Representative Cal Forrest, District 39 Legislative Update
February 16th, 2026
Raising Standards, Protecting Communities, and Delivering Results
Last week, House Republicans delivered strong, commonsense results for South Carolina families — raising standards in our schools, strengthening public safety, cutting burdensome taxes on small businesses, and restoring transparency and accountability to our judicial selection process.
Here’s a quick look at what you should know!
Raising Standards & Tenure Accountability
The Tenure Accountability Bill (H.4761) promotes transparency and fairness in higher education by requiring annual performance evaluations for all public university faculty and regular post-tenure reviews for tenured professors. This legislation guarantees that taxpayer-funded educators continue meeting measurable professional standards throughout their careers. Every South Carolinian deserves confidence that public universities are operating with integrity and high expectations.
In subcommittee, we advanced the Public School Grading Reform Bill (H.5073) to ensure grades reflect what students actually earn, not provide shortcuts that hurt long-term success. Parents deserve an honest picture of how their child is performing. This bill restores integrity to GPAs and graduation data, reinforces strong academic standards, and helps ensure our children are truly prepared for college, careers, and real life. Real accountability today creates real opportunity tomorrow.
Tough on Crime & Juvenile Reform
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a comprehensive juvenile crime reform package, the Juvenile Crime Reform Bills (H.5117, H.5120, H.5121) to protect families, hold violent offenders accountable, and keep communities safe. These measures ensure due process when considering whether serious juvenile offenders should be transferred to adult court, improve communication between schools and law enforcement when serious offenses occur, and invest in prevention programs such as mentoring, job training, recreation, and family support services. This balanced approach prioritizes both accountability and prevention. Public safety comes first, and serious crimes will carry serious consequences, regardless of age.
Supporting Small Businesses
On the House floor, we passed the Small Business Tax Cuts Act (H.5006), delivering real relief to the small businesses that are the backbone of our communities. More than 99% of South Carolina businesses are small businesses, from the local diner to the neighborhood auto shop. This bill exempts the first $10,000 of assets from the Business Personal Property Tax, ending a tax that penalizes owners for investing in their own growth and allowing them to keep more of what they earn to reinvest, hire, and serve their communities.
Judicial Reform
We also passed the Judicial Merit Selection Reform Bill (H.4755), which strengthens transparency and reinforces proper separation of powers in South Carolina’s judicial selection process. By restoring balance and clarifying authority within the Governor’s Office, this reform enhances public trust and ensures greater accountability in how judges are selected.
As always, I appreciate the opportunity to represent you and to keep you informed about the work being done in Columbia. I welcome your feedback and encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or would like more information on these or other issues before the General Assembly.
I’m available and at your service!
It is my honor to be of service to you. If you need assistance navigating state government, or have any thoughts or concerns about what we are doing, please do not hesitate to contact me via email, or give me a call at 803-349-6741.
Sincerely,
Cal Forrest
District 39
South Carolina General Assembly
803-349-6741
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