US produced iron and steel

2025-2026 Bill 4709: US produced iron and steel - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 4709
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Yow, C. Mitchell, M.M. Smith, Williams, Willis, Schuessler, Erickson, Bradley, Kirby, Brewer and Anderson
Companion/Similar bill(s): 687
Document Path: LC-0316DG26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Introduced in the Senate on February 25, 2026
Last Amended on May 14, 2026

Currently residing in the House
Summary: US produced iron and steel
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/16/2025

House

Prefiled

12/16/2025

House

Referred to Committee on
Labor, Commerce and Industry

1/13/2026

House

Introduced and read first time

1/13/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Labor, Commerce and Industry
(
House Journal-page 63
)

1/14/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: M.M. Smith (
House Journal-page 63
)

1/27/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Williams

1/28/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Willis,
Schuessler, Erickson, Bradley

2/19/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Kirby, Brewer

2/19/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable
Labor, Commerce and Industry
(
House Journal-page 9
)

2/24/2026

Scrivener's error corrected

2/24/2026

House

Requests for debate-Rep(s). Bamberg

2/24/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Anderson

2/24/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 22
)

2/24/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-105 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 23
)

2/25/2026

House

Read third time and sent to Senate (
House Journal-page 16
)

2/25/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 8
)

2/25/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 8
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 19
)

5/7/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 46
)

5/13/2026

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 45
)

5/14/2026

Scrivener's error corrected

5/14/2026

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 100
)

5/14/2026

Senate

Read third time and returned to House with amendments (
Senate Journal-page 100
)

5/14/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-40 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 100
)

5/14/2026

House

Non-concurrence in Senate amendment (
House Journal-page 115
)

5/14/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-0 Nays-100 (
House Journal-page 115
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025
02/19/2026
02/24/2026
04/29/2026
05/13/2026
05/14/2026
05/14/2026-A

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

As Passed By The Senate

May 14, 2026

H. 4709

Introduced by Reps. Yow, C. Mitchell, M. M.
Smith, Williams, Willis, Schuessler, Erickson, Bradley, Kirby, Brewer and
Anderson

S. Printed 5/14/26--S.

Read the first time February 25, 2026

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
11-35-5350
SO AS TO require A PUBLIC ENTITY ENTERING INTO A CONTRACT FOR A
PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT OR FOR THE PURCHASE OF MATERIALS FOR A PUBLIC WORKS
PROJECT MUST INCLUDE IN THE CONTRACT A REQUIREMENT THAT ANY IRON OR STEEL
PRODUCT PERMANENTLY INCORPORATED IN THE PROJECT BE PRODUCED IN THE UNITED
STATES, and to provide exceptions.

Amend Title To Conform

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 23, Chapter 35, Title 11 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:

S
ection
11-35-5350
.
(
A) As used in this
section:

(
1)
"Head of the public procurement unit" means the individual with ultimate
responsibility for the administration and operations of the state or local public
procurement unit, as applicable.

(
2)
"Iron or steel product" means any product made primarily of iron or steel
including, but not limited to, lined or unlined pipes and fittings; bars and
rods; wire, wire ropes, and link chains; forgings; grating and drainage
products; access covers, hatches, manhole covers, and other castings; hydrants;
electric transmission and distribution poles; tanks; flanges; pipe clamps and
restraints; valves; structural steel and other steel mill products; materials
made primarily of iron and steel within precast concrete; and other
construction materials made primarily of iron or steel.

(
3)
"Made primarily of iron or steel" means composed primarily of greater than
fifty percent iron or steel measured by component cost, volume, or weight.

(
4)
"Manufacturing process" means the application of a process to alter the form or
function of materials or elements of a product in a manner that adds value and
transforms the materials or elements into a new finished product functionally
different from a finished product produced merely from assembling materials or
elements into a product without applying such a process.

(
5)
"Produced in the United States" means that, with respect to iron and steel, all
manufacturing processes, from initial melting through application of coatings,
occur in the United States, other than metallurgical processes to refine steel
additives.

(
6)
"Public entity" means the State, or any political subdivision of the State,
including a school district or agency, department, institution, or other public
entity of them.

(
7)
"Public works project" subject to the requirements of this section and
notwithstanding the provisions of Section
11-35-710
(A)(1) to the contrary, means
an activity paid for with any state-appropriated funds or state funds
administered by a public entity which consists of the construction,
maintenance, renovation, remodeling, or improvement of a building, road,
street, sewer, storm drain, water system, site development, irrigation system,
reclamation project, gas or electrical distribution system, gas or electrical
substation, or other facility, project, or portion owned in whole or in part by
any public entity. For purposes of this section, repairs undertaken in response
to an emergent situation affecting public health, safety, or property are
excluded from this definition.

(
B)
(
1) Except as provided otherwise in
this section, a public entity entering into a contract for a public works
project or for the purchase of materials for a public works project must
include in the contract a requirement that any iron or steel product
permanently incorporated in the project be produced in the United States.

(
2)
Item (1) does not apply if the head of the public procurement unit of the public
entity administering the funds for a public works project or the purchase of
materials for a public works project solely determines that any of the
following applies:

(
a)
Iron or steel products produced in the United States are not produced in
sufficient quantities, reasonably available, or of satisfactory quality.

(
b)
The use of iron or steel products produced in the United States will increase
the total cost of the project by more than twenty-five percent.

(
c)
Complying with item (1) is inconsistent with the public interest.

(
3)
Notwithstanding item (1), the following exceptions shall apply:

(
a) When steel and iron materials are
used in a public works project, item (1) does not prevent a minimal use of
foreign steel and iron materials if:

(
i) such materials are incidental or
ancillary to the primary product and are not separately identified in the
project specifications; and

(
ii) the cost of such materials does
not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the project's total steel and iron costs
or two thousand five hundred dollars, whichever is greater. For purposes of
this subitem, the cost of such materials is shown to be the value of the iron
or steel products as they are delivered to the project; and

(
b) the foreign steel and iron
material is a component or are components comprising five percent or less of
the materials cost of an otherwise domestically produced steel or iron product.

(
4)
Electrical components, equipment, systems, and appurtenances, including
supports, covers, shielding, and other appurtenances related to an electrical
system, necessary for operation or concealment, except transmission and
distribution poles, are not considered iron or steel products and are exempt
from the requirements of item (1).

(
C) This
section must be applied in a manner consistent with, and may not be construed
to impair, the state's obligations under any international agreement.

(
D)
(
1) The State Fiscal Accountability
Authority shall develop guidelines and procedures by rule to implement this
section. The rules must be implemented consistent with federal policies
implementing the American iron and steel preference law applied to the "Safe
Drinking Water Act," pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 300j-12(a)(4)(C).

(
2)
The rules shall include authorizing the head of public procurement unit to
undertake an independent investigation regarding a claim that the price of iron
or steel products produced in the United States is unreasonable. However, the
price of any iron or steel product produced in the United States is not
unreasonable if the price does not exceed the sum of the price of a similar
iron or steel product of foreign origin plus a differential of twenty-five
percent of the price of the iron or steel product of foreign origin. The head
of the public procurement unit must submit the final investigation to State
Fiscal Accountability Authority's Chief Procurement Officer for determination.
A determination may be appealed to the SFAS if requested by the head of a
public procurement unit.

(
E) This
section does not apply to contracts procured by the Department of
Transportation subject to the Buy America requirements of 23 C.F.R. 635.410.

(
F)
As used in this section, any state appropriated funds or state funds
administered by a public entity shall not include bonds administered or awarded
by the South Carolina Housing Finance and Development Authority or state tax
credits.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on May 14, 2026 at 4:38 PM