House > Rules > Rule 9

    9.1    A bill which originated in the House, or which, having originated in the Senate and having been amended by the House, shall be returned from the Senate with amendments, such bill as amended shall be printed, placed on the House Calendar, and shall not be considered until its number and title shall have been printed in the House Calendar for at least one statewide day prior to such reading. Provided, however, that this requirement shall not apply to local bills; nor shall this requirement apply to bills returned from the Senate with amendments during any extension of the session under Section 2-1-180 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, or to bills returned from the Senate with amendments during an extra session pursuant to Article IV, Section 19 of the South Carolina Constitution.

The General Appropriations Bill, Supplemental Appropriations Bill for the ordinary expenses of State Government, and legislation appropriating the Capital Reserve Fund, having been returned from the Senate with amendments, shall not be considered until:

(1)   their number and title shall have been printed in the House Calendar; and

(2)   their contents, as amended, have been made available online to the public for at least forty-eight hours.

The consideration of amendments shall have precedence over a motion to either concur or nonconcur in the Senate amendments. Once the matter is amended and all pending amendments are considered, then said bill is returned to the Senate for consideration.

If no amendments have been adopted by the House then the question shall be: 'Will the House agree to the Senate amendment?' A decision in the negative shall be a rejection. Upon a decision in the affirmative, the title of the bill shall be changed to an act an ordered to be enrolled.

    9.2    At the third reading of a bill, no amendment shall be permitted without unanimous consent, except that the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means may (if he shall have given notice at the second reading of his intention to offer amendments at the third) be permitted to offer amendments to any appropriations bill, as may be pertinent to the bill. The chairman of any committee may (if he has given notice at the second reading of his intention to offer amendments at the third) be permitted to offer technical amendments to any bill which has been reported from his committee; and

Provided, that the House may, in its discretion, commit or recommit any bill at its third reading and after the report of the committee any amendment which it shall recommend may be adopted.

    9.3    No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment unless it refers to the intent of the motion or proposition under consideration. Provided, further, that nothing shall prevent the adoption of an amendment which rewrites the bill in its entirety if the bill as rewritten remains germane to the original title of the bill. Provided, further, that in determining whether or not any amendment be germane, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be guided by precedents of the House of Representatives to the extent available.

    9.4    A proposed amendment shall be in order regardless of the number of changes proposed therein to the matter under debate, provided such amendment is otherwise in order. Proposed amendments must be typewritten and in the proper format for the computer system except as allowed by the Speaker at his discretion.

    9.5    Proposed amendments to any matter before the House shall be initially considered in the order in which received.

    9.6    Proposed amendments to local bills may not impact, affect, or reference any portion of a county other than the county originally referenced in the local bill.

Last Updated: 12/21/2022 12:00 PM