This bill would shorten the legislative session by around four weeks. Instead of ending on the second Thursday in May, it would end on the second Thursday in April. All other related deadlines would also be moved up a month. For instance, deadline for the budget’s passage in the House would be February 28 instead of March 31. All the standard loopholes for extending session in spite of the statutory end date would remain in place. Still, this would be a major step in the right direction.
South Carolina’s current session is part of SCPC’s eight-point reform agenda. Nationwide, longer legislative sessions tend to produce higher levels of spending and encourage collusion between lobbyists and lawmakers. South Carolina has one of the longest sessions in the nation, with predictable results. In 2016, lawmakers actually shortened session by three weeks – an incremental reform and one this bill would build on.