SCWF works diligently with state legislators to protect precious wildlife habitats and ensure that sound scientific data is used to make decisions that affect wildlife. You can visit our State Advocacy page any time to find information on all of the bills that SCWF is currently monitoring, with the status of those bills updated daily!
Read below about some great wins so far this year!
Endangered Species Disclosure (H.4047)
This legislation would amend SC Code of Laws by adding a section that would prohibit the release of records regarding the occurrence of rare, threatened, endangered, or imperiled plants and animal species by the SC Department of Natural Resources thereby protecting the locations of such species. SC Wildlife Federation strongly supported this legislation and Sara Green, Executive Director of SCWF, testified in favor of the bill before both House and Senate Committee hearings.
This legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives in 2023 by Rep. Russell Ott. It subsequently passed the House by a vote of 97-0 on May 4, 2023 and was sent to the Senate. The Senate did not take up the bill until 2024 but did give the bill final approval on February 15 of this year by a vote of 43-0. The Governor signed the bill into law on March 11.
Recreational Trail Easement Income Tax Credit (H.3121)
Introduced last year by Rep. Max Hyde of Spartanburg; this legislation would provide for a one-time income tax credit to private property owners who would allow for a trail easement through their property that would complement an existing trail network. The easement would be held by a municipality, county, special purpose district or an accredited land trust. The bill passed the House last May on a 113-0 vote and was sent to the Senate where it taken up and passed by the Senate on March 20 of this year on a 43-0 vote. The bill has been sent to the Governor for his signature.
Working Agricultural Lands Protection Act (H.3951)
This legislation was introduced in the House of Representative in 2023 by Rep. Patrick Haddon, a family farmer and State Representative from Greenville. The bill would create a special program within the South Carolina Conservation Bank designed solely for the purpose of funding conservation easements on working farmlands in the state. Not only will this bill significantly help family farms withstand the pressures of development and stay in business, but it will also preserve wildlife habitat throughout the state when farmlands are protected by a perpetual conservation easement. SC Wildlife Federation, along with our conservation partners, strongly advocated in favor of this legislation and worked over the course of two legislative sessions to ensure its passage. Originally introduced in February of 2023, the Working Agricultural Lands Protection Act recently received final approval by the General Assembly and has now been signed into law by the Governor.