With the waterfall roaring behind her and morning fog still clinging to downtown Greenville, Rep. Nancy Mace stepped into Falls Park on the Reedy and went straight for the family medicine cabinet.

Just after 9 a.m. Monday, Mace announced legislation aimed at wiping out South Carolina’s sales tax on over-the-counter medicine — a levy that quietly adds anywhere from 6 to 9 percent to the price of pain relievers, allergy pills, cold remedies, and first-aid basics.

In a state where getting sick already hurts the wallet, Mace framed the tax as an unnecessary punch while people are already down.

“We don’t tax prescription medicine,” she said. “So why are we taxing people when they’re sick and just trying to get through the day?”

The numbers back up the pitch. The average American household spends roughly $450 a year on over-the-counter medicine, according to industry estimates. In South Carolina, that bill comes with a tax attached — making it one of 35 states that still charge extra at the register for nonprescription drugs.

Mace’s proposal would exempt any medicine carrying an FDA Drug Facts label from sales tax, sweeping in everything from antacids and allergy tablets to cold-and-flu treatments and first-aid supplies. The idea is simple: if it’s meant to keep you functional, the state shouldn’t take a cut.

Texas became the template for the plan after eliminating its tax on over-the-counter medicine in 2015. Since then, a growing list of states — including New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, Vermont, Connecticut, Florida, and Washington, D.C. — have followed suit.

Mace said South Carolina is overdue.

“This is a common-sense bill,” she said, pointing to rising grocery prices, housing costs, and insurance premiums. “Families are already stretched thin. They shouldn’t have to pay a tax just to feel better.”

The proposal is as much about symbolism as savings. In a political climate dominated by culture wars and partisan trench fighting, Mace chose a quieter target: the pharmacy aisle. No slogans, no grandstanding — just a receipt that might finally come out a little shorter.

Whether the bill survives the State House gauntlet remains to be seen. But for now, Mace has put a simple question on the table for lawmakers: when someone’s sick, should the state really be ringing up a profit?