Senate Summary | Week of March 31 - April 3, 2008
Filed Under Martin, Ritchie, Top News, Caucus, Leatherman, Knotts, McConnell, Alexander, Cleary, Hayes, Peeler | Leave a Comment
Quote of the Week: “After looking at this year’s budget I think the Governor should change the name of Pork and Barrel to Olive Oyl and Twiggy.”
Senate Finance Committee Vice-Chairman Senator Harvey Peeler, referencing the piglets Governor Mark Sanford brought into the State House during the 2004 budget process and the elimination of
special project spending in the budget approved by the Senate Finance Committee this week.
Pork-free Budget Passes Senate Finance Committee
The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence), approved an appropriations bill that clearly demonstrates education is a top priority for the Senate. The $7 billion budget fully funds the Education Finance Act, maintains the school bus replacement program, and continues four-year-old kindergarten among other educational priorities.
Based on warning signals from the Board of Economic Advisors the Senate started its budget process assuming available revenue would be $50 million less than the House budget. In order to address this deficiency the Senate eliminated $30 million in special projects included in the House version of the budget.
Details of the budget include funding the Education Finance Act with $2,578 per student, replacing 551 school buses this year as part of the 15-year cycle program, funding teacher salaries at $300 above the Southeastern average, and providing a 2% pay raise for other state employees.
Money from the SC Education Lottery was used to fully fund Life, Hope and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships eliminating the need to use money from the general fund. The Senate version of the budget also provides continued funding to four-year-old kindergarten programs in 35 school districts.
On average state agencies will receive a 3.6% cut in funding under the Senate plan. Senate floor debate on the appropriations bill is expected to begin April 15.
Broadband Plan Moves to Senate Floor
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved an amendment to H.4735 creating the South Carolina Educational Broadband Service Commission. The seven-member commission would be charged with obtaining and evaluating proposals from private broadband providers seeking to lease South Carolina Educational Television’s excess broadcasting bandwidth.
Beginning in 2009, ETV will begin a process of opening much of its licensed spectrum for other uses, including wireless broadband Internet availability. The bill was placed on the Senate calendar on Thursday, April 3 and is expected to receive a key second reading next week.
Candidate Drug Testing Caught-up in Filibuster
The Democrat filibuster of the Candidate Drug Testing bill continued this week on the Senate floor. The Senate Republican Caucus hopes to bring the debate to a close and move the bill to the House prior to budget discussions that are expected to begin April 15.
Cigarette Tax Increase Narrowly Passes Senate Finance Committee
The Senate Finance Committee narrowly agreed, on Wednesday, April 2, to a proposal that would increase taxes on cigarettes by fifty cents a pack. The proposed increase was the product of more than six-months of work by a Special Senate Finance Subcommittee, led by Senator Thomas Alexander (R-Oconee).
The initial proposal submitted by the subcommittee was voted down; however the Finance committee did accept an amendment to the proposal by a 12-11 vote. The measure now moves to the full Senate for consideration. Debate on the bill could begin as early as Tuesday, April 8.
DUI Conference Committee Reaches Agreement
The Joint Legislative Conference Committee on DUI Reform, chaired by Senator Larry Martin (R-Pickens), finalized work on a stronger DUI law for South Carolina on Thursday, April 3. The agreement provides for a tiered structure of penalties tied to the blood-alcohol concentration of the driver and removes some of the roadblocks to prosecuting drunk drivers.
Both the House and Senate must approve the conference committee report before it heads to the Governor’s Office. Governor Sanford has indicated his desire for a strong DUI bill and is expected to sign the bill once approved by the General Assembly.
Education Subcommittee Reviews Accountability Act
A Senate K-12 Education Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Wes Hayes (R-York), met on Tuesday, April 1, and reported-out, with amendment, the Education Accountability Act (H.4662). The amendment passed by the committee moves forward the first testing date of the Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program (EMSAP) to the 2008-2009 school-term. The amendment also revised the school Education Oversight Committee’s School Report Card methodology, changing the “unsatisfactory” classification to “priority.” The full Education Committee will consider the bill on Wednesday, April 9.
Immigration Conference Committee Nears Agreement
Senate and House conference committee members working on the Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S.392) are close to a final agreement. Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), following the Wednesday, April 2, meeting, announced his intention to finalize the committee’s work in hopes of sending a comprehensive illegal immigration reform bill to the Governor in the next two weeks.
The joint conference committee is expected to meet again next week for a final review of the bill prior to taking the bill back to the General Assembly for final approval.
Judiciary Subcommittee Prepares for DPS Director Confirmation Hearings
Even before a Department of Public Safety Director nominee has been presented, Senate Judiciary Chairman Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) assembled a subcommittee to determine what questions should be asked of a prospective candidate. The subcommittee, being chaired by Senator McConnell, also includes Senators Robert Ford (D-Charleston), Jake Knotts (R-Lexington), Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw) and Ray Cleary (R-Georgetown).
“We are interested in understanding what a new director will be confronted with in terms of challenges, and we want to know how that person plans on dealing with those challenges,” says Senator McConnell.
The subcommittee hopes to focus the information requested and needed by the full Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the beginning of confirmation hearings. After the meeting, Senator McConnell issued a memo to Senate Judiciary staff outlining the scope of the research to be conducted.
Post Conviction DNA Testing
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee working on an amendment to S.429, the Post-Conviction DNA Procedures Act, completed its mission this week. The amendment will be on the Senate Judiciary agenda when the full committee meets Tuesday, April 8.
Sprinkler Tax-Credit Plan Heads to Senate Floor
The Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, chaired by Senator Greg Ryberg (R-Aiken), met on Thursday, April 3, concerning the “Sprinkler Bill” (S.860). The committee approved an amendment to the bill that would provide a property tax credit of up to 25% of the direct expenses related to the voluntary installation of sprinklers in a commercial or residential structure. The bill now heads to the full Senate and is expected to be on the calendar Wednesday, April 9.
Water -Withdrawal Permitting on Senate Calendar
The water-withdrawal permitting bill (S.428) was placed on the Senate calendar this week; however, the bill is being contested, which prevents the bill moving forward without being set for Special Order.
Senate Summary | Week of March 31 - April 3, 2008
Filed Under Leatherman, Martin, Ritchie, Caucus, Knotts, Hayes, McConnell, Alexander, Cleary, Peeler | 1 Comment
Quote of the Week: “After looking at this year¹s budget I think the
Governor should change the name of Pork and Barrel to Olive Oyl and
Twiggy.”
Senate Summary | Week of February 11-14, 2008
Filed Under Ritchie, Verdin, Leatherman, Hayes, Bryant, McConnell | 1 Comment
Quote of the Week: “It is a credit to Mr. Lloyd that throughout this process there has not been one thing presented that would in any way cast a negative shadow on this nomination. I think the unanimous vote for his confirmation shows what type of person members think Reggie Lloyd is and what type of chief of SLED they think he will be.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), on the confirmation of Reginald Lloyd as SLED chief.
Illegal Immigration Reform-The Senate amended the House changes to the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S.392) on Wednesday, February 13, and sent it back to the House for concurrence. The latest effort by the Senate to produce a strong immigration reform bill comes after 18 months of work.
During the 2007 legislative session the Senate heavily debated illegal immigration reform before passing a bill that was sent to the House. A Senate subcommittee, chaired by Senator Jim Ritchie (R-13), Majority Whip, conducted public hearings throughout the summer and the Senate continued working to strengthen the bill this session.
The bill, as amended by the Senate, is the strongest illegal immigration reform legislation approved by either body so far. If the House does not concur with the Senate’s final amendments the bill will go to conference.
SLED Chief - Reginald Lloyd Confirmed by Senate U.S. Attorney and former South Carolina Circuit Court Judge, Reginald I. Lloyd will soon be referred to as Chief Lloyd. The South Carolina Senate, this week, unanimously approved Governor Mark Sanford’s nomination of Lloyd to lead the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Upon being sworn-in, Lloyd will become the first African-American to serve as the chief of SLED.
Cigarette Tax Receives Two-Week Extension The Senate Finance Special Subcommittee on Cigarette Tax (H.3567) met on Thursday, February 14. The meeting served mainly as an update for subcommittee members, who heard from staff conducting research on the issue. The next meeting of the subcommittee is scheduled for Tuesday, February 19.
Later, during the Senate session on Thursday, Finance Chairman Senator Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence) requested and was granted a two-week extension. The bill was scheduled to return to the Senate floor next week, but is now scheduled to return on Wednesday, March 5.
DUI Reform-The Senate Judiciary Committee completed discussion on DUI Reform (H.3496) on Tuesday, February 12. The bill received two days of debate, during which time senators carefully poured over each proposed amendment and discussed the ramifications of each.
The bill, as amended, received a favorable report and now moves to the full Senate, where it has been set for Special Order.
Fire Sprinklers- The Senate Licensing Subcommittee of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulations Committee met on Tuesday, February 12, to continue discussions on pending legislation (S.860, S.921) concerning fire sprinkler systems. More than 10 different fire departments were represented in the meeting with some giving testimony, including State Fire Marshall, John Reich.
Several ranking fire officials spoke in favor of including language in S.860 that would allow local municipalities to adopt more stringent fire codes on new construction homes, if the legislation was not mandated statewide.
After hearing testimony for more than an hour, the subcommittee moved to carry over the discussion until the next meeting.
Nonprofit Raffles Have a Chance- Two bills allowing nonprofit organizations to expand their fundraising options passed a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee this week. One bill (S.967) is a constitutional amendment that would allow nonprofits to conduct raffles. Currently only the State can legally conduct a raffle.
The second bill (S.732) is a statutory change that would allow nonprofits to hold a “casino night” style fundraising event.
The two bills now go before the full Senate Judiciary Committee and could be on the calendar as early as Tuesday, February 19.
Payday Lending- The Senate began debate on payday lending (S.398) on Thursday and carried the discussion over until next week.
Senator Wes Hayes (R-York) presented an amendment that came out of the Banking and Insurance Committee that dealt with:
- A statewide database
- Maximum loan amounts tied to personal income
- Number of outstanding loans made to one person
- Extended pay period with no additional penalty
- Board of Financial Institutions reporting to Senate
- Increased licensing fees for payday lenders
The Senate will continue discussion on the amendment, the bill and the broader subject of payday lending on Tuesday, February 19.
South Carolina Entrepreneurial Success Fund A Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulations Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) heard testimony on the South Carolina Entrepreneurial Success Fund Act (S.897). The subcommittee, after hearing testimony, voted to give the bill a favorable report and send it to the full Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulations Committee.
Water Withdrawal- The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Senator Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) met on Wednesday, February 13, to give committee members an update on the progress of discussions concerning water withdrawal permitting (S.428/H.3578). No actions were taken.
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Senators Comment on State of State Address
Filed Under Top News, Massey, Ritchie, Hayes, McConnell, Peeler | Leave a Comment
Columbia, SC- Members of the South Carolina Senate, following Governor Mark Sanford’s 2008 State of the State Address, offered the following comments.
Senator Harvey Peeler (R - Cherokee), Majority Leader on legislative priorities.
“I’m glad to see that the Governor’s priorities mirror legislation already under consideration in the Senate. We look forward to continuing our efforts on illegal immigration reform, developing a creditable spending cap formula, bringing more transparency to state spending, and stronger DUI laws. Everyone is in agreement that these are important issues.”
Senator Glenn McConnell (R - Charleston) Chairman Senate Judiciary Committee on assisting small business in South Carolina.
“The Senate has already taken steps to improve the climate for small business in South Carolina. The Small Business Health Cooperative bill passed by the Senate in 2007 is currently in the House Labor, Commerce and Industry committee. The Senate has already been working to make health care more affordable and more available for small businesses.”
Senator Jim Ritchie (R - Spartanburg), Majority Whip and Chairman Illegal Immigration Subcommittee on the Governor’s endorsement of S.392 Illegal Immigration Reform Act.
“The Governor’s endorsement of the Senate’s Illegal Immigration Reform Act underscores the importance of this critical piece of state legislation, which addresses a problem the federal government has refused to address. We worked very hard to craft an effective, comprehensive bill and we look forward to receiving any constructive amendments the House may offer.”
Senator Wes Hayes (R - York), Chairman of Senate Education Funding Committee on charter schools and simplified funding.
“Charter schools are a good addition to our public school system and I look forward to working with the Governor on improving the laws governing these schools. At the same time I agree that we need to simplify the funding formula for education so that schools across the state have an equal opportunity to provide students a quality education.”
Senator Shane Massey (R- Edgefield) - Spending Accountability “During my recent campaign, one of the issues I consistently heard people talking about was fiscal accountability. The transparency legislation I introduce is a step in that direction. I agree more accountability is needed. It is good for the state and it builds trust in state government.”
