By Skylar Laird | Reporter
Legislators returned yesterday with the goal of approving legislation worked out in negotiating committees. Instead, two of leadership’s top priority bills — one regulating THC and one strengthening DUI laws — fell apart on the floor. What happens next, and whether either gets revived, is unclear.
“It was a bad day for public safety, wasn’t it?” - Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, about deals on bills about THC and DUIs hitting roadblocks.
South Carolina Rep. Greg Ford, D-Summerville, left, speaks with Rep. Robby Robbins, R-Summerville, right, on the House floor, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)
By Jessica Holdman
What to do about hemp products has been a thorn in legislators’ sides all session. After the House torpedoed a different bill on subject earlier this year, the issue came to a head Thursday, when the House voted down a compromise on a bill that would have restricted access to THC drinks and gummies.
The Port of Charleston’s Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston will temporarily halt operations starting Aug. 1 due to lagging container trade globally and higher costs compared to the port’s other terminals. (Photo courtesy of SC State Ports Authority)
By David Wren
Starting Aug. 1, Charleston’s Leatherman Terminal will stop operating for an undetermined amount of time to save money during a global trade slowdown. Four of the five ships that stop at Leatherman weekly will move to other nearby terminals. The company running the ships already canceled the final route because of the dip in trading.
Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, R-Little River, a former solicitor, led a negotiating committee Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Columbia, to reach a compromise on a bill meant to crack down on cases of people driving under the influence. (File photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
By Skylar Laird
After the Senate sent this bill into limbo, we updated my story from Wednesday on the deal under consideration. The bill’s not dead yet: Senators could come back and work out another deal on the bill meant to crack down on drunken drivers, which was Senate leadership’s top priority for the year, or try again when they return to vote on the budget. What happens next, though, is unclear.
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