South Carolina senate committee advances its version of hate crimes bill

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The South Carolina Senate’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday narrowly voted in support of a bill that would set additional penalties for people convicted of a crime based on bias.

The 12-9 vote puts S. 615 onto the Senate floor, where it joins an already approved House bill to establish the “Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act.”

Language in both measures are nearly identical: Adding five years to any prison term and fines of up to $10,000 for people found guilty of committing a crime “where the victim was targeted because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion.”

South Carolina and Wyoming are the only two states without a hate crimes law, though federal penalties still apply.

Last week, Florence city leaders threw their support behind statewide adoption of such a law, joining cities including Columbia, Mount Pleasant and Myrtle Beach in asking the General Assembly to put it on Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk.

The act is named for Rev. Dr. Clementa C. Pinckney, a former state senator and pastor at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church, who was killed along with eight other church members when a white supremacist gunman opened fire during a 2015 bible study.

While proponents have remained steadfast in moving the bill forward, its profile has raised in recent months.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, a white Conway couple were accused of burning a cross in the direction of their Black neighbors. along Corbett Drive.

Horry County cross burning victims speak about racial hate at community discussion

Officials have so far charged 27-year-old Alexis Hartnett and 28-year-old Worden Butler with second-degree harassment in connection with the incident.

Horry County cross-burning suspects have long history of interactions with police

State Sen. Mike Riechenbach, R-Florence, said the bill can only come back up for consideration through a procedure known as “special order,” which sets aside a specific day and time for debate on a single issue.

“It’s a very narrow margin right now. I think largely some of the issue we’re hearing is, folks don’t understand the bill,” Riechenbach told Florence council members. Florence County’s nine-person legislative delegation unanimously support it.

“It’s an enhancement bill on a violent crime. It doesn’t criminalize speech. It doesn’t criminalize thought,” Riechenbach said. “I think the Florence County delegation can be a microcosm of what we’ll see statewide, that hate isn’t a partisan issue.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

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