Government Efficiency

2025-2026 Bill 318: Government Efficiency - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 318
STATUS INFORMATION
Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Senators Goldfinch, Alexander, Johnson, Gambrell, Stubbs, Grooms, Climer, Leber, Cash, Kimbrell, Davis, Young, Peeler, Corbin, Turner, Rice, Verdin, Garrett, Bennett, Martin, Kennedy, Cromer, Adams and Zell
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3926
Document Path: SR-0222KM25.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 5, 2025
Introduced in the House on January 14, 2026
Last Amended on May 8, 2025

Currently residing in the House Committee on
Ways and Means
Summary: Government Efficiency
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/5/2025

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 44
)

2/5/2025

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 44
)

2/19/2025

Senate

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 14
)

2/25/2025

Scrivener's error corrected

5/7/2025

Senate

Committee Amendment Adopted (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/7/2025

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/7/2025

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/7/2025

Senate

Roll call Ayes-35 Nays-6 (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/8/2025

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/8/2025

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

5/8/2025

Senate

Roll call Ayes-34 Nays-11 (
Senate Journal-page 65
)

1/14/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 94
)

1/14/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Ways and Means
(
House Journal-page 94
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/05/2025
02/19/2025
02/25/2025
05/07/2025
05/08/2025

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

As Adopted By The Senate

May 8, 2025

S. 318

Introduced by Senators Goldfinch, Alexander,
Johnson, Fernandez, Gambrell, Stubbs, Grooms, Climer, Leber, Cash, Kimbrell,
Davis, Young, Peeler, Corbin, Turner, Rice, Verdin, Garrett, Bennett, Martin,
Kennedy, Cromer, Adams and Zell

S. Printed 5/8/25--S.

Read the first time February 5, 2025

________

A joint Resolution

SO AS TO ENACT THE "COMMISSION ON FISCAL RESTRAINT AND
GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY"; TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION; TO
PROVIDE FOR THE COMMISSION'S DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS; TO PRIORITIZE SPENDING
CUTS AND ESTABLISH A DATE THAT THE SPENDING CUTS MUST BE REPORTED TO THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE GOVERNOR; TO PROVIDE FOR THE REPORT ON THE
COMMISSION'S OTHER DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS; AND TO SUNSET THE COMMISSION.

Amend Title To Conform

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

S
ECTION 1.
This act may be cited as the "
Delivery of Government Efficiency
Commission Act."

S
ECTION 2.
(
A) There is created the Delivery of Government
Efficiency Commission. The voting members of the commission shall be comprised
of:

(
1) three
members appointed by the President of the Senate;

(
2) three
members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and

(
3) three
members appointed by the Governor from the State at large.

(
B) The voting
members of the commission may not be a member of the General Assembly or
otherwise have a conflict of interest. If a commission member has a "conflict
of interest" a commission member shall recuse themselves from participating in
any matter where it is reasonably foreseeable that the commission member will
derive a direct financial benefit or suffer a direct financial loss as a result
of a particular outcome that might reasonably be reached by the commission.

(
C) Membership on
the commission shall not constitute holding an "office" for the purpose of the
prohibition on dual office holding in Section 3, Article VI and Section 1A,
Article XVII of the South Carolina Constitution, 1895.

(D) The commission
shall be chaired by the Director of the Department of Administration, or her
designee. The Director of the Department of Administration's designee may not
be a member of the General Assembly. The commission chair shall be a non-voting
member.

(E) Commissioners
shall serve without compensation and are not entitled to mileage, subsistence,
or per diem as provided by law for members of state boards, committees, and
commissions.

(
F) The commission
shall utilize staff from the General Assembly and the executive branch at the
discretion of the chair. The commission may also engage third-party consultants
or other experts in related fields to fulfill its duties and obligations.

(
G) The commission
shall not have the power to issue a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum.

S
ECTION 3. The commission
shall conduct a survey of the structure and funding of state government to
determine how to modernize it so that state government is less costly and more
efficient for our state's taxpayers. In fulfilling its duties and obligations
the commission shall:

(
1) review
appropriations in the state budget and identify areas for spending reductions;

(
2) review the
Code of Regulations to determine which regulations can be repealed to reduce
the regulatory burden on businesses operating our State, specifically small and
medium sized businesses;

(
3) review the
Code of Regulations to determine which regulations can be repealed to reduce
the regulatory burden on our citizens' property rights;

(
4) identify
redundant, conflicting, or oppressive regulations;

(
5) identify
government programs, agencies, departments, boards, and commissions that can be
eliminated, consolidated, or otherwise restructured in order to increase
government efficiency; and

(
6) conduct other
reviews and make other recommendations that the commission identifies as being
necessary and proper to reduce spending, increase efficiency, and reduce the state
government's burden on our citizens' quality of life or economic development.

(
7) committee shall
not have access to an individual's personal, financial, or medical information.

S
ECTION 4. The
commission shall first undertake the review of appropriations in the state
budget to identify areas where spending reductions are appropriate. The
commission's findings shall identify the amount of recommended reductions and
identify the source of the reductions as specifically as possible, down to the
program or subprogram level if possible. The commission shall report its
findings to the President of the Senate, Chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the House
of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, and the Governor not later than
October 1, 2025. Upon receipt of this report, the Chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and
Means Committee may request that the chair of the commission present specific
findings at a regular meeting of the relevant budget subcommittee or of the
full standing committee. The commission's report shall be published on the
General Assembly's and the Governor's website.

S
ECTION 5. Following
the commission's recommendations concerning reductions in appropriations, the
commission shall then work to fulfill its remaining duties and obligations. The
commission shall report its additional findings to the President of the Senate,
Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means
Committee, and the Governor not later than October 1, 2026. The commission may,
at its discretion, report these findings to the standing legislative oversight
committees of the General Assembly for consideration for investigation as
outlined in Section
2-2-40
. The commission's report shall be published on the
General Assembly's and the Governor's website.

S
ECTION 6. This
joint resolution is repealed on October 2, 2026.

S
ECTION 7. This joint resolution takes effect
upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM