SC House Republicans Hold Backroom Meeting, Exclude Conservative Lawmakers

For Immediate Release:

Columbia, SC – South Carolina House Republicans scheduled a private meeting for November 14, roughly two weeks ahead of the organizational session where new lawmakers will be sworn in and the new Legislature will be convened.

This meeting will not be open to the public, which is not a new problem in South Carolina. Legislative caucuses are private organizations, allowing legislators to discuss political matters without public scrutiny.

What is unusual, however, is that many Republican lawmakers were not invited. According to one source familiar with the matter, those excluded are members of American Action Fund’s Hazlitt Coalition, a group of elected officials who often find themselves at odds with many of their colleagues in Columbia.

Further escalating the pre-session drama at the State House, it is believed that the meeting was called to discuss a proposal for new House Rules that will make it more difficult for the conservative legislators to file amendments to bills during session.

“This is a blatant attempt by the Columbia Swamp to silence conservative lawmakers and leave the 800,000 constituents they collectively represent without a voice,” said Dan Stuart, Field Manager for American Action Fund. “Hiding out in a backroom, away from the eyes of the people, is a shameful way to conduct business.”

American Action Fund has launched a grassroots program to expose the misdeeds of the politicians in Columbia and defend conservative voices in South Carolina.