1Speaker of the House
Murrell Smith
Sumter · District 67 · Republican
Decides which bills reach the floor and names committee chairs. Little passes the House without the Speaker’s support.
1
2Speaker Pro Tempore
Tommy Pope
York · District 47 · Republican
Presides when the Speaker steps away and helps run the House’s day-to-day operations.
3Majority Leader
Micah Caskey
West Columbia · District 89 · Republican
Leads the Republican majority on the floor. Picked by the House Republican Caucus on Aug. 28, 2026. His district borders Irmo’s.
4Minority Leader
Todd Rutherford
Columbia · District 74 · Democrat
Leads the Democratic caucus on the floor. His Columbia district is a Richland County neighbor.
5Ways and Means Chairman
Bruce Bannister
Greenville · District 24 · Republican
Writes the House version of the state budget, including the Local Government Fund that helps pay for town services like Irmo’s.
6Judiciary Chairman
Weston Newton
Bluffton · District 120 · Republican
Handles courts, crime, elections and many bills that change what towns like Irmo can and can’t do.
Where bills live or die
Every House committee chair
Most bills never leave committee. The chair decides what gets a hearing, so these are the people to know when a bill that matters to Irmo stalls. Rows marked Big for towns handle the budget, local-government law and the most town-related bills.
| Committee | Chair | Party · District · Home |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs |  Bill Hixon | R 83 · North Augusta |
| Education and Public Works Big for towns |  Shannon Erickson | R 124 · Beaufort |
| Ethics |  Jay Jordan | R 63 · Florence |
| Government Efficiency and Legislative Oversight |  Jeff Johnson | R 58 · Conway |
| Interstate Cooperation |  Mark Willis | R 16 · Fountain Inn |
| Invitations and Memorial Resolutions |  Dennis Moss | R 29 · Gaffney |
| Judiciary Big for towns | Weston Newton | R 120 · Bluffton |
| Labor, Commerce and Industry |  Bill Herbkersman | R 118 · Bluffton |
| Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Big for towns |  Sylleste Davis | R 100 · Moncks Corner |
| Operations and Management |  Patrick Haddon | R 19 · Greenville |
| Regulations, Admin. Procedures, AI and Cybersecurity |  Jeff Bradley | R 123 · Hilton Head Island |
| Rules | Micah Caskey | R 89 · West Columbia |
| Ways and Means Big for towns | Bruce Bannister | R 24 · Greenville |
Leadership and chairs checked against scstatehouse.gov on October 14, 2026. The Majority Leader change (Aug. 28, 2026) is not yet on the state’s officers page. Leaders are chosen by members and can change when the new session organizes in January. Districts shown as of October 2026.