South Carolina S 1094: SC Beekeepers Association Special License Plate

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 1094 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 01, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 1094

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 SO AS TO ENACT 
THE "FIRST AMENDMENT PRESERVATION ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 1-30-160 SO AS TO 
DEFINE A MEDIA RELIABILITY AND BIAS MONITOR, PROHIBIT STATE CONTRACTS WITH 
MEDIA RELIABILITY AND BIAS MONITORS, REQUIRE WRITTEN CERTIFICATIONS FROM 
COMPANIES SUBMITTING BIDS THAT STATE PURCHASING CONTRACTS ARE IN COMPLIANCE, AND 
CLARIFY THE APPLICABILITY OF THE ACT TO STATE CONTRACTS.

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

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "First Amendment Preservation Act".

SECTION 2. Chapter 30, Title 1 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
1-30-160. (A) As used in this 
section:

 (1) 
"Agency" means any state department, division, board, commission, or other 
executive agency of state government, institutions of higher education using 
state funds, or any political subdivisions of the State.

 (2) 
"Company" means any sole proprietorship, organization, association, 
corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability 
partnership, limited liability company, or other entity or business 
association, including all wholly owned subsidiaries, majority owned 
subsidiaries, or parent companies that exist for the purpose of making a profit 
or that are nonprofit entities.

 (3) 
"Media reliability and bias monitor" means a company whose primary or principal 
function is rating or ranking news and information sources for the factual 
accuracy of their content, whether published online, in print, by audio, or 
digitally, or by broadcasting via radio, television, cable, streaming service, 
or any other ways news is delivered to the public, or that provide ratings or 
rankings of news sources based on misinformation, bias, adherence to 
journalistic standards, or ethics, including, but not limited to, organizations 
that claim to engage in fact checking or determining overall news accuracy. The 
term does not include a company that only rates media outlets for audience 
size, viewership, and demographic information, or that monitors media outlets 
for the purposes of compiling press or video clippings or aggregating news 
sources.

 (B) Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, an agency may not:

 (1) 
enter into any contract or other agreement with any media reliability and bias 
monitor for purposes of directing the agency's advertising placements or for 
use of the agency's programmatic advertising purchases; or

 (2) 
enter into any contract or agreement with any advertising or marketing agency 
that uses the services of a media reliability and bias monitor for purposes of 
directing the agency's advertising placements or for use of the agency's 
programmatic advertising purchases.

 (C) Any 
agency seeking to contract for advertising or marketing services shall require 
all companies submitting a bid or proposal to provide written certification 
that the company is neither a media reliability and bias monitor nor planning 
to use the services of a media reliability and bias monitor for the purposes of 
the contract or agreement with the agency. Prior to extending, renewing, or 
otherwise changing or modifying an agreement or contract for advertising or 
marketing services in effect prior to the effective date of this section, an 
agency shall obtain written certification from the contractor that it is 
neither a media reliability and bias monitor nor planning to use the services 
of a media reliability and bias monitor for the purposes of the contract or 
agreement with the agency.

 (D) Nothing 
in this section shall be construed to prevent an agency from contracting for 
services that aggregate news articles and information relevant to the agency or 
its constituents or to prevent a company from providing analytical or 
statistical information on the performance of advertisements placed by an 
agency.

SECTION 3. The 
provisions of this act apply to all policies, contracts, plans, or agreements 
subject to this section that are delivered, executed, amended, adjusted, or 
renewed on or after July 1, 2026.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval 
of the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on April 01, 2026 at 01:51 PM