Author: South Carolina Policy Council

THE GOVERNOR’S PLAN IS A SHELL GAME THAT WOULD DO LITTLE TO IMPROVE S.C.’S ROADS Gov. Nikki Haley’s plan to fix South Carolina’s decrepit roads and bridges and lower income taxes will…

As Amended by the House Judiciary Committee H.3184 combines a reorganizing of the ethics committees and commissions with an alteration of criminal penalties for select ethical violations. The first portion of…

H.3209 would require either a new state lottery game be created with all revenues going towards k-12 education, or the revenues of an existing state lottery be dedicated entirely to…

S.312 would amend tax law to allow the state income tax brackets to be adjusted for inflation at the same rate federal income tax brackets are adjusted by the IRS. Under…

H.3262 would impose two new “user fees” of 5 cents each to increase the overall state gas tax by 10 cents. The revenues generated by these new taxes would be credited…

S.128 would legally authorize the issuance of prepaid medical services, as a product that is distinct from health insurance. Prepaid medical services are defined as medical services provided by one or…

S.94 would prohibit the governing board of any school district from issuing general obligations bonds for the purpose of general operating expenses. The effect of a school district defaulting on obligations…

 S.51 would mandate the General Assembly appropriate funds to provide wifi (wireless internet) in all public schools. Once all public schools have access to wifi the bill would mandate funds be…

MEET THIS YEAR’S GIANT ‘ETHICS BILL’ The legislative session has only just begun, but somehow lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee are already poised to pass an omnibus ethics reform bill.…

THE GOVERNOR DOUBLES DOWN, PHONES IT IN Update* Budget documents prepared by the Executive Budget Office not available at the time of initial publication reveal an even larger executive budget. The…

H.3199 legally restricts the use of contributions accepted by candidates to retire campaign debt to the purpose for which they were intended. In other words, these contributions can be used only…

 H.3185 is an attempt to strengthen the penalties for various ethics violations. Under the proposed law, both offering a bribe to a public official or witness in order to influence testimony,…

 H. 3195 seems to ban using campaign funds to pay fines, fees, or other charges as a result of a criminal charges. The prohibition, however, would only apply once an elected…

H.3187  aims to rectify a constitutional issue in South Carolina’s code. Due to a 2010 court ruling which found South Carolina’s definition of “ committee” unconstitutional, the state is without a legal definition on…

 H.3176 would prohibit legislators and the governor from soliciting or accepting contributions any time the General Assembly is in session. There would still, however, be no limitations on the uses of…

H.3186 would require lawmakers to disclose their private income sources and require more disclosure on their Statement of Economic Interests (SEI). Unfortunately, the bill fails to require the reporting of all…

H.3123 would amend the state constitution to allow Supreme Court, Appellate Court, and Circuit Court justices to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the General Assembly –…

H.3237  proposes an amendment that would require all state or local public officials elected to office after July 1, 2015 to undergo specific ethics training in accordance with the guidelines…

H.3214 proposes an amendment to Section 1, Article XVII of the state Constitution declaring that members serving on the governing body of South Carolina State University need not possess the…

WHICH ONES DESERVE THE WORD ‘REFORM’? Two years ago, many, perhaps most, lawmakers dismissed the need for ethics reform. They know better now. As the 2015 session begins, already more…

S.244 would allow the governing body of a county to enact an ordinance creating a referendum on a local gas tax increase of up to 5 cents a gallon to…

S.242 is an attempt to reform the judicial screening process by changing the membership of the screening body, the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC). The JMSC is tasked with nominating…

S.208 would require that the Governor’s budget, the House Ways and Means budget, and Senate Finance budget all contain narratives regarding each agency and its programs. Included in the narrative…

S.206 instructs the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) to design, and the General Assembly to fund a state employee longevity pay plan. All state employees would participate in…

S.170 is a reintroduction of last session’s S.870. Like last session’s bill S.170 would make internet retailers who make at least $10,000 from South Carolina consumers in a given year…

S.43 seeks to consolidate the governance of public institutions of higher education in South Carolina into the new South Carolina College and University Board of Regents. The board would be…

H.3198 would amend state law by clarifying that a public official with an economic conflict of interest over a public matter must recuse himself anytime the matter comes before a…

Companion bills S.560 and H.3075 would obligate the state to provide transportation to school to students who reside any further than 0.3 miles from the school they attend. Under current law the state…

H.3067 would extend the protection of the State Insurance Reserve Fund to any physician or dentist performing medical services in a clinic (or similar facility) solely for reimbursement through Medicaid.…

H.3255 would establish a form of zero base budgeting by requiring a different group of agencies present their budgets using a zero base approach each year. Every agency would be covered…