S.290 – Allowing curbside pickup of beer and wine
S.290 would allow retailers to offer curbside pickup of beer and wine. Customers under this bill may pre-purchase beer and wine online from a retailer, but must follow rules on…
S.379 – Regulatory Loophole for Electric Cars
S.379 – would create a regulatory loophole for the manufacturers of electric. The bill would allow electric vehicle producers to sell directly to the individual customers, while the manufacturers of…
S.251, H.3433 & H.3447 – Prohibits campaign contributions from regulated utilities
Three bills (S.251, H.3433 & H.3447) would prohibit lawmakers or legislative candidates from accepting campaign contributions from regulated utilities – including SCANA and every electric cooperative. However, under H.3447, the…
S.270, S.337 – Lawmakers’ spouses can’t be elected to judicial office
Two bills (S.270 & S.337) would prohibit the spouse of a sitting lawmaker from being elected to judicial office, and this extends up to a year after that lawmaker leaves…
H.3250 – Creating a new state entitlement program to supplement SNAP
H.3250 – would create a state entitlement program to supplement federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) dollars in an attempt to incentivize SNAP recipients to buy fruit…
The New State Property Tax South Carolinians Won’t See Coming
In 1976, voters passed a constitutional amendment amending legislators’ ability to provide for state borrowing. The ballot question was general, vaguely worded and failed to spell out what was arguably…
H.3137 – Altering the Local Government Fund
UPDATE: The Senate Finance Committee amended this bill to require LGF appropriations to increase or decrease by the same percentage as the general fund, capped at a 5% change. The…
S.295 – Steep penalties for using public office for personal gain
S.295 would make it a felony for public officials and employees to use their office for personal gain. This would include the enrichment of themselves, friends or family members, and…
S.289 – Local government transparency requirements
S.289 would impose thorough transparency requirements on local governments. Under this bill, counties, municipalities and school districts would have to post the following information on their websites: elected officials’ contact…
S.285, H.3070 – Constitutional amendment to allow governor to appoint judges
S.285 would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot allowing the governor to appoint judges with the advice and consent of the Senate (currently they’re elected by the General Assembly).…
S. 228 – Creates mini-government within Tri-County Technical College
This bill would create a powerful mini-government within the Tri-County Technical College for the purpose of driving economic development. This new entity – called an “enterprise authority” – would have…
S.207 – Seniors will keep homestead exemption during a stay at a nursing home
S.207 – would allow seniors who move to a nursing home or residential care facility to retain the homestead property tax exemption for their homes, as long as they intend…
S.214 – Collecting sales tax from online retailers
S.214 – is an attempt to capture sales tax from online retailers like Amazon or Ebay, based on a Supreme Court case that was decided last year. The case (South…
S.326 – Moving funds from SLED to reimburse costs of PTSD in firefighters and EMTs
S.326 is a resolution ordering the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to pay $250,000 out of their current budget to the SC Firefighters Association. This money would go to reimburse…
S.13 – Regulates display of barber poles
S.13 would make it illegal for an individual or business to display a barber pole for the purpose of offering barber services without a barber’s license, with penalties of up…
S.217 – Using local hospitality taxes to repair and mitigate flood damage
S.217 – would allow the revenue from local hospitality and accommodations taxes to be used by local governments in the repair and mitigation of flood or tidal damage. The funds…
S.76 – Extending a tax credit and exemption for energy efficient homes
S.76 would extend a tax credit and exemption for manufactured homes bought in South Carolina that reach energy efficiency standards. The credit and exemption are currently set to sunset this…
S.227, S.113, H.3168, H.3457 – Allowing certain municipalities to impose a property tax
S.227 (and identical bills S.113, H.3168 and H.3457) would allow the 60 municipalities in South Carolina that do not currently have a property tax to impose one. State law currently…
S.309 – Doubling the budget of the South Carolina Research Authority
S.309 would essentially double the budget of the SC Research Authority, a state-owned venture capital firm by doubling the cap on available tax credits for the “Industry Partnership Trust Fund”.…
S.109 – Regulations for electric fences
S.109 would impose regulations on electric fences used in security systems. Installers would be subject to fence height and power limitations, sign posting rules and even a requirement that the…
S.156 – Bans cell phones in prisons
S.156 would codify Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) current policy by making it illegal for a person to bring a telecommunication device (including cellphones, laptops and handheld radios) into any state…
S.5 – Gas tax bill revenue diverted to interstate widening program
S.5 would divert gas-tax-bill revenue away from road repair and into a new interstate widening fund. The fund – controlled by the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) – would be…
What’s coming in the 2019 legislative session
The recurring themes in the over 700 pieces of prefiled legislation this year are more spending, more legislative control, and eroding individual rights. Here is a broad overview of what…
S.1 – Stripping some of the Governor’s interim appointment power
S.1 would undercut the Governor’s power to make interim appointments when the legislature is not in session. If this bill becomes law, the Governor will not be able to make…