A growing number of cities and towns in South Carolina have responded to the General Assembly’s lack of action in passing hate crimes legislation by passing their own hate crimes ordinances, which the Municipal Association of SC is compiling into a resource list.
The list currently features the ordinances of Bluffton, Columbia, Charleston, Chester, Clemson, Greenville, Florence and Mount Pleasant. These ordinances typically establish the offense of “hate intimidation,” defining it as an action intended to intimidate, harass, assault or otherwise harm another person based on that person’s race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability or other identity. Additional municipalities that have enacted hate crimes ordinances should notify Municipal Association Legislative and Public Policy Advocate Erica Wright at ewright@masc.sc.
South Carolina and Wyoming are the only two states to have not enacted statewide hate crimes laws. This has caused cities and towns to miss out on economic opportunities, as some civic, cultural and sporting organizations have decided to host events or tournaments in other states as a result.
The Municipal Association included support of statewide hate crimes legislation as one of its Advocacy Initiatives in 2023 and 2024. The SC House of Representatives passed such legislation repeatedly, but the full SC Senate has not considered the legislation.
H3014, the most recent version of the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, creates additional penalties for those who commit certain crimes while selecting victims based on identity. The bill is currently contested in the Senate, preventing debate on it. Municipal hate crimes ordinances not only showcase leadership at the local level, but also demonstrate the pressing need for action at the state level.