South Carolina House bill seeks to modernize the state’s transportation department

Proposed legislation filed in the South Carolina House of Representatives would overhaul the South Carolina Department of Transportation to better address population growth and modern transportation infrastructure demands.

The measure stems from the work of a House ad hoc committee created in May 2025 by House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, to conduct a comprehensive review of the transportation department’s structure, processes and long-term effectiveness. Over more than six months, committee members traveled across the state and heard testimony from transportation experts, business leaders, local governments, advocacy organizations and residents from every region of the Palmetto State.

Lawmakers said the resulting bill is intended to improve efficiency, streamline operations and accelerate project delivery, while ensuring the state’s transportation system keeps pace with economic development and continued population growth.

Among its key provisions, the legislation would restructure the transportation department to reflect 21st-century needs, including reducing the size of the DOT Commission and shifting to a more streamlined, regional-based organization. The bill would give the governor authority to appoint the transportation secretary and establish a coordinating council for transportation and mobility to address fragmented planning and policy.

The proposal would also allow the transfer of certain state-owned roads to local jurisdictions to decrease the state highway system. Officials said it also includes measures to cut red tape, such as allowing the department to assume responsibility for certain environmental reviews under federal law, shortening project timelines while maintaining existing protections.

Other provisions would update tolling statutes to allow new capacity options on congested corridors, expand the use of public-private partnerships, modernize procurement tools and set timelines for municipal consent on projects within city limits. The bill also seeks to address electric-vehicle funding by increasing registration fees and imposing a sales tax on charging stations, aligning with the fuel taxes paid by gasoline-powered vehicles.