Religious Liberty Day

2025-2026 Bill 1038: Religious Liberty Day

South Carolina General Assembly

126th Session, 2025-2026

Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word format

A201, R244, S1038

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill

Sponsors: Senator Massey

Document Path: LC-0547SA26.docx

Introduced in the Senate on March 19, 2026

Introduced in the House on April 22, 2026

Last Amended on May 13, 2026

Governor's Action: May 18, 2026, Signed

Summary: Religious Liberty Day

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

3/19/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 5
)

3/19/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Family and Veterans' Services
(
Senate Journal-page 5
)

4/1/2026

Senate

Recalled from Committee on
Family and Veterans' Services
(
Senate Journal-page 8
)

4/15/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 67
)

4/15/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-45 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 67
)

4/16/2026

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 11
)

4/22/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 17
)

4/22/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works
(
House Journal-page 17
)

5/6/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Education and Public Works
(
House Journal-page 9
)

5/7/2026

House

Debate adjourned (
House Journal-page 89
)

5/12/2026

House

Debate adjourned (
House Journal-page 76
)

5/13/2026

House

Amended (
House Journal-page 29
)

5/13/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 29
)

5/13/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-111 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 31
)

5/14/2026

House

Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments (
House Journal-page 6
)

5/14/2026

Senate

Concurred in House amendment and enrolled (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

5/15/2026

Ratified R 244

5/18/2026

Signed By Governor

6/5/2026

Effective date 05/18/26

6/2/2026

Act No. 201

View the latest
legislative information
at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

03/19/2026
04/01/2026
05/06/2026
05/13/2026

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(A201, R244, S1038)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 53-3-340 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE FIRST DAY OF MARCH OF EACH YEAR AS "RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, religious liberty is a God-given right and one of the foundational principles upon which both the United States and the State of South Carolina were established; and

Whereas, the Constitution of South Carolina of 1790 declared that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship shall forever be allowed in this State, without discrimination or preference; and

Whereas, our rights do not come from government, but are God-given, and government's duty is to protect them; and

Whereas, on January 15, 2025, representatives of many faiths joined together for the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference for the purpose of celebrating and promoting the Palmetto State's historic and contemporary embrace of the freedom of religion and conscience; and

Whereas, the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference was hosted by the University of South Carolina's Rice School of Law; and

Whereas, on January 8, 2026, the Second Annual South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference was convened in the chamber of the South Carolina House of Representatives, which continued the multifaith discussion on the importance of religious liberty in our State and nation; and

Whereas, in addition to legal scholars and elected officials, presenters at the South Carolina Religious Liberty Conferences have included representatives of many various faiths; and

Whereas, by acclamation of the participants in the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference, it was resolved to promote contemporary support for the principles of religious liberty by petitioning the South Carolina General Assembly to recognize South Carolina's unique history in promoting and safeguarding the members of a free society's right to worship when, where, and how their conscience may dictate, as first guaranteed by the South Carolina Constitution; and

Whereas, this daring and historic masterpiece is a source of pride for all South Carolinians and a reason for all of our citizens to embrace, support, and celebrate our state's legacy and leadership in the promotion of religious liberty; and

Whereas, as the result of the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference, and the resolution and recommendation thereof, the South Carolina House of Representatives adopted House Resolution 4036, formally declaring March 1, 2025, as "South Carolina, First in Religious Liberty Day"; and

Whereas, by acclamation of the participants in the Second Annual South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference, it was resolved to expand upon House Resolution 4036 by petitioning the South Carolina General Assembly to recognize and honor South Carolina's unique history in promoting and safeguarding the members of a free society's right to worship when, where, and how their conscience may dictate, as continuously guaranteed by the state constitution, by enacting in permanent law that the first day of March of each year be designated as "Religious Liberty Day" in South Carolina; and

Whereas, while South Carolina has been a beacon of religious liberty, its history also includes periods where the ideals of freedom were not fully realized. Let us honor South Carolina's contributions to the cause of religious liberty while committing ourselves to continue to learn from the lessons of our past and ensure these sacred freedoms extend to all. Now, therefore,

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

Religious Liberty Day

SECTION 1. Chapter 3, Title 53 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 53-3-340. The first day of March of each year is designated as "Religious Liberty Day" in South Carolina.

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2026.

Approved the 18th day of May, 2026.

__________

This web page was last updated on
June 2, 2026 at 1:19 PM