John McCravy's Legislative Record

Lake Greenwood & Conestee Dam -- The Conestee Dam, over 135 years old and originally designed to last 50 years, holds back toxic waste from the Industrial Revolution. Working with Senator Garrett, John secured $36 million in state funding for a new dam currently nearing completion. This is one of the largest infrastructure investments in the history of House District 13.

FOIA Reform & Transparency -- Citizens deserve to know how their taxes are spent. John has fought to strengthen Freedom of Information Act laws to make accessing public documents easier and faster. He has rejected campaign donations from special interests to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Conservative Judges & Judicial Reform -- John has consistently supported the election of conservative judges who interpret the law as written, not legislate from the bench. He has worked to reform the Judicial Merit Selection Commission to eliminate conflicts of interest and include gubernatorial and attorney general appointments alongside legislative ones.

Ethics & Accountability -- John believes public officials should be held to the highest standards of ethical conduct. He has supported legislation to strengthen ethics laws and ensure transparency in government spending and decision-making.

Since John took office, South Carolina has welcomed over $50 billion in new business investments. Greenwood County's unemployment rate reached 3.4% with over 1,000 job openings. Government regulations and tax burdens should not get in the way of business.

John has never voted for a tax increase. He has consistently voted to lower taxes and return surplus revenue to taxpayers. He supported the income tax reduction, tuition freezes for public colleges and universities, and teacher pay raises every session. He is a co-sponsor of legislation to eliminate property taxes for seniors.

John is 100% pro-life. He believes every life is precious and that the right to life is the foundation of all other rights. Since his first day in the State House, he has fought to protect the unborn and to make South Carolina a state that values every human life from conception to natural death.

He authored the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act, signed into law by Governor McMaster and upheld by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He chaired the Ad Hoc committee that drafted the Human Life Protection Act and continues to lead the fight for the strongest possible protections for the unborn.

John is also the chief sponsor of the Help Not Harm bill, banning dangerous drugs and surgeries for minors attempting to change biological sex, and the Save Women's Sports Act, requiring sports team designation based on biological sex. Both are now signed into law.

He believes marriage is the God-ordained union between one man and one woman, as defined by South Carolina law.

Religious Liberty -- When the American Bar Association attempted to impose a speech code punishing attorneys for expressing traditional religious beliefs, John was the first state legislator in the nation to push back. He led the effort to pass a resolution condemning the ABA's proposed Model Rule 8.4(g), inspiring similar pushback across the country.

He co-sponsored the Religion is Essential Act, signed into law in 2022, which protects churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship from being shut down by government order. He also sponsors legislation protecting the right of students and teachers to pray and express their faith in public schools.

Second Amendment -- John believes the Second Amendment guarantees the right to own and carry firearms at our discretion. He voted for Constitutional Carry and Open Carry with a Concealed Weapons Permit. He is a lifelong sportsman and NRA member with an A rating from the NRA in every election cycle.

John is a strong advocate for law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections officers, EMS employees, and emergency personnel. He sponsored legislation creating a Fallen First Responder Survivor Advocate position to provide dedicated support for the families of first responders killed in the line of duty.

He co-sponsored the Fentanyl Trafficking bill with mandatory minimums, the Bond Reform bill to keep violent criminals behind bars while awaiting trial, and legislation criminalizing sextortion to protect young people from online predators.

He voted to strengthen obscenity laws and supported the Attorney General's efforts against human trafficking.

John has voted for teacher pay raises every session. The specific budget actions include:

• •2022: Starting teacher pay raised to $40,000; removed $10,000 retirement cap
• •2023: $2,500 raise for starting teachers
• •2024-2025: Additional raises working toward the national average

He voted for education reform consolidating failing districts, reducing unnecessary testing, lowering class sizes, and providing mandatory planning periods for teachers.

School Choice: John supported the school choice bill providing scholarships for 40,000 South Carolina students at 300% poverty level in the first year, expanding to universal choice by 2027. He introduced a bill allowing home school students to participate in AP testing in public schools, which passed the House in 2020.

School Safety: John co-signed bills funding armed school resource officers in every school and voted in 2021 and 2025 to fund SROs. He also voted to allow retired law enforcement to serve as SROs without losing retirement benefits.

South Carolina is home to over 450,000 military veterans. John supported making military retirement income completely free from state income taxes, sending a clear message that South Carolina values their service.

He sponsored legislation to elevate the SC Director of Veterans' Affairs to a cabinet-level position, ensuring veterans' issues receive attention at the highest levels of state government. He also co-sponsored the disabled veteran tax credit providing additional tax relief to veterans disabled in service.