's reliance upon the electrical 
grid and the harm South Carolinians could endure in the event of an extended 
disruption of the electrical grid due to an electromagnetic pulse or solar 
storm and encourage the South Carolina Emergency Management Division to create 
a detailed plan within their current emergency preparedness plan that includes 
both steps to be taken to harden critical infrastructure from an 
electromagnetic pulse or a solar storm, as well as alternative energy sources 
to provide independence for an extended period of time should the electrical 
grid be incapacitated. 

Be it further resolved 
by the House of Representatives, that in the event the South Carolina Emergency 
Management Division updates its emergency preparedness plan to include factors 
related to electromagnetic pulses or solar storms, that the Emergency 
Management Division be encouraged to provide the updated emergency preparedness 
plan to all municipalities in this State.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on April 16, 2026 at 10:54 AM