The "one man, one vote" provision of Reynolds v. Sims[2] caused district lines to cross county lines, causing legislators to be on multiple county councils.

This led to the passage of the Home Rule Act of 1975, which created county councils that were independent of the General Assembly.

However, the General Assembly still retains considerable authority over local government.

As a result, the legislature still devotes considerable time to local matters, and county legislative delegations still handle many matters that are handled by county governments in the rest of the country.

The main role of the South Carolina General Assembly is to pass laws "as the common good may require.