South Carolina Renews Fight to Expand Its 'Heritage Act'
Proposal to expand Heritage Act protections to all public memorials advances
Proposal to expand Heritage Act protections to all public memorials advances
(Dixie Drudge) - In the wave of leftist attacks on Southern and American heritage and monument removals by the forces of ‘woke,’ the legislatures of most Southern states have passed ‘Heritage Protection Acts.’ Some are strong barriers against the hatred of the left. Others, not so much. What most have had in common is the tendency of ‘judge-shopped’ activist jurists to pick them apart or ignore them entirely. Several state legislatures are trying to strengthen their laws to prevent this, such as South Carolina.
As the Post and Courier reported:
The opening day of the 2026 legislative session saw a bill strengthening South Carolina’s Heritage Act introduced in subcommittee that, if passed, would prohibit local officials from adding plaques or displays that place such controversial statues in a modern context.
This would include giving descriptors on those monuments, posting signs around them or phone-readable QR codes.
S. 508 was introduced by Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, and co-sponsored by 29 other Republicans would extend the protections under a portion of state law commonly called the Heritage Act to all memorials on public property in South Carolina. This especially important since the original law, while upheld by the state’s supreme court, has failed to protect prominent monuments such as the John Calhoun memorial in Charleston.
We will be watching…