Category: Legislation

Medical/Covid S.687 – Upon request by customers, a business must disclose the percentage of its employees who have been vaccinated for covid. Failure to do so, or a willful misrepresentation…

Update: House lawmakers inserted language from the bill as a proviso in the state budget, which passed the chamber Wednesday. The budget bill now heads to the Senate. Under S.376,…

Taxation/Spending H.4092 – Repealing the gas tax (including the incremental 2 cent hike every year), road tax, and the effect of other motor carrier taxes H.4100 – Annual appropriations bill…

Government Structure S.647 – To direct the State Division of Aeronautics to sell all state airplanes that are used to transport the governor, legislators, and their invitees H.4061 – Amending…

On Tuesday, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill that would pay certain transportation officials (appointed by lawmakers) using their county’s local share of gas tax revenue. S.447 would pay…

Government Structure S.635 – Adding 2 members to the Executive Committee of the (SCRA) SC Research Authority, allowing them to purchase private companies’ debt, and increasing the amount a tax…

Government Structure S.592 – Once a a judge retires, he or she cannot return to work as a judge again S.594 – Increasing the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) membership…

Criminal Justice S.581 – Wireless phone companies must provide personal location data upon request by law enforcement if they believe there is risk of serious harm; shields a company from…

Government Structure H.3856 – Adding two members to the Executive Committee of the (SCRA) SC Research Authority, allowing them to purchase private companies’ debt, and increasing the amount of a…

Before convening the 2021 legislative session (which began earlier this month) lawmakers filed roughly one thousand bills in advance of the New Year, known as “prefiles”. These bills can offer…

What they did: This week, the General Assembly reconvened briefly to pass H.4014, which appropriates $45 million of surplus dollars to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to address…

Government Structure S.1234 – Situations in which the Governor may declare a state of emergency, but the reasons are left blank S.1235 – Creating the Office of Broadband Development within…

South Carolina lawmakers met last week (May 12) to take up legislation dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and to pass a resolution funding state government through the year until they…

Government Structure S.1203 – Giving the legislature (or President of the Senate and Speaker of the House if it is inconvenient to convene the General Assembly) the power to revoke…

Regulations S.1184 – Regulating licensing of the massage industry, increasing license fees for massage therapists, creating a new license for massage establishments, providing penalties for non-compliance, and instructing the Massage…

What they did: This week, the House passed a $32 billion budget – the largest budget in state history. However, they only debated around $10 billion of that spending and…

This was the last legislative week before the House considers the $30 million Ways and Means budget. The budget debate will begin next week on Monday instead of Tuesday. This…

Government Structure  S.1163 – Removing Santee Cooper (PSA) board, appointing an interim board made of 7 members, 6 will be appointed by legislative leadership and 1 by the governor, removing…

What they did: This week House and Senate committees continued the process of reviewing proposals for state-owned utility Santee Cooper. All three proposals have serious problems, and none of them…

Regulations H.5334 – If you are born after 1979 you need a boater safety license to operate a boat S.1138 – Commercial airmen that participate in interstate commerce and are…

What they did: This week, lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee adopted the largest budget in state history – recommending that the state spend over $32 billion in…

Taxation and Spending  S.1127 – Making the tax credit on solar energy systems refundable (you can earn a refund through the credit not just reduce your income tax) S.1123 –…

EMINENT DOMAIN FOR PIPELINE COMPANIES? A recently filed bill (S.1100) would give private petroleum pipeline companies the power to condemn state residents’ property through eminent domain. It would also classify…

What they did: This week, lawmakers received the Department of Administration’s (DOA) report of the top proposals for the disposal of state-owned utility Santee Cooper. Last year, lawmakers passed legislation…

Taxation and Spending  H.5234 – Department of Aging must pay for emergency response systems for seniors who cannot afford them and do not qualify for similar federal program H.5261 –…

What they did: This week at the State House, lawmakers elected 17 judges in uncontested legislative elections, as all contesting candidates had dropped out by the time the elections were held. All…

Regulations S.1108 – Required registration of fertile pit bulls at the cost of $500 annually  H.5227 – Adding “other on track equipment” to the list of things that require you…

What they did: This week, the Senate passed S.996 (legislation to extend the Public Service Commission candidate filing and screening period) after tweaking the diversity language inserted by the House last week.…

Elections S.1083 – If you vote in a party primary in 2020, you may only vote in that same party’s primary in all future elections through 2024. Regulations S.1077 –…

Ethics H.5027 – No legislator may pledge to vote for a candidate for a judicial office, legislators may not pressure a candidate to drop out of an election for judicial…