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S.1029: The Vaccine Bill That Trades One Mandate for Something Worse

During the March 4th hearing on S.897, a bill that removed the religious exemption from measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, Senator Shane Martin hinted that a bill allowing personal exemptions for vaccines would be filed. Before the vote was taken on S.897, Senator Billy Garrett said that he agreed with Martin and would help…

Saluda County: What Happened on March 9th and What Comes Next

Two weeks ago, Palmetto State Watch published a report by Saluda County resident Regina Sanders, raising the alarm about Ordinance 15-25, a proposed 30-year Fee In Lieu of Tax (FILOT) agreement with Orion US Land Holding Co LLC, publicly known as Project Octans. The piece exposed a deal that would slash the county’s solar tax…

Did South Carolina’s Top Doctor Lie Under Oath?

Last Wednesday on March 4th, I, along with thousands of South Carolinians, witnessed both in person and online, what appeared to be perjury take place during a State Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee hearing. Dr. Linda Bell, who serves as the State Epidemiologist and Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) within…

S.960: Establishment Aims To Gag SC Watchdogs

A bill that would threaten the effectiveness of watchdogs in South Carolina was filed on February 26, 2026 and began moving almost immediately. It appears that Senate leadership has not taken too kindly to our efforts to hold them accountable and decided to file S.960. The significance of the date this bill was filed was…

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