State Rep. Jay Kilmartin

The last week of session has been a wild one. And that’s saying something, because “normal” at the State House is already pretty far from normal.

What has really made things intense is the congressional redistricting debate.

For over 30 years, South Carolina has had a congressional district specifically carved out based on race. Recently, the United States Supreme Court ruled that race-based districting like that is unconstitutional. Quite frankly, the controversy should not even exist in the first place. We have a district that was illegally drawn by race.

Now, let’s talk politics honestly and practically. Normally, congressional maps are redrawn every ten years after the census. We are now in the middle of an election cycle, so obviously the timing is not ideal. But let’s also not pretend political gerrymandering is unique to South Carolina. States across the country have drawn maps for political advantage for years. Illinois, for example, has roughly 45% registered Republicans and not a single Republican member of Congress. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, South Carolina has an opportunity to correct something that should have been fixed long ago. The timing may not be perfect, but the opportunity is here now. Governor McMaster called us back into session, and we are working through that process.

On the legislative side, we also had some important conservative wins.

The ivermectin over-the-counter bill is in the final stretch. The House is concurring with the Senate amendments, and the bill should be headed to the Governor’s desk next week for signature.

We passed the Regulatory Freedom Act to reduce unnecessary regulations on small businesses by 25%.

And we passed a $10,000 exemption on business personal property taxes for small businesses. Most people don’t even realize this tax exists. If I buy a freezer for my restaurant, I have to pay the government every year just to own it. That’s the kind of nonsense we should be fixing.

The photos are from the America First Patriots of Union County event where I spoke alongside several Freedom Caucus members and fellow candidates. Thank you to Tom and Linda Balek for the invitation and hospitality. Great event with great patriots.

Today, the House passed my legislation 100-9 to allow ivermectin to be sold over the counter.

For many across South Carolina, this is about something simple: the ability to make informed decisions about your own health.

Ivermectin is a decades-old medication with a long track record of use, and this issue has been a priority for many who believe in expanding access and medical choice.

Several states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, and Texas, have already taken this step.

South Carolina should be next.

Thank you to Rep. Heath Sessions for his work to move this forward in the House.

With only a few days left in session, I’m asking you to contact your Senator and urge them to pass H.4042.

Let’s get this done.

Happy May the 4th!

May the Force be with you as we continue the long campaign.

Tomorrow I return to the Statehouse for these final critical weeks. The dark side is strong—entrenched interests, procedural maneuvers, and those who serve power rather than the people continue to block good legislation. Efforts to end Clyburn’s racist district through fair redistricting, the Ivermectin bill, the DOT bill is headed to a joint committee after the senate non concurred, and other commonsense reforms face relentless resistance.

Yet we are not weary. This is the fight that matters. The Rebellion was never won in a single battle, and neither will restoring government that serves its constituents.

Stay vigilant. Keep contacting your representatives. Keep showing up. Keep speaking truth to the establishment that has grown deaf to the will of the people.

The light still shines brightest when we refuse to surrender.

Together, we press on.

May the Force be with us all.

This week at the State House…

As of today, we’ve got just six legislative days left. You can feel things picking up fast—bills coming over from the Senate and a lot to get done in a short window.

Let me start with the big one everyone’s been watching—the DOT bill.

I’ll give credit where it’s due: the grassroots showed up.

Because of that pressure, leadership went back and replaced the original bill—which had a lot in it that didn’t do much to actually fix roads.

That changed.

The focus shifted to accountability, and there were some real wins:

* Governor will appoint the DOT Secretary directly
* Any toll road construction must be approved by the Legislature
* Counties are no longer forced to spend 33% of their funds on state roads
* Property tax hikes and sales tax increases were removed

Also worth noting—my desk mate Joe White filed 108 amendments. After a lot of work and negotiation, several key ones made it into the final version.

Those are big wins.

Now, here’s where things stand:

The Senate has already voted not to concur with our changes, so this heads to a conference committee—a small group that will work out the final version.

With only six days left, time is tight.

A couple other updates—

• A bill passed allowing eviction records to be expunged after five years. I understand the intent, but I believe this could hurt small landlords who rely on rental income.

• We also passed a bill preventing foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran from owning farmland in South Carolina. That’s just common sense.

• I’m still pushing to get ivermectin over the counter. It’s been on the calendar for two weeks but keeps getting delayed. With the clock running down, we’ll see if it makes it.

And finally…

The biggest news at my house this week?

It rained.

Not much—but I’ll take it. I was running out of moves on my daily rain dance.

Appreciate y’all staying engaged. These last few days matter.

S831 passed.

I was initially opposed to this “DOT Modernization” bill as written.

It simply didn’t fix roads. However…..

Thanks to grass roots activists, we actually pulled this off!

YOU were the difference.
Thanks to all your calls and letters, the amended S831 just passed with most of what we wanted.

The Governor can now directly appoint the DOT Secretary — no more Highway Commissioners getting in the way or hiring them.

No CCTM either. They dropped the plan to “offer”state roads onto counties and towns, and county transportation committees won’t be forced to spend 1/3 of their money on state roads anymore.

Any toll road created by a public/private partnership has to be voted on by us, the legislature.

It’s not perfect, but it’s easily 80% better than the original bill.

Now it heads back to the Senate, so keep the pressure up — call, text, or email your senators and tell them to vote yes on this amended version.

The good?

The pressure from SC citizens regarding S831 the DOT Modernization Bill worked. The architects of the bill heard you. Thank you all!

The bad?

Their first amendment deleted the whole ENTIRE bill and replaced it with a 60 page amendment no one has the time to read. And we are debating it now.

Can we just trust it’s a good or even better bill?

This was too good to not share.

At the beginning of this session Chaplain Charles Seastrunk retired in January.

Chaplain Jeff Lingerfelt was voted in unanimously.

Having known Jeff since I joined the house I thought he was the perfect replacement.

As you may know, we have a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each day that we’re in session.

This prayer on Tuesday really touched my heart so I asked Chaplain for a copy. Thank you Chaplain for your encouragement and prayers.

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Truth for Today:

PASSAGE: Psalm 33:13-14

THE LORD LOOKS FROM HEAVEN; HE SEES ALL THE SONS OF MEN;

FROM HIS DWELLING PLACE HE LOOKS OUT ON ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH.

LET US PRAY:

Our LORD and ever blessed Father, you are in your holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men. O LORD You have established Your throne in heaven, and Your kingdom rules over all men and all that is in, on, above and beneath the earth. There is not one molecule that escapes Your sovereign control!

In your rule, you are kind and gracious, abounding in faithfulness, slow to anger and superabounding in loving-kindness.

We are here as your appointed elected officials to administer Your will in the affairs of men. We stand in need of your help, for without You we can do nothing. Please grant wisdom, discernment and knowledge to rule this day and this Great State.

For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. May Your will and word flow through us this day for Your great name’s sake—AMEN.

Some news worth celebrating!

Did you know Chapin High School cheerleaders have won 17 state championships in the last 21 years across three classifications?

That’s a dynasty.

We’re honored to recognize these athletes, along with their coaches, athletic director, and principal at the State House this week. And just as important... thank you to the parents behind the scenes. The sacrifices you make to support your daughters don’t go unnoticed!

I was also recently honored to kick off the Bible Reading Marathon and close it out in prayer. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word was read continuously on the State House grounds from Sunday to Thursday. Each year, more people are stepping forward to be part of it, and we also spent time praying over our Capitol and our lawmakers.

Thank you to the organizers, Joseph and Tarla Bavar, for your leadership!

An update on medical freedom:

We are still pushing to make ivermectin available over the counter. We’re close, but it continues to get delayed. The reality is, if we don’t move this forward immediately, we risk running out of time in the Senate.

Thank you to everyone who has been speaking up, especially the medical freedom groups and the doctors who stepped up to testify. Keep the pressure on. This matters.

I often get asked: “Who is in the SC Freedom Caucus?”

These ratings by the Club for Growth has the answer.

clubforgrowthfoundation.org

I know what it takes to run a business and make a payroll.

That’s why I’m proud to have a 100% Economic Growth Score, because I fight for lower taxes, less red tape, and policies that actually help businesses grow.

South Carolina works best when government stays out of the way.