With just five weeks remaining in this year’s legislative session, we’re not slowing down. This week, we continued delivering on our House Republican Caucus’s Pillars for Progress—supporting legislation that defends merit-based opportunity, expands career-ready education, and protects children and families from emerging threats. These aren’t just bills—they are promises kept to the people of South Carolina.
House passes DEI ban, restores merit-based opportunity
As part of our commitment to remove harmful DEI programs from our educational institutions and state government, the House passed H.3927, the Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity Act.
This landmark legislation makes South Carolina the first state in the country to turn President Trump’s executive order on DEI into law—eliminating race- and gender-based preferences and restoring a fair, merit-driven system.
- Bans DEI-based hiring, admissions, and contract preferences in public institutions
- Prohibits forced DEI statements and mandates
- Protects civil rights and enforces oversight through the Inspector General and Attorney General
- Ensures public universities aren’t bound by accreditors that demand illegal DEI mandates
- Preserves lawful veteran preferences, disability accommodations, and First Amendment rights
Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow
Fulfilling our goal to expand educational opportunities and enhance outcomes, I support two forward-thinking bills that cleared the House Education and Public Works Committee this week and will soon be headed to the House floor.
H.3201, the South Carolina Computer Science Education Initiative Act, will ensure that by the 2026–2027 school year, every public high school offers at least one rigorous, career-relevant computer science course. The bill also lays the groundwork for career pathways in high-demand fields like cybersecurity, information systems, and software development—starting as early as elementary school.
H.3863, the South Carolina STEM Opportunity Act, creates a statewide STEM coalition to align education and workforce development, particularly in underserved areas. It promotes hands-on learning, strengthens teacher training, and builds pipelines for South Carolina students to enter high-paying careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
When these bills reach the House floor, I look forward to supporting them and helping South Carolina lead the way in workforce readiness.
Strengthening protections against child exploitation
As part of our commitment to prioritize public safety and protect children from “deepfake” digital exploitation, the House passed H.3045. This legislation creates felony-level penalties for the production or possession of digitally manipulated child sexual abuse material — even if the child depicted does not actually exist. It also adds the offense to the sex offender registry and establishes a clear legal framework for prosecuting these heinous acts. This is a critical update to our laws in the digital age, and it ensures South Carolina has the tools to protect our most vulnerable.
We’ve made tremendous progress this session—and I’m proud to be fighting for the values and priorities that matter to you.
Staying informed
As we head into the last few weeks of session (we adjourn, since die, May 8th), I will continue to share updates like this one to keep you informed about the work being done in Columbia. You can also learn more by visiting www.NathansNews.com. These weekly columns and my website are designed to provide insight into legislative priorities, progress, and key developments. If you ever have questions, concerns, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know.
