South Carolina General Assembly
125th Session, 2023-2024

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A186, R235, H5246

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Wetmore, Brittain, M.M. Smith, Stavrinakis, Hartnett, Leber, Gilliard, Bustos, Pendarvis, Jefferson, Landing and Garvin
Document Path: LC-0538SA24.docx

Introduced in the House on March 7, 2024
Introduced in the Senate on April 25, 2024
Last Amended on May 8, 2024
Currently residing in the House
Governor's Action: May 20, 2024, Signed

Summary: State seabird

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date Body Action Description with journal page number
3/7/2024 House Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 12)
3/7/2024 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works (House Journal-page 12)
4/17/2024 House Recalled from Committee on Education and Public Works (House Journal-page 10)
4/23/2024 House Read second time (House Journal-page 16)
4/23/2024 House Roll call Yeas-104 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 17)
4/24/2024 House Read third time and sent to Senate (House Journal-page 13)
4/25/2024 Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)
4/25/2024 Senate Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services (Senate Journal-page 6)
4/30/2024 Senate Polled out of committee Family and Veterans' Services
4/30/2024 Senate Committee report: Favorable Family and Veterans' Services
5/8/2024 Senate Amended (Senate Journal-page 95)
5/8/2024 Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 95)
5/8/2024 Senate Roll call Ayes-45 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 95)
5/9/2024 Senate Read third time and returned to House with amendments (Senate Journal-page 85)
5/9/2024 House Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled (House Journal-page 117)
5/9/2024 House Roll call Yeas-106 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 117)
5/15/2024 Ratified R 235
5/20/2024 Signed By Governor
5/29/2024 Effective date 05/20/24
5/29/2024 Act No. 186

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

03/07/2024
04/17/2024
04/30/2024
05/08/2024


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A186, R235, H5246)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-612 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE BROWN PELICAN IS THE OFFICIAL SEABIRD OF THE STATE.

Whereas, the first known eastern brown pelican was described in 1789 and at the Charleston Harbor; and

Whereas, the brown pelican is one of the largest birds found on the east coast and is known for its long bill and underlying throat pouch; and

Whereas, eastern brown pelicans are the only pelicans in the world that are not entirely white. The front of a brown pelican's head is white, but its feathers fade to dark brown. During breeding season, the bird swaps white for a vibrant yellowish gold and exchanges dark brown for a silver-grey; and

Whereas, in 1970, the eastern brown pelican was listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, when populations plummeted to less than one hundred; and

Whereas, unlike most birds that warm their eggs with the skin of their breasts, pelicans incubate their eggs with the skin of their feet, standing on them and holding the eggs under the webbing of their feet. Widespread use of a pesticide known as DDT caused the chemical to leak into the food chain and caused the eastern brown pelican's eggs to have thinner shells, which caused them to break during incubation, leading to the populations decline; and

Whereas, the United States' ban of DDT in 1972 and the Brown Pelican Recovery Plan of 1979 helped the brown pelican population recover, and the brown pelican is no longer considered endangered; and

Whereas, designating the brown pelican as the state seabird of South Carolina will highlight the importance of preserving and enhancing the habitat of this species and other seabirds along our coastline and serve as a symbol of our commitment to environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation; and

Whereas, eastern brown pelicans and other similar South Carolina coastal birds add to the unique and beautiful character of South Carolina, increasing quality of life. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Official seabird

SECTION 1.    Article 9, Chapter 1, Title 1 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 1-1-612.    The eastern brown pelican is the official seabird of the State.

Time effective

SECTION 2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2024.

Approved the 20th day of May, 2024.

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This web page was last updated on June 25, 2024 at 3:19 PM