South Carolina H 5308: SC Call Center Jobs Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5308 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 04, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5308

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 ADDING ARTICLE 9 TO CHAPTER 33, TITLE 58 SO AS TO 
ESTABLISH THE "SOLAR, AGRICULTURAL, FARMLAND, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACT"; TO 
PROVIDE FOR DEFINITIONS; TO ESTABLISH CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION 
OF PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY FACILITIES; TO ESTABLISH THE CERTIFICATE APPLICATION 
PROCESS; TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR HEARINGS REGARDING THE CERTIFICATE 
APPLICATION; TO ESTABLISH THE PARTIES TO A CERTIFICATION PROCEEDING; TO REQUIRE 
A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND TO PERMIT THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION TO 
CONSOLIDATE THE REPRESENTATION OF PARTIES WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS; TO ESTABLISH 
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION'S DECISION REGARDING AN 
APPLICATION; TO REQUIRE THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION TO ISSUE AN ORDER WITHIN 
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS FROM THE DATE THE APPLICATION IS FILED; AND TO PROVIDE 
FOR PAYMENT OF COSTS FOR THE OFFICE OF REGULATORY STAFF AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE 
COMMISSION FOR A FILED APPLICATION.

Whereas, the General 
Assembly intends to establish a process for reviewing and mitigating the use of 
high-value agricultural lands by photovoltaic energy facilities; and

Whereas, the 
applicability of the Utility Facility Siting and Environmental Protection Act 
to a proposed electric generating plant is based on its generating capacity and 
not the acreage of the proposed generating plant; and

Whereas, nothing in 
this act shall be construed to affect the definition of "major utility facility" 
under the Utility Facility Siting and Environmental Protection Act. Now, 
therefore,

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 33, Title 58 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

Article 9

Certification of Photovoltaic Energy Facilities on 
Farmland

 Section 
58-33-510. This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the "Solar, 
Agricultural, Farmland, and Environmental Act."

 Section 
58-33-520. As used in this article, unless otherwise 
clearly apparent from the context:

 (1) "Clemson 
Extension" means the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.

 (2) "Commission" 
means the Public Service Commission.

 (3) "Commence 
to construct" means any clearing of land, excavation, or other action that 
would adversely affect the natural environment of the site or route of a 
photovoltaic energy facility on farmland, but does not include surveying or 
changes needed for temporary use of sites or routes for nonutility purposes, or 
uses in securing geological data, including necessary borings to ascertain 
foundation conditions.

 (4) "Farmland" 
means any land that is taxable as agricultural land and has been utilized to 
grow crops, other than timber, that could have been sold for a profit within 
the previous five calendar years. Land used for timber is not considered 
farmland for purposes of this article.

 (5) "Municipality" 
means any county or municipality within this State.

 (6) "Person" 
includes any individual, group, firm, partnership, corporation, cooperative, 
association, governmental subdivision, governmental agency, local government, 
municipality, any other organization, or any combination of any of the 
foregoing, and includes the South Carolina Public Service Authority.

 (7) "Photovoltaic 
energy facility" means a facility where electricity is generated by capturing 
energy by photovoltaic systems or solar thermal systems and the facility 
occupies a space that is twenty acres or greater.

 (8) "Public 
utility" or "utility" means any person engaged in the generating, distributing, 
sale, delivery, or furnishing of electricity for public use.

 (9) "Land" 
means any real estate or any estate or interest therein, including water and 
riparian rights, regardless of the use to which it is devoted.

 (10) 
"Certificate" means a certificate of environmental compatibility and public 
convenience and necessity.

 (11) 
"Regulatory Staff" means the Executive Director or the Executive Director and 
the employees of the Office of Regulatory Staff.

 Section 
58-33-530. (A)(1) No person shall 
commence to construct a photovoltaic energy facility on farmland without first 
having obtained a certificate issued with respect to that facility by the 
commission. The replacement of an existing photovoltaic energy facility with a like 
facility, as determined by the commission, shall not constitute construction of 
a photovoltaic energy facility. Any photovoltaic energy facility, with respect 
to which a certificate is required, shall be constructed, operated, and 
maintained in conformity with the certificate and any terms, conditions, and 
modifications contained