In 2025, the Levin Center conducted a study of all 50 states to examine how legislatures ensure government programs work effectively for citizens. Factors such as legislative oversight committees, routine engagement with executive agencies, collection of casework data, digital transparency tools, and user-centered policy evaluation were of particular importance. The full report can be found here.
State Summary #
The state of South Carolina has several opportunities for the public to engage with its legislature through its legislative websites and there are direct solicitations for public feedback and input. On its oversight committees’ homepages, there is an option to submit public input through a survey, an option for citizens to request a notification when meetings are scheduled, a link to provide testimony to the committees, and a link on “How to Submit Input about Agencies.” In the House, this is part of the Committee’s effort to review agency performance (including gathering user feedback) on a seven-year cycle.
Despite the numerous opportunities for the public to submit input, however, it is hard to discern whether this input is being received or applied. The committees do not make past meeting information readily available. There are recordings of past meetings, but this requires an extensive time commitment from a user to investigate what the topics or outcomes of these meetings were since there is no paper trail available. The agendas of upcoming meetings are available directly on the committees’ homepages. However, there is no evidence in these agendas that there is time allotted for public input or direct user testimony.
