A regulation on age-appropriate books in South Carolina's schools that was widely assumed to be dead for the year will instead take effect in a month, unless a supermajority of legislators agree to block it.
Such a significant regulation skipping a legislative vetting is a problem, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey told the SC Daily Gazette on Thursday.
"That's even more the case when you have significant and impactful regulations. We spend a lot of time in the Senate vetting regulations, most of which don't matter that much."
The regulation bars books that describe "Sexual conduct" and creates a statewide system for parents to challenge books they think violate the rules, with an appeals process that gives the State Board of Education final say.
Rep. Spencer Wetmore, a member of the House panel that held the only legislative hearing on the regulation, said she's sure most people have no idea the regulation is set to go through: How could they?
There are a few possible ways the Legislature could still stop the regulation from automatically taking effect, all of which require supermajority approval before June 25.
"I'm not going to stand in the way" of blocking the regulation's approval date, if that's what Senate Republicans want to do, Hembree said.
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