S.C. House passes the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act

COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The South Carolina House passed a hate crime bill in a 84-31 vote on Wednesday afternoon.

The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act is named after Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney who was one of the nine individuals killed in 2015 when an gunman opened fire at a church Bible study.

“The House passing the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act is a victory for civil rights,” Rep. Wendell Gillard (D-Charleston) said. “Now, it’s time for the Senate to act and finish the job.”

The hate crime bill, H.3014, would add penalty enhancements for violent crimes where the victim was targeted because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or religion.

The South Carolina House passed this legislation with broad bipartisan support in 2021, but the bill stalled in the Senate.