Sen. Tom Davis has lived in Beaufort, South Carolina, since 1985, practicing law at the firm of Harvey & Battey, P.A. He is the managing partner in the firm's real estate department.   

 

Sen. Davis obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University in 1982, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1985, graduating with highest honors and as a member of the Order of the Coif, and receiving the Simon E. Sobeloff Prize for outstanding constitutional law scholarship.  

 

He served in Gov. Mark Sanford’s administration as senior policy advisor, co-chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and chief of staff from 2003 to 2007. During his time with the governor’s administration, Sen. Davis led the State of South Carolina’s successful negotiations with the State of Georgia to co-develop a new port on the Savannah River in Jasper County.

 

In November 2008, Sen. Davis was elected State Senator for South Carolina Senate District 46, which is comprised of almost all of the southern Beaufort County, a portion of northern Beaufort County, and a portion of Jasper County; he was re-elected to second and third four-year terms in 2012 and 2016. 

 

Among the bills that Sen. Davis authored and which were signed into law by the governor during his tenure in the South Carolina Senate are:

 

• Act 28 of 2011, which mandated state agencies’ disclosure of federal matching funds

• Act 191 of 2014, which enabled competition in private markets for wind insurance

• Act 194 of 2014, which legalized social games of chance like poker and bridge

• Act 221 of 2014, which legalized the consumption of cannabis oil by those with epilepsy

• Act 22 of 2015, which authorized expungement of one-time, non-violent juvenile crimes

• Act 186 of 2018, which facilitated the creation of state-chartered credit unions

• Act 234 of 2018, which expanded nurse practitioners’ scope of practice

• Act 162 of 2018, which created a cause of action against companies that defraud seniors

• Act 62 of 2019, which subjected utilities to competition and promoted renewable energy

• Act 32 of 2019, which expanded physician's assistants' scope of practice

 

In recognition of his legislative services, Sen. Davis has received awards from a broad range of public advocacy groups, including the South Carolina Club for Growth and the South Carolina Association of Taxpayers (for fiscal conservatism), the Conservation Voters of South Carolina and Sierra Club South Carolina (for protecting the environment), the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina (for promoting increased choice in education), and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the South Carolina Public Health Association (for increasing access to healthcare). 

 

Sen. Davis currently serves on the following committees in the South Carolina Senate: Finance; Banking and Insurance; Labor, Commerce and Industry; Medical Affairs; Legislative Oversight; and Corrections and Penology.

​

​