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South Carolina House Endorses Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill

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South Carolina House Endorses Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill


The South Carolina House of Representatives has approved a framework for paid family leave insurance in the state, sending House Bill 4832 to the Senate.

By a vote of 110-0, the House last week passed the bill that would allow but not require paid leave insurance products to cover at least two weeks of paid time off for workers who need to care for family members, including newborn children. The measure authorizes life and disability insurers to create the policies, and the insurers would be subject to a 1.25% tax on total premiums written.

The bill comes two years after South Carolina lawmakers approved six weeks of paid family leave for state employees, and a year after similar paid leave was provided to teachers and school employees. At least four Southern states have expanded paid family leave for educators and public workers in the last four years, the advocacy group A Better Balance has reported.

Kentucky was the most recent, when lawmakers voted in January voted 92-1 to allow the insurance plan. Supporters said the measure would help make Kentucky more competitive with other states that offer

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Employers nationwide must comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows eligible employees to take unpaid leave. At least 13 states have added their own leave laws that require paid time off for family and medical reasons for private employers. Nationwide, eight states have adopted voluntary paid leave insurance provisions, the Bipartisan Policy Center reported.

South Carolina’s HB 4832 was sponsored in part by Rep. Kevin Hardee, R-Loris. If it passes the Senate and is signed by the governor, it will take effect July 1, 2025.

“The policy of insurance shall set forth: the amount of benefits that will be paid for covered family leave reasons; the definition of the wages or other income upon which the amount of family leave benefits will be based; and how wages or other income will be calculated,” reads the bill.

By next year, the state Department of Insurance must provide annual reports on the utilization of the insurance, including the number of insurers offering it and the number of employers that have purchased it, broken down by industry and company size.

The South Carolina-based Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, which has advocated for more paid leave time for state workers, did not take a position on HB 4832.

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A similar bill has been approved by a Senate committee and appears on its way to passage by the full Senate.

The Hartford to Offer Vermont’s Family Leave Insurance for Employers

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South Carolina prepares for third execution since September

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South Carolina prepares for third execution since September


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is preparing to execute the third inmate to be put to death since September as the state goes through a backlog of prisoners who exhausted their appeals while the state couldn’t find lethal injection drugs.

Marion Bowman Jr.’s execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at a Columbia prison. Bowman, 44, was convicted of murder in the shooting death of a friend whose burned body was found in the trunk of a car.

Bowman has maintained his innocence since his arrest. His lawyers said he was convicted on the word of several friends and relatives who received deals or had charges dropped by prosecutors in exchange for their testimony.

Bowman, who has been on death row more than half his life, was offered a plea deal for a life sentence but went to trial because he said he was not guilty.

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Bowman’s death would mark the first execution in the U.S. in 2025. Twenty-five executions were carried out in the country last year.

South Carolina paused executions for 13 years in part because state officials could not obtain lethal injection drugs. The General Assembly passed a shield law, and prison officials were able to find a compounding pharmacy willing to make the pentobarbital if its identity wasn’t made public.

Bowman is not asking Gov. Henry McMaster for clemency. His lawyer, Lindsey Vann, said Bowman didn’t want to spend more decades in prison for a crime he did not commit.

“After more than two decades of battling a broken system that has failed him at every turn, Marion’s decision is a powerful refusal to legitimize an unjust process that has already stolen so much of his life,” Vann said in a statement Thursday.

No governor in the previous 45 executions in South Carolina since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976 has given mercy and reduced a death sentence to life in prison without parole.

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Bowman was convicted in Dorchester County in 2002 of murder in the killing of 21-year-old Kandee Martin in 2001. A number of friends and family members testified against him as part of plea deals.

One friend said Bowman was angry because Martin owed him money. A second testified Bowman thought Martin was wearing a recording device to get him arrested on a charge.

Bowman said he sold drugs to Martin, who was a friend of his for years and sometimes she would pay with sex, but he denied killing her.

Bowman is Black like the other two inmates executed since the pause ended. The final appeal from his lawyers said his trial attorney had too much sympathy for his white victim. The South Carolina Supreme Court called the argument meritless.

One other concern raised by Bowman’s lawyers is his weight. An anesthesiologist said he fears South Carolina’s secret lethal injection protocols don’t take into account Bowman is listed as 389 pounds (176 kilograms) in prison records. It can be difficult to properly get an IV into a blood vessel and determine the dose of the drugs needed in people with obesity.

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Prison officials used two doses of pentobarbital given 11 minutes apart in the previous execution, according to autopsy records.

Before the 13-year pause, South Carolina was among the busiest states for executions.

The state Supreme Court cleared the way to restart executions in July. Freddie Owens was put to death by lethal injection Sept. 20 and Richard Moore was executed on Nov. 1.

The court will allow an execution every five weeks until the other three inmates who have run out of appeals are put to death.

South Carolina has put 45 inmates to death since the death penalty was restarted in the U.S. in 1976. In the early 2000s, it was carrying out an average of three executions a year. Nine states have put more inmates to death.

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But since the unintentional execution pause, South Carolina’s death row population has dwindled. The state had 63 condemned inmates in early 2011. It currently has 30. About 20 inmates have been taken off death row and received different prison sentences after successful appeals. Others have died of natural causes.





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South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Auburn: Prediction, injury updates for A’ja Wilson day

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South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Auburn: Prediction, injury updates for A’ja Wilson day


COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball got a night off from its usual routine of playing on Thursdays.

The No. 2 Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 SEC) beat No. 18 Tennessee on Monday in Knoxville and now turn to host Auburn on Sunday (noon, SEC Network) in Colonial Life Arena.

The Tigers (11-10, 2-6) also had Thursday night off, with their last game a 74-51 win over Florida on Jan. 26.

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These two SEC teams have played 51 times, and South Carolina leads the all-time series 30-21.

Here’s what to know about Auburn ahead of Sunday’s game:

South Carolina will retire A’ja Wilson’s jersey

Former star A’ja Wilson will be honored in a jersey retirement jersey before tipoff on Sunday. Wilson played for coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina from 2014-18.

She is the school’s all-time leader in career points with 2,389 and is No. 1 in free throws made in a career (597) and No. 1 in blocked shots in a career (363). Wilson was also the program’s first four-time All-American and National Player of the Year in 2018. She was named Naismith College Player of the Year (2017-18) and won the John R. Wooden Award the same year.

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Staley and Wilson won the program’s first national title in 2017.

South Carolina defense will focus on Auburn’s DeYona Gaston

Forward DeYona Gaston leads the Tigers in scoring and is third in the SEC at 21.5 points per game.

Taliah Scott was averaging 20.3 but she hasn’t played since Nov. 22 with a wrist injury. The next leading scorer, Yuting Deng, is only averaging 9.7.

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It’s apparent the offense flows mainly through Gaston, who will be the main area of focus for South Carolina’s defense. Gaston is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game as well.

Audia Young has taken the most 3-point attempts and has hit 24-of-69 shots from behind the arc (34.8%).

Auburn’s Mar’shaun Bostic is among SEC assist leaders

Senior guard Mar’shaun Bostic is one of the best passers in the conference this season, as she ranks No. 4 in the SEC with 5.2 assists per game.

To compare, the assist leader for South Carolina is Raven Johnson, averaging 2.6 per game.

South Carolina win vs Auburn would set an SEC record

With a win, South Carolina would pick up its 56th consecutive regular-season SEC win, adding to its conference record, and win No. 70 in a row at home, which would set a conference record. Tennessee won 69 consecutive home games from 1990-96.

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The Gamecocks are also 10-0 at home this season and the only SEC team yet to lose a conference game. South Carolina comes into Sunday riding a 15-game win streak against Auburn, as it hasn’t lost to the Tigers since Jan. 19, 2012.

Who has beaten South Carolina women’s basketball?

The Gamecocks fell to UCLA, 77-62, on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles for their only loss of the season. The Bruins are the only undefeated basketball team in the country and have been No. 1 in the polls since beating South Carolina.

South Carolina vs Auburn injury updates

The SEC injury report will be released on Saturday night. South Carolina will be without Ashlyn Watkins, as she is out for the season after tearing her ACL. Auburn has been without Scott (wrist) since Nov. 22.

South Carolina score prediction vs Auburn

South Carolina 86, Auburn 61: South Carolina’s depth is just too much for Auburn to handle with its unbalanced scoring attack. Tessa Johnson and Sania Feagin combine for 20 plus points.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

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South Carolina commitment cracks recruiting rankings top 100

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South Carolina commitment cracks recruiting rankings top 100


South Carolina football signee Malik Clark has been on the recruiting industry’s radar for a while. However, thanks to a strong senior season at Rock Hill High School, the Palmetto State native has seen his stock rise in recent months.

On Thursday, when On3 released its updated player rankings, Clark moved up again. Outside of the top 300 (but still a 4-star prospect) prior to the update, the explosive wide receiver now ranks No. 101 nationally, No. 2 in South Carolina, and No. 16 among all receiver prospects.

Because other outlets also like Clark as a player, he now sits at No. 88 nationally in On3’s industry ranking, a composite of the four major recruiting rankings from On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. He is a consensus 4-star prospect and is now inside the top 180 national players according to each outlet.

Win tickets: A’ja Wilson’s jersey retirement, South Carolina-Auburn

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When watching Clark’s film (check out GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark and Kevin Miller break it down here), the rankings jump makes a ton of sense.

The most notable trait on Clark’s film (for clarity: that’s Malik Clark, not Chris Clark) is that he is really fast. A track athlete in high school, Clark clocked some sub-4.4 laser times last spring. That speed translates to the gridiron as he easily gets behind opposing defenses. He also accelerates well, allowing him to reach top speed quickly. However, Clark’s speed isn’t only about straight-line sprinting. He moves comfortably and displays elite quickness that allows him to break opposing cornerbacks’ ankles as he runs crisp routes or looks for yards after the catch.

Listed at 6’2″ and 180 pounds on South Carolina’s preliminary roster for 2025, Clark brings needed size to the USC receiver room. Before the 2025 signing class enrolled, only 6’5″ Nyck Harbor was taller than 6’1″ at wide receiver.

The Football City, USA product is a good catcher of the football, an overlooked necessity at his position. Though he makes all the routine plays, Clark has shown the ability to make spectacular catches, as well.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

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Like fellow 2025 signee Donovan Darden, 247Sports also bumped up Clark quite a bit. With their recent rankings update, the outlet now considers him the No. 108 player in America.

Clark enrolled at the University of South Carolina this January. He will go through spring practice with the Gamecocks. USC likely will need at least one young wideout to play in 2025, and he might be the one.

Joining Clark in the class are five other freshman receivers. Jayden Sellers, Brian Rowe, Jordan Gidron, and Lex Cyrus also have enrolled already. Donovan Murph will enroll this summer.



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