Senate Summary
Filed Under Campsen, Caucus, Leatherman, McConnell, Ritchie, Top News | Leave a Comment
Week of April 22 - 24, 2008
Quote of the Week– “The people of South Carolina deserve better
than what the House is doing. The House has tried to kill this bill
twice this year and they are now hiding behind some strange
interpretation of the rules to avoid delivering strong illegal
immigration reform to the people of South Carolina.”
Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), Chairman of the Joint Legislative
Conference Committee on illegal immigration reform, commenting on the
events of the past week by the House of Representatives and their
refusal to seek approval for free negotiating powers. Read more
Immigration Conference Committee Nears Agreement
Filed Under Campsen, Caucus, Ritchie, Top News | Leave a Comment
Senator Jim Ritchie and Committee Members Build Strong Bill for South Carolina
Columbia, SC - Senate and House members of the illegal immigration conference committee are close to final agreement following today’s meeting. Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), conference committee chairman, has led the effort to craft a nation-leading illegal immigration reform package and is the principal author of the Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S. 392). Following today’s conference committee meeting, Senator Ritchie announced his intention to finalize the committees work in hopes of sending a comprehensive illegal immigration reform bill to the Governor in the next two weeks.
Illegal immigration reform is vital for the safety and security of our communities. As states across the country work to address this crisis, we must work quickly to pass meaningful reforms for the people of South Carolina. This is a complicated issue that drives a lot of passion, and the reality is that we are trying to respond to a crisis that affects every town across this nation. While we cannot solve the larger federal issues of border security and immigration law enforcement, we can make South Carolina less attractive to illegal immigrants and the companies that hire illegal immigrants. As the chairman of this conference committee, I am working to answer the peoples calls for reform, says Senator Ritchie.
What we have done does not require substantial new money, it requires substantial political will and law enforcement’s follow through. And it requires our state government to get tough on companies that intentionally break the law, says Senator Ritchie. It takes all of theses elements working together to make this effort successful.
For the first time South Carolina will have a bill that contains language stating if an employer knowingly and willfully hires an illegal alien, they are breaking the law, says Senator Ritchie.
The joint conference committee is expected to meet again next week to review a final version of today’s work and vote on a Committee Report that will then be presented to the members of each chamber.
In addition to Senator Ritchie the conference committee consists of Senators Chip Campsen (R-Charleston), and Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw), as well as Representatives Jim Harrison (R-Richland), Greg Delleney (R-Chester), and Thad Viers (R-Horry).
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S.C. Politics Today | Ban on common-law marriage delayed
Filed Under Campsen, Caucus, Ceips, Fair, Martin, Rankin, Top News, Verdin | Leave a Comment
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Cruelty is cruelty. Why put dogs on a pedestal?”
— Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, as he expanded a bill that would make it illegal to tether dogs more than three hours a day to include all pets
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
News from campaigns competing in June’s primary. Read more
Senate panel considers water plan
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How much water does it takes to make a stream a stream? A state Senate committee might well decide that today.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today will debate for a third time a proposed state water plan, a law that would create a permitting system and set withdrawal limits for most large surface water users.
The fight is over minimum stream flow, the least amount of water that must be left in a stream as water is drawn down for commercial use. Read more
