Year: 2015

IT SERVES ITS PURPOSES, ALL RIGHT . . . AND THEY’RE ALL BAD As lawmakers and the governor seek to add more revenue to, and possibly reform, South Carolina’s broken…

H.3746 would mandate that the proceeds from overdraft fees charged by banks or trusts be remitted to the state treasurer and credited to the state highway fund. When discussing other…

H.3745 would specify that prosecutions for ethics violations can be commenced against non-legislative public officials and employees within four years of these officials or employees leaving office. The bill would…

H.3744 would exempt property that is owned or leased by manufacturers, and used in the conduct of business from property tax, provided the manufacturer agrees to donate an amount equal…

H.3374 would rename the Local Government Fund the “Local Government Revenue Sharing Fund” and would delete a requirement that the fund be appropriated an amount not less than 4.5 percent of…

H.3708 and H.3709 would each impose 50 cents surcharges on costs associated with public parking in order to raise revenue for roads. H.3708 imposes an additional 50 cent surcharge on all parking…

H.3705 would require the State Board of Education to develop or adopt curricula, materials, and guidelines for local school boards to use in implementing diversity awareness instruction programs in kindergarten through…

• A pair of omnibus ethics bills now in the General Assembly purport to end legislative “self-policing.” • They don’t. • Instead, both bills perpetuate a system in which lawmakers…

MAJOR ETHICS BILLS ARE MOVING IN BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE. EACH HIDES PROVISIONS THAT WOULD LEGALIZE UNETHICAL CONDUCT ON THE PART OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS, AND PUNISH CITIZENS FOR CHALLENGING THEM. [download…

S.195 would impose a toll along Interstate 95 where it crosses Lake Marion in either Orangeburg County or Clarendon County. All revenue generated from the toll would be used for…

H.3671 would eliminate the majority of South Carolina’s numerous sales tax exemptions and dedicate half of the resulting new revenue to schools via the South Carolina public education program fund…

S.474 would give “authorized health care providers”, defined as including but not limited to advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, the legal authority to perform initial examinations in facilities operated…

H.3693 would require the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to obtain the approval of the Public Utilities Review Committee (PURC) before submitting any plan to regulate South Carolina carbon…

H.3686 would establish a system by which South Carolina education funds follow the child, at least in the case of disabled children. The bill would allow the parents of a disabled…

H.3685 proposes that an additional $5 surcharge be tacked on to any ticket stemming from a misdemeanor traffic offense or non-traffic violation if the ticket is issued electronically. Electronic ticketing…

H.3669 would increase regulations on firearms by requiring a license to engage in the “casual” sale of a handgun. “Casual” in this context means the sale of a handgun by a…

S.475 would replace the current board of regents at South Carolina State University (SC State) with a new five member board with one member each appointed by the: Senate President…

Companion bills S.453 and H.3704 would make permanent a $5 fee (currently scheduled to expire June 30, 2016) levied on all monetary penalties imposed in general sessions court, magistrates court, or municipal court…

H.3663 would remove the sitting president and board of trustees from South Carolina State University. In their place each member of the Budget and Control Board (BCB) would appoint a designee to…

H.3654 would mandate that motor fuel retailers charge the same price to customers who pay for fuel with a debit card as those who pay with cash. Retailers who violate this…

 H.3650 would impose a new tax on motor fuel assessed at 21 cents a gallon. Revenue collected from this new tax would be credited to the state highway fund to be…

H.3566 would eliminate the seven member Department of Transportation (DOT) Commission which currently sets policy for the DOT. In place of this commission controlled by the legislature, the bill would vest…

H.3562 would allow counties via referendum to impose a new 1 percent sales tax in order to fund a credit against local school property tax. Essentially localities would be able…

Companion bills H.3534  and S.185 would expand the number of higher education institutions eligible to receive funding from the South Carolina Higher Education Excellence Enhancement Program (itself funded by the lottery). Specifically…

Companion bills H.3539 and S.437 would launch the “James B. Edwards Civics Education Initiative.” As part of the required curriculum for secondary public and charter schools, as well as the GED curriculum, this…

H.3513 proposes a permanent salary increase of 5% for any and all school district employees earning less than $25,000, or its hourly equivalent. This would affect positions such as crossing…

One consistent aspect of law is that it usually reflects the conditions of society as a whole. In the case of H.3510, the condition addressed by this proposed bill is…

H.3511 would create a new tax deduction for nurses and physicians who work in a free clinic. The deduction would accrue at an hourly rate with a maximum size of…

H.3508 is somewhat similar to H.3078 in that it would authorize nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives (referred to in the bill as APRNs) to perform certain…

H.3488 would allow pharmacists to refill topical ophthalmic products without obtaining a new prescription from a medical practitioner. The bill would also allow practitioners other than pharmacists to “authorize refills earlier…