Senate adopts 'sense of the Senate' urging stricter use of interim appointments

The South Carolina Senate on March 2 adopted a Sense of the Senate resolution urging stricter use of interim executive appointments and reaffirming the chamber's advice-and-consent role.

The motion, read by the clerk and moved for adoption, states that interim appointments to offices requiring Senate confirmation should be used only when continuity of government is necessary and when the president of the Senate was given advance notice sufficient for consultation. Senator Mulcone moved adoption; the motion passed after roll-call/consent procedures.

Supporters said the motion aims to protect constitutional checks and ensure meaningful consultation. "The constitution is greater than any governor or any senate," the presiding reading of the motion said; senators speaking in favor urged colleagues to support the motion "for the good of this institution and the good of the constitution."

Senators emphasized the motion is prospective and would not disturb prior interim appointments. The resolution lists conditions that must be met for future interim appointments, including documented notice to Senate leadership and a showing that a genuine emergency necessitates the interim measure.

The Sense of the Senate is nonbinding by design but signals the chamber's collective position about preserving its confirmation role. The motion was adopted during the morning session after the clerk read the text and members consented to immediate consideration. The Senate then moved on to confirmations and other calendar business.

The Senate did not attach a statutory penalty to the sense motion; it instead frames procedural expectations for future governors and executive branch officials and clarifies the body’s intent to exercise advice and consent when feasible.