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Bill

H 5737

Department of Public Health

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by William Bailey and 31 co-sponsors

The Governor should replace the acting SCDPH Director with a qualified medical professional who has no ties to radical groups or lobbying interests and prioritizes medical freedom

Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions
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Bill Summary · H 5737

Summary of Bill H 5737 (2025-2026) – South Carolina

Purpose and intent

  • This is a concurrent resolution directing the Governor to remove the acting Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH) and replace that person with a qualified medical professional.
  • The resolution emphasizes appointing a leader free from ties to radical political organizations or lobbying interests, who respects medical freedom, and who will prioritize the health, liberty, and well-being of South Carolinians.
  • It asserts that public health leadership should be independent of political agendas, ideological pressure groups, and lobbying influences, and it calls for leadership guided by medical expertise, transparency, humility, accountability, and respect for individual rights.

Key provisions and changes sought

  • The core directive: The Governor must remove the acting Director of SCDPH and appoint in that slot a qualified medical professional meeting specific criteria.
  • Criteria for the replacement candidate:
    • Free from conflicting ties to radical political organizations or lobbying interests.
    • Respects medical freedom and places health, liberty, and well-being of South Carolinians first.
    • Demonstrates commitment to parental rights, religious liberty, informed consent, and constitutional limits on government authority (as implied by the resolution’s rhetoric).
  • Emphasis on:
    • Restoring public confidence in the Department of Public Health.
    • Promoting transparency, accountability, constitutional government, and respect for individual dignity and freedom.
  • Future nominees or acting appointees should have a demonstrated record of:
    • Supporting medical freedom.
    • Respecting parental rights and religious liberty.
    • Opposing unnecessary government mandates.
    • Placing the people of South Carolina above outside political agendas.

Who/what would be affected

  • The acting Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health would be removed, and a new Director (a qualified medical professional meeting the criteria) would be appointed by the Governor.
  • The resolution targets leadership culture within SCDPH, aiming to insulate decisions from radical organizations, lobbying interests, or outside political pressure.
  • The resolution signals priorities and expectations for the department’s leadership going forward, potentially affecting how public health policies are crafted and communicated.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Status: Introduced and referred to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions (as of 2026-06-25).
  • Mechanism: As a concurrent resolution, it expresses the General Assembly’s stance and requests (not mandates) the Governor to take action.
  • No immediate statutory changes to public health law are enacted by this resolution itself; it is a formal expression of legislative policy and a call to the executive branch.
  • If adopted, the Governor would be expected to act in response, potentially replacing the acting Director with a candidate who meets the resolution’s stated criteria.

Notable details

  • The bill includes a broad list of co-sponsors, indicating cross-party or widespread legislative support for the messaging and objective.
  • The resolution repeatedly frames medical freedom, parental rights, religious liberty, and opposition to “coercion” or “overreach” in public health policy.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Symbolic impact: Signals a strong legislative emphasis on reducing perceived political or lobbying influence in public health leadership.
  • Policy impact: Depending on implementation, could influence hiring decisions and leadership culture at SCDPH; however, as a resolution, it does not automatically change statutes or grant new regulatory authority.
  • Policy debate: Balances concerns about individual liberties and medical freedom with public health governance and evidence-based policy, a point of contention in many public health discussions.

If you’d like, I can compare this resolution to existing South Carolina statutes or provide a brief background on the role and selection process for the SCDPH Director to contextualize how this resolution fits within current law.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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