South Carolina Legislative Update - May 19, 2015

May 19, 2015

The Senate met last week and was able to set the infrastructure funding bill for special order and continued their debate on the 20-week abortion bill.  The House adopted revisions to the Uniform Partition of Heir’s Property Act and considered clarifications regarding state escheatment and United States Savings Bonds.  In addition, the House debated legislation prohibiting a state court from enforcing a foreign law, including Sharia Law.  The debate is expected to continue this week. 

Introductions

To view this week’s introductions in the Senate, please click here, and here for the House.

In The News

SC Senate scrubs bond package

The S.C. Senate rejected a plan to borrow $237 million for state colleges and armory renovations, but put a roads plan on the list of priorities. To get to roads, however, the Senate must first deal with a bill that would ban abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. The anti-abortion Palmetto Family Council, in a Facebook post, is calling it “D-Day for the unborn in South Carolina.”  Read more here.

Senate debate shifts to abortion, roads and borrowing for buildings
The S.C. Senate passed its version of the state’s $7 billion budget last week. But the Senate has several big debates ahead with only a few days left in the regularly scheduled legislative session. Senators could start debate on a bill that would ban abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later.  But they also likely will be vying to get a new Senate GOP roads proposal and a bill that would borrow money for building maintenance for the state’s public colleges and National Guard armories into priority spots on the calendar. Read more here.

Ethics reform revival?
The Senate Judiciary Committee has on its calendar a series of House-passed ethics bills. The Senate already has punted on its own ethics-related reforms, signaling a lack of appetite in the upper legislative chamber for updating the state’s decades-old ethics laws. The Committee also will take up several proposals that are a reaction to officer-involved shootings.  Read more here.

Haley:  SC workforce won Volvo
Volvo chose South Carolina to build its first U.S. auto plant because the state offered the best workforce and employee training, state and company officials said Monday.  Among the incentives offered to bring the Swedish automaker to Berkeley County was training through South Carolina's technical colleges for the plant's expected 4,000 workers.   South Carolina has offered similar job and recruitment training for other industrial projects, including the Boeing jet manufacturing plant in North Charleston and the Continental Tire factory in Sumter. The program, known as readySC, trained 4,700 workers last year.  Read more here.

Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, May 19

• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 408 -- Agency Head Salary Commission
• 10:00 am -- Blatt Room 427 -- SC Legislative Black Caucus
• 11:00 am -- Blatt Room 112 -- Majority Caucus
• 11:00 am -- Blatt Room 305 -- Minority Caucus
• 11:30 am -- Blatt Room 516 -- Judiciary Criminal Laws Subcommittee

1. S. 199 – Peanut's Law      
2. H. 4002 – Palmetto Public Safety Act

• 12:00 pm -- State House, House Chamber -- House of Representatives
• 12:00 pm -- State House, Senate Chamber -- Senate
• Upon adjournment of the House -- Blatt Room 112 -- Majority Caucus
• 2:30 pm or 1½ hours after the House adjourns -- Blatt Room 516 -- Judiciary Committee

1. H. 3972 – Transfer of Undeveloped Property
2. H. 3685 – Electronic Tickets and Citations
3. S. 250 – Release of Child’s Medical Records
4. H. 3450 – Alcohol
5. S. 229 – Pollution of the Environment
6. H. 3863 – Bail Bondsmen
7. H. 3133 – Sex Offenders
8. S. 199 – Peanut’s Law
9. H. 4002 – Palmetto Public Safety Act
10. H. 3862 – Judges

• 2:30 pm or 1 hour after the House adjourns -- Blatt Room 403 -- L.C.I. Insurance Subcommittee on S.361 and S.666

1. S. 361 – Automobile Insurance
2. S. 666 – Premium Service Agreements

• 2:30 pm or 1½ hours after the House adjourns -- Blatt Room 427 -- Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee

1. H. 4037 – Medical Marijuana Program Act
2. S. 413 – Pharmacists
3. S. 176 – Cremation
4. S. 474 – Patient’s Rights

• 3:00 pm -- Gressette Room 105 -- Finance Committee

1. S. 408 – Piping State Procurement Code
2. S. 682 – Joint Authority Water and Sewer Systems
3. S. 683 – Local Capital Project Sales Tax
4. H. 3583 – Iran Divestment Act
5. S. 626 – Renewable Energy
6. H. 3568 – Sales Tax Exemptions
7. H. 3725 – Tax Credits for Historic Structures

• Upon adjournment of the Senate Finance Committee -- Gressette Room 105 -- Finance Sales and Income Tax Subcommittee

1. S. 743 – Port Enhancement Tax Credit

Wednesday, May 20

• 8:00 am - 10:00 am -- Blatt Room 112 -- Legislative Breakfast--Behavioral Health Services Association of South Carolina, Inc.
• 8:00 am -- Blatt Room 305 -- Urban League of the Upstate
• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 427 -- 3-M Subcommittee V, Social Services, Mental Health and Children's Affairs

1. S. 341 – Renal Medullary Carcinoma

• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 433 -- E.P.W. Transportation Subcommittee

1. H. 3440 – Moped

• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 403 -- L.C.I. Business and Commerce Subcommittee on S.276, H.3166 and H.3881

1. S. 276 – Residential Builders and Contractors
2. H. 3166 – Unemployment Benefits
3. H. 3881 – Manufactured Housing Dealers

• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 108 -- Legislative Group (Rep. Chandra Dillard)
• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 321 -- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
• 9:00 am -- Gressette Room 209 -- Medical Affairs Subcommittee on S.672, H.3083 and H.4059

1. S. 672 – Medical Marijuana Program Act
2. H. 3083 – SC Overdose Prevention Act
3. H. 4059 – Sacral Agenesis Caudal Regression Syndrome

• 9:00 am -- Gressette Room 105 -- Select Subcommittee on Animal Welfare (Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee)

1. S. 687 – Animal Shelters

• 9:30 am -- Blatt Room 427 -- 3-M Subcommittee I, Health and Environmental Affairs

1. S. 339 – Hope’s Law

• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 308 -- Education K-12 Subcommittee

1. H. 3353 – GED Camps
2. H. 3882 – Schoolbus Drivers
3. S. 574 – Comprehensive Health Education
4. S. 702 – Charter School Exemptions
5. S. 508 – Comprehensive Health Education Program
6. S. 44 – School Terms

• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 207 -- Fish, Game and Forestry Committee
• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 407 -- L.C.I. Professions and Occupations Subcommittee

1. S. 280 – General and Mechanical Contractors
2. S. 685 – Engineers and Surveyors
3. S. 493 – Professional Employment Organization Service Agreements
4. S. 589 – Music Therapy Practice Art
5. S. 637 – Manufactured Housing Dealers
6. H. 3430 – Tires

• 11:00 am -- Gressette Room 105 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on H. 3191

1. H. 3191 – Create the Office of Freedom Act Review

• 11:00 am -- Gressette Room 207 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on H.3156 and H.3548

1. H. 3156 – Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act
2. H. 3548 – Child Abuse and Neglect

• 11:00 am -- Gressette Room 408 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on H.3682

1. H. 3682 – Bad Faith Assertion of Patent Infringement Act

• 11:00 am -- Gressette Room 209 -- Transportation Committee
• 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm -- Blatt Room 112 -- Legislative Luncheon--South Carolina State Chapters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (Members Only)
• 1½ hours after the morning session of the House -- Blatt Room 521 -- Ways and Means Committee

1. H. 3010 – SC Marketplace and Infrastructure Improvement Act
2. H. 3088 – SC Small Business Tax Incentives Act
3. H. 3322 – Electronic Tax Lien Oversight Committee
4. H. 3146 – Real Property Tax Notice Deadlines
5. H. 4151 – Tobacco Tax Stamp
6. S. 153 – Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption
7. S. 379 – County Tax Officials
8. S. 373 – SC Retirement System Monthly Payment Allowances
9. H. 4145 – South Carolina Workforce Development Act
10. S. 350 – SC Community Economic Development Act
11. S. 444 – Corporate Campus Job Tax Credit
12. S. 526 – Tax Penalty Amnesty Period

COMMENTS: Alternate meeting time: Upon adjournment of an afternoon session of the House

Thursday, May 21

• 8:00 am - 10:00 am -- Blatt Room 112 -- Legislative Breakfast--South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. (Members Only)
• 9:00 am -- Blatt Room 305 -- Legislative Group (Rep. James Smith)
• 9:00 am -- Gressette Room 207 -- Corrections and Penology Committee
• 9:00 am -- Gressette Room 209 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on H.3002

1. H. 3002 – Capitol Police Force

• 9:00 am -- Gressette Room 308 -- Medical Affairs Committee on Appointments, Regulations and on H.3083 and H.4059

1. H. 3083 – S.C. Overdose Prevention Act
2. H. 4059 – Sacral Agenesis Caudal Regression Syndrome

• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 207 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on S.220, S.221 and H.3545

1. S. 220 – Arson
2. S. 221 – Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee
3. H. 3545 – Arson

• 10:00 am -- Gressette Room 209 -- Judiciary Subcommittee on S.445

1. S. 445 – Revised Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit Association Act

• 11:30 am -- Blatt Room 112 -- Legislative Group (Rep. Leon Howard)
• 12:00 pm -- Blatt Room 318 -- Legislative Group (Rep. MaryGail Douglas)
• 1:30 pm -- Blatt Room 108 -- South Carolina Procurement Review Panel
• 2:00 pm -- Blatt Room 112 -- Legislative Group (Rep. Chip Huggins)

Friday, May 22

No Meetings Scheduled.

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