Category: Reform

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…

Companion bills H.4484 and H.4635 are somewhat similar to the reform package presented in 2015’s S.561 in that they would make some small reforms to transportation management, but ultimately fall…

H.4452 would alter the makeup of the seven member State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) Board by requiring all seven of its members be appointed by the Governor. Under current law…

H.4417 would direct the state Department of Transportation to build a pedestrian overpass in Charleston. This is wasteful meddling in DOT affairs. Legislators already effectively control DOT leadership through the nomination…

S.959 would repeal existing law that allows individuals who are behind in child support payments to have their driver’s license revoked or restricted. This is a sensible reform. Revoking or…

H.4494 would require that magistrates and municipal judges who were disciplined by the Commission on Judicial Conduct during their term due to a complaint, or who are facing an active complaint…

H.4494 would require any magistrate or municipal judge who is seeking reappointment to be rescreened by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) if during their term they were disciplined by…

H.4442 would make all misdemeanor offenses eligible for expungement. This is particularly relevant for legislators who are subject to the Ethics Act, which only contains one felony. In other words, almost all…

H.4404 would prohibit General Assembly members from being elected to a judicial office for five years after leaving office. The bill would also prohibit family members of a General Assembly…

H.4402 and H.4406 would respectively make Family Court Judges and state Supreme Court Justices popularly elected. South Carolina’s judicial selection process is already politicized by the process of elections via the legislature. These…

H.4400 and H.4401 would remove the roll-call requirement for certain legislative votes. Under the bills legislators would be able to vote on up to ten budget sections, or ten sections worth of budget…

H.4524, would require that before any nonprofit receive funds from a state agency, it must disclose: how it plans to use those state funds, a copy of its adopted annual…

H.4387 would prohibit a law enforcement agency from giving its officers ticket quotas. The bill would also prohibit a law enforcement officer from being evaluated based on the number of…

BILL WOULD MAKE FALTERING RETIREMENT SYSTEM LESS ACCOUNTABLE S.675 designates the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) and the Retirement System Investment Commission (RISC) as co-trustees of the assets of the state…

S.759 is another attempt at Department of Transportation (DOT) “reform” that would only entrench existing legislative control over DOT. The bill increases the size of the DOT Commission (the entity…

S.649 would require all South Carolina law enforcement agencies to maintain a written policy for investigating officer involved deaths, defined as “the death of an individual that results directly from…

Companion bills S.650, H.3973, H.3990, and H.3991 all attempt to remove conflicts of interests and reduce public skepticism in the investigation of officer involved shootings. The bills seek to achieve…

H.4056 would restrict contracting firms from bidding on DOT projects if a firm is owned, either fully or partially, by a trust that benefits a person, a person’s family, or…

S.686 is a bill that makes slight adjustments to current law regulating the Housing Trust Fund: Removes the dollar figure from the definition of “affordable housing,” leaving it more open…

H.3049 directs the Department of Revenue (DOR) to create a tax expenditure report every four years to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of economic development tax incentives issued by the…

S.594 would add detail to the Jobs Tax Credit by requiring the Department of Revenue to issue a report containing the net number of new full-time jobs created in this…

H.3745 would specify that prosecutions for ethics violations can be commenced against non-legislative public officials and employees within four years of these officials or employees leaving office. The bill would…

H.3566 would eliminate the seven member Department of Transportation (DOT) Commission which currently sets policy for the DOT. In place of this commission controlled by the legislature, the bill would vest…

Potential judges and candidates for non-judicial state offices elected by the General Assembly must be screened by the Judicial Merit Selection Committee (JMSC) or a joint legislative screening committee respectively…

H.3427 would make forfeit any retirement benefits a public office holder may have accrued during their time in office if during that time in office they are convicted, plead guilty, or…

It would appear that S.333 seeks to limit prison sentences for public officials who commit felonies or misdemeanors. For felonies and misdemeanors alike, the amendment states that any official who…

H.3370 would allow Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) decisions on the issuance, denial, renewal, suspension, or revocation of permits, licenses, or other actions to be appealed directly to the…

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.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,…