Together, We Are Powerful!
by Ann Warner on May 26, 2022
Legislative Victories!
Below are bills that were signed into law in South Carolina!
Thanks to you, WREN has achieved two major legislative victories that will make South Carolina a healthier and more equitable state for women, gender-expansive people, and their families.
- Paid Family Leave for State Employees, making more than 55,000 state employees eligible for up to 6 weeks paid leave following birth or adoption and up to 2 week for fostering. South Carolina is one of the few southern states that has been successful in expanding paid leave protections for state workers!
- Pharmacy Access for Contraceptives, making SC one of 24 other states giving pharmacists the ability to dispense contraceptives directly to consumers.
What you need to know:
Paid Parental Leave for State Employees (S.11) passed the legislature and was signed by the Governor on May 13th! The act will take effect October 1, 2022. This act provides state employees up to 6 weeks of paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child, or up to 2 weeks for placement of a foster child. This policy is not only good for the health and well-being of employees and their babies; it will also keep the state government workforce strong. Going forward, we will work to expand the paid leave to benefit even more of South Carolina’s workers.
The Pharmacy Access Act (628) passed the legislature and was signed by the Governor on May 23rd! The bill authorizes pharmacists to dispense contraceptives, which will make contraceptive care more accessible and affordable by eliminating the need for a separate visit to a health care provider to obtain a prescription.
While we celebrate the hard-won victories of this session, we cannot lose sight of the huge threats ahead. While we await the Supreme Court’s decision on the Mississippi abortion case, we are preparing for the SC legislature to attempt to enact a total abortion ban, which could happen as soon as July. WREN will be leading the fight to defend our rights, and we will hold every lawmaker accountable for their votes. Our lives and our futures depend on it.