Forms & Services in English

2025-2026 Bill 5274: Forms & Services in English - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5274
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Long
Document Path: LC-0308HA26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 26, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Forms & Services in English
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/26/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 10
)

2/26/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 10
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/26/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION
1-1-697
, RELATING TO THE USE OF
LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH FOR THIS STATE AND ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, SO
AS TO PROHIBIT FORMS OR SERVICES IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, EXCEPT IN
CASES OF EMERGENCY OR OTHERWISE REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW.

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

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
1-1-697
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
1-1-697
. Neither this State nor any political subdivision thereof shall
require, by law, ordinance, regulation, order, decree, program,
or policy, the use of any language other than English; provided, however, that

provide any forms or services in a language other
than English, except in cases of emergency or as otherwise required by federal
law. However,
nothing in Sections
1-1-696
through
1-1-698
shall prohibit
a state agency or a political subdivision of the State from requiring an
applicant to have certain degrees of knowledge of a foreign language as a
condition of employment where appropriate.

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

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This web page was last updated on February 26, 2026 at 11:16 AM