SC GOP legislator tosses up amendments he wasn’t able to file amid abortion bill debate

A Republican state representative in South Carolina stormed out of the state House chamber and cast a handful of papers into the air amid a legislative debate on an abortion ban bill, according to footage released Wednesday.

In a video posted by The State reporter Maayan Schechter, state Rep. Jonathon Hill (R) could be seen raising his hand to toss a stack of papers above his head in the chamber while marching out as laughter appeared to ring out on the floor.

According to The State, the papers Hill tossed were amendments he wasn’t able to bring forward amid a debate in the chamber over an abortion bill recently passed by the state’s GOP-led Senate, S.1, that seeks to ban the procedure in cases where a fetus’s heartbeat is detectable.

The display from Hill reportedly came shortly after the party’s leaders had moved to block further amendments during the debate.

The South Carolinian’s outburst was not the only breakout moment from the debate on Wednesday. A group of the lower chamber’s Democrats, who hold the minority in the state House, also walked out of the chamber earlier in the day to protest the legislation.

However, the legislators later returned to the chamber to debate the bill, according to The State.

State Rep. Russell Ott (D), who reportedly did not join his colleagues in walking out on Wednesday, said he thinks those who did participate in the walkout were “trying to draw attention to the fact that Republicans are going to drive this bill through the General Assembly and to the governor’s desk without giving it any opportunity for further debate or getting any real opportunity to amend.” 

If any amendments were made to the bill, the state Senate would have had to consider the legislation again before it could be sent to Gov. Henry McMaster (R) for consideration, according to the newspaper. 

The bill was later passed by the state legislature on Wednesday in a 79-35 vote, according to the paper. The legislation awaits another perfunctory vote later this week. If passed, the bill will be sent to McMaster, who has already signaled his approval.