Sine Die in the 1st year of a 2-year session
by WREN Staff on May 7, 2021
Sine Die is the day that the South Carolina General Assembly will officially end the legislative session. This year Sine Die will occur at 5 pm on May 13th. Before they adjourn for the year, the legislators will pass a sine die resolution that outlines the things they can take up between May – January. Any bill/ issue not included in the Sine Die resolution is not dead just delayed until they come back in to session in January 2022.
So what is the Sine Die Resolution?
The Sine Die Resolution is usually a to-do list of just a few “clean up” items, mainly focused on finishing budget deliberations and tweaks. But, this year, the legislature will include work on an updated budget because of new revenue and Federal stimulus dollars in the Sine Die Resolution — returning off and on from the latter half of May to July to update the budget. The legislators will also work this summer and fall on redistricting, which will have huge implications for politics and representation in the Palmetto State.
House Speaker Jay Lucas announced that July and August would be safe months for vacation. Any time after that is open season for a return to the State House, given the need to work on redistricting. Currently release of the data required for the redistricting process is scheduled for September 30.
What does this mean?
That the work will continue throughout the Summer and Fall so please follow WREN for updates on issues that may impact women, girls, and gender expansive people in South Carolina.
We will regularly post updates on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages, so be sure to follow us there.
What should we do after Sine Die?
Connect with policymakers to educate them on the issues that should be prioritized in January 2022. Don’t know where to get started? Look at WREN’s legislative agenda page. We try to ensure you have information for each bill we are working on and have a pathway to take action.
You can also find your legislators via the statehouse website with additional contact information and schedule a meeting to discuss your concerns. This application allows you to find your Senators and Representatives for both the S.C. State Legislature and U.S. Congress who are currently serving. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/legislatorssearch.php