Year: 2016

  WEIRD PROCEDURAL MOVES, CONVOLUTED SHUFFLING OF TAXES AND FEES … WELCOME TO THE 2016 ROADS DEBATE The Senate Finance Committee is currently debating legislation that would raise taxes and fees,…

H.4516 requires the Criminal Justice Academy to develop and implement a training program curriculum for school resource officers by January 1, 2017. This bill also requires the Department of Education…

H.4718 allows retired teachers to apply for a South Carolina Retired Educator certificate. The initial certificate is valid for 30 years, and a renewed certificate is valid for 10. No completion…

S.955 mandates that a ticket be issued instead of an arrest for the following offenses: Cutting or removing timber without permission (if the value is less than $50) Trespassing Parking…

H.4516 requires the Criminal Justice Academy to develop and implement a training program curriculum for school resource officers by January 1, 2017. This bill also requires the Department of Education…

S.958 requires law enforcement officer candidates to complete a psychological examination conducted by a licensed professional, and be pronounced psychologically suited to perform law enforcement-related duties. Law enforcement is a…

H.4706 would create the new felony crime of knowingly selling a firearm to an individual on the consolidated terrorist watch list administered by the FBI. This crime would be punishable…

H.4717 establishes the South Carolina Farm Aid Fund in response to the October flooding. The fund is administered by the Department of Agriculture, with the advice of a Farm Aid…

H.4574 prohibits anyone from practicing or teaching electrology unless licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology, and establishes the Electrology Licensure Committee to advise and assist the Board in issuing…

● House bill on self-policing further empowers legislature. ● House income disclosure bills still full of loopholes. ● House FOIA reform bill still allows lawmaker exemption. The 2016 legislative session has begun…

EXCELLENT REFORM MADE MEANINGLESS BY ONE AMENDMENT H.3250 is the most significant health care reform introduced so far this session. At the end of the 2015 session, the bill would…

S.315 would repeal a section of Act 114 of 2007 that sunsets the Governor’s ability to appoint the Secretary of the Department of Transportation. Act 114 also gave the Governor…

H.4700 would amend the rules of the House of Representatives to add special introductions, recognitions, and announcements to the House’s regular order of business. This time would be limited to…

H.4691 would designate the second full week in November as Youth ATV Safety Week. During this week each class in public schools Kindergarten through 12th grade would be required to…

WHEN DOES ‘WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT’ BECOME CENTRAL PLANNING? Update: This bill was amended and much was taken out from the original legislation. The Council is now essentially a glorified study committee,…

S.1005 would mandate the reporting of information related to other funds, defined in the bill as “all non-general fund revenue appropriated or authorized by the General Assembly in acts and…

THE STATE BUDGET LAW – WHAT IT IS, WHY IT MATTERS, WHY LAWMAKERS IGNORE IT Debate over the state budget has already started, but you don’t know anything about it.…

H.4673 adjusts the restrictions of the beginner’s permit in the case of motorcycles, motor scooters, or light motor-driven cycles. Under current law, these vehicles may only be driven by a…

S.972 requires life insurance providers to compare their records and policies against the US Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (or a similarly reliable source) twice a year. If a…

S.979 defines animal shelters as either facilities operated by the state, veterinary hospitals that take in stray or unwanted animals, or facilities owned or operated by nonprofit societies for the…

Requiring Cell Phone Companies to Carry Forward Unused Data from Month to Month S.983 requires cell phone companies that charge a fee in exchange for a limited amount of data…

S.974 would allow breweries licensed to sell beer produced on their premises to also obtain a license to sell liquor purchased from a wholesaler. Under current law these licensed breweries…

H.4665 would require that all candidates for Magistrates office be screened by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) and then have their names sent to the appropriate Senate Delegation. The…

H.4664 would allow a concealed weapons permit (CWP) holder who is injured by a criminal on the premises of a property whose owner prohibits the carrying of firearms, to hold…

H.4644 would require the Board of Pharmacy to issue a written protocol which pharmacists would follow in order to prescribe and dispense birth control medication without a physician’s prescription. The…

H.4621 transfers ten institutions of higher education to not-for-profit organizations, for the purpose of operating them as private institutions. The institutions specified and the transfer timetable are as follows: July…

H.4625 would permit county and municipal governments to impose an impact fee on developers, not to exceed $250, for each new residential dwelling unit constructed by a developer within the…

H.4628  and H.4729  would prohibit the state government or any political subdivision of the state from using public funds to “implement, regulate, or enforce a federal law, executive order, regulation, or…

H.4637 is an attempt to restrict the powers granted by South Carolina’s eminent domain law. It would require an entity exercising eminent domain to prove by convincing evidence that: the…

H.3430 would create a definition for “unsafe” tires that includes “damage exposing the reinforcing plies of the tire, including cuts, cracks, bulges, punctures, or scrapes.” The law code is not the…