---
type: "Bill"
title: "Military chaplains"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 25-1-180 SO AS TO PROVIDE CERTAIN CRITERIA FOR MILITARY CHAPLAINS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT MILITARY CHAPLAINS HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REFUSE TO DISCLOSE CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS. - RATIFIED TITLE"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "H 3798"
citation: "South Carolina H 3798 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bradley", "Brewer", "C. Mitchell", "Erickson", "G.M. Smith", "Gilliard", "Govan", "Guest", "Hager", "Hart", "Lawson", "Murphy", "Rivers", "Stavrinakis", "T. Moore", "W. Newton", "Weeks", "Williams", "Yow"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 23
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-28"
last_action: "2026-03-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/88be18ef-4413-429b-89c2-c75f2f657c72"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3798&session=126&summary=B"
source_hash: "aef8a1274316d7a19735050cbaa4a85a3686a364a50af4c6017f7c1a215e7a24"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-sc"]
---

# South Carolina H 3798 (2025-2026) — Military chaplains

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 25-1-180 SO AS TO PROVIDE CERTAIN CRITERIA FOR MILITARY CHAPLAINS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT MILITARY CHAPLAINS HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REFUSE TO DISCLOSE CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS. - RATIFIED TITLE

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Filed** (filed) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/3798.htm)
2. **01/28/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/3798_20250128.htm)
3. **02/11/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/3798_20260211.htm)
4. **02/12/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/3798_20250212.htm)
5. **02/18/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/3798_20260218.htm)

## Votes

- 2nd Reading — **44–0** (pass) · upper
- Concur in Senate Amendments — **113–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage of Bill — **113–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bradley — primary (person)
- Brewer — primary (person)
- C. Mitchell — primary (person)
- Erickson — primary (person)
- G.M. Smith — primary (person)
- Gilliard — primary (person)
- Govan — primary (person)
- Guest — primary (person)
- Hager — primary (person)
- Hart — primary (person)
- Lawson — primary (person)
- Murphy — primary (person)
- Rivers — primary (person)
- Stavrinakis — primary (person)
- T. Moore — primary (person)
- W. Newton — primary (person)
- Weeks — primary (person)
- Williams — primary (person)
- Yow — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-28** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-01-28** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-04** Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Govan, Erickson, Bradley
- **2025-02-12** Committee report: Favorable Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-13** Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Weeks
- **2025-02-18** Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Hart, Williams, Rivers, Gilliard
- **2025-02-18** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-18** Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0
- **2025-02-19** Read third time and sent to Senate `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-19** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-02-19** Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-11** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Family and Veterans' Services `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-18** Committee Amendment Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-18** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-18** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-18** Roll call Ayes-30 Nays-13
- **2026-02-19** Read third time and returned to House with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-03** Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled
- **2026-03-03** Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0
- **2026-03-05** Ratified R 109
- **2026-03-09** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-12** Effective date 03/09/26
- **2026-03-12** Act No. 104

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/88be18ef-4413-429b-89c2-c75f2f657c72`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).