Bill Chumley

Bill Chumley
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 35th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2011
Personal details
Born	(1947-09-24) September 24, 1947 (age 77) Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Profession	Politician

William M. Chumley (born September 24, 1947) is an American politician. He is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 35th District, serving since 2011. He is a member of the Republican party.^[1]

Chumley is a member of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus.^[2][3]  He also serves on the House Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs Committee.^[4]

Politics

In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Charleston in 2015, Chumley said he would not vote to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state house.^[5] In press reports, he observed "These people sat in there and waited their turn to be shot, that's sad. Somebody in there with a means of self-defense could've stopped this."^[6]

On December 13, 2017, Chumley and fellow South Carolina representative Mike Burns proposed building a monument to South Carolina's black Confederate soldiers, although the historical record shows that no such soldiers existed.^[7]

In December 2016, Chumley pre-filed a bill that would require the installation of "pornography blockers" on all computers sold in South Carolina with a payment of $20 required to lift the blocker.^[8]

In 2023, Chumley was one of 21 Republican co-sponsors of the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023, which would make women who had abortions eligible for the death penalty.^[9][10]

In December 2024, Chumley unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Murrell Smith for the House Speaker position.^[11]

References

1. "Bill Chumley". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
2. "South Carolina House Conservatives Form Own Freedom Caucus". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
3. "South Carolina Freedom Caucus". Twitter. November 10, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
4. "House Standing Committees". South Carolina Legislature. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
5. Hawes, Jennifer (24 June 2015). "We're asking every member of the SC legislature about the Confederate flag". Post and Courier (Charleston). Retrieved 24 June 2015.
6. Lavender, Paige (24 June 2015). "South Carolina Lawmaker: Charleston Shooting Victims 'Waited Their Turn To Be Shot'". The State. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
7. Wilkinson, Jeff (30 December 2017). "Experts say black Confederate soldiers didn't fight for SC". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
8. Cauterucci, Christina (20 December 2016). "South Carolina Bill Would Make All Computers Come With a Porn Blocker". Slate. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
9. "H. 3549". South Carolina General Assembly.
10. Stuart, Tessa (March 13, 2023). "21 South Carolina GOP Lawmakers Propose Death Penalty for Women Who Have Abortions". Rolling Stone.
11. "South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats stick with same leadership for upcoming legislative session". WCBD News 2. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-04.