S.C. Senate Legislative Update Feb. 13-17, 2017

The S.C. State House

The Senate continued debate on S. 107, which establishes the procedure by which a person nominated as governor selects a lieutenant governor as a running mate on a joint ticket. The bill, which was set for special order on February 14, also deals with increasing campaign contribution limits. Debate on the bill is expected to continue this upcoming week.

 

Bills approved by the Senate this week include:

S. 214 - Senators Marlon Kimpson and Greg Gregory: This bill would require remote retailers - most commonly, remote Internet retailers without a physical presence in the state - with gross sales in South Carolina of at least $10,000 to collect and remit sales and use tax.

S. 181 - Senator Katrina Shealy: For purposes of the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Act, this bill provides that a responsible South Carolina State Senate party does not include a person who is excluded from liability under the Superfund Recycling Equity Act.

S. 234 - Senator Shane Massey: This bill requires the identities of patients and emergency medical technicians, as well as information and data collected or prepared by emergency medical services, to be subject to subpoena in any administrative, civil or criminal proceeding.

S. 338 - Senators Greg Hembree, John Courson, John Matthews, Nikki Setzler and Mike Fanning: This is a joint resolution to provide that the opening date for students to attend public schools during the 2017-2018 school year may be as early as Thursday, August 17, in the discretion of the school district board of trustees.

S. 365 - Senators Luke Rankin, Greg Hembree, Stephen Goldfinch, Gerald Malloy and Ronnie Sabb: Allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue “Coastal Carolina University 2016 College World Series Champions” special license plates.

S. 90 - Senators Chip Campsen, Kevin Johnson and Greg Hembree: This bills the range that a magistrate eligibility exam will be valid from six months before and after the initial time a magistrate is appointed to one year before and two years after the time of appointment.

 

The following bills were read the second time: 

S. 107 - Senators Chip Campsen, Brad Hutto, Shane Massey and Greg Hembree: This bill establishes the procedure by which a person nominated as governor selects a lieutenant governor as a joint ticket running mate and requires the State Election Commission to ensure they are elected jointly beginning with the 2018 general election.

S. 118 - Senators Chip Campsen, Gerald Malloy and Greg Hembree: This bill increases the civil jurisdiction of the magistrate’s court from $7,500 to $10,000 and requires that, except for landlord and tenant cases, any case with an amount in controversy equaling or exceeding $5,000 must be ordered for mandatory mediation.

S. 297 - Senator Katrina Shealy: This bill amends state law relating to security officer registration certificates and qualifications of applicants to provide that, pending issuance of a registration certificate, a security officer may perform the duties of a security officer for up to 60 days after SLED receives an application for registration.

S. 168 - Senators Katrina Shealy, Thomas McElveen and Kevin Bryant: This bill increases the penalties for solicitation of prostitution, establishing or keeping a brothel or house of prostitution, or causing or inducing another to participate in prostitution.

 

Looking ahead to next week and beyond:

Companion bills - S. 394 and H. 3726 - were recently introduced in the House and the Senate aimed at addressing issues with the state’s retirement system. The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved H. 3726 on Thursday. The full House of Representatives could consider the plan as soon as this upcoming week. The bills reduce the unfunded amortization schedule from 30 years to 20 and change the assumed annual rate of return from investments from 7.5 percent to 7.25 percent.

Two other bills of interest, S. 275 and S. 114, which aim to loosen the state’s brewery laws, are scheduled to be considered during the Judiciary Committee’s meeting on Tuesday.

 

Compiled by South Carolina Senate Pro Tempore Communications Director Michael Ulmer.