South Carolina Statehouse Blog

COLUMBIA – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler today released a list of Senators who have requested it be made public that they will return to Columbia on Tuesday June 7th ready to conduct business per Governor Haley’s Executive Order.?

“We have enjoyed many successes with the Governor Haley this year. Now that the Governor has called the General Assembly back, it’s important we finish the job on these critical government restructuring reforms.”

Senator Harvey Peeler

Senator Lee Bright

Senator Kevin Bryant

Senator Ronnie Cromer

Senator John Courson

Senator Tom Davis

Senator Mike Rose

Senator Greg Gregory

Senator Greg Ryberg

Senator David Thomas

**Senator Shane Martin supports the effort to return to Columbia on Tuesday, but will be unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.

*Some Senators were unable to be reached this afternoon.

House will act immediately on restructuring bills passed by Senate

(Columbia, SC) – In the wake of Governor Nikki Haley’s call for a special session following the General Assembly adjourning Sine Die on Thursday, House Speaker Bobby Harrell released the following statement:

“Following the Governor’s call for a special session of the General Assembly, The House of Representatives will convene in special session at 10:00 AM this coming Tuesday.

“I am pleased at the work the House was able to accomplish this legislative session and that the Governor noted all restructuring items have passed the House. The Governor has clearly stated that the urgency to act falls upon the Senate.

“Because both chambers of the General Assembly must convene in special session, the House will stand in recess following roll call on Tuesday. The House will be poised to take immediate action on reform items sent over from the Senate.”

Since January, the House has passed a lengthy agenda focusing on job creation and good government reforms, including the four government restructuring items outlined by the Governor. All four restructuring bills were passed early on in session and received broad bi-partisan support. Many of the bills have passed multiple times in the House. The following outlines the House’s previous action on these restructuring items:

• H 3152 – Governor and Lt. Governor On Same Ticket - passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2011 by a vote of 106-6.
• H 3070 - Superintendent of Education Appointed by Governor - passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2011 by a vote of 82-28.
• H 3066 - Department of Administration - passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2011 by a vote of 96-13.
• H 3267 – Combining Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole and the Department of Corrections - passed the House of Representatives on March 31, 2011 by a vote of 81-21.

House passes 17-point Agenda, but there’s still more work to do

(Columbia, SC) – At 5:00 pm today, the South Carolina General Assembly adjourned Sine Die – signaling the end of this year’s regular legislative session. During the year, the House passed every item on its ambitious 17-point agenda. While the given time for the 2011 legislative session has passed, there is still unfinished business – like finalizing the budget and redistricting – that needs to be addressed during a special Sine Die session.

“The 2011 legislative year stands as one of the most successful sessions for the South Carolina House,” said House Speaker Bobby Harrell. “Responding to the issues our citizens called for in November, the House pursued its most ambitious agenda ever. Because of the leadership given by House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham and other Caucus leaders, I am pleased to report that the House took action on all these issues and successfully passed every single one of our 17-point agenda items this year.”

Adding to its long list of legislative accomplishments (seen here & attached), the House passed many major reforms this year – like Tort Reform, Transparency Reforms (here & here), Voter ID, Spending Caps, Government Restructuring Reforms, Education Reforms (here & here), Point-of-Sale Reform, & Illegal Immigration Reform just to name a few.

Speaker Harrell continued, “While all these agenda items passed the House this session, not all of these reforms became law. This being the first of a two-year legislative session, House Members will be back next year fighting to get unresolved issues adopted into law.”

Lawmakers will come back on June 14th for a special Sine Die session to finish work on the budget and redistricting. With the regular session now over, a Sine Die session allows the Legislature to return to the State House at a minimal cost to taxpayers in order to take up a limited scope of important issues outlined in the agreed upon Sine Die Resolution (H. 4195).

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****Note: Adjourning Sine Die – The term “Sine Die” is a Latin phrase that translates as “without day.” Legislative bodies employ it as a term to signify that the purpose of an assembly has come to an end and that the assembly is adjourned without assigning a day for further meetings. The SC General Assembly convenes at Noon on the second Tuesday in January and adjourns Sine Die at 5:00 pm on the first Thursday in June.

****Note: Sine Die Resolution – This concurrent resolution adopted by the House and Senate allows for an assembly to return in session after adjourning Sine Die. The timeline and scope of items that can be addressed during such a session are strictly defined in the resolution.

A bill to ensure the safety of passengers riding on miniature trains in South Carolina passed the Senate unanimously today. Called “Benji’s Law,” it was lead-sponsored and submitted by Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler in response to the tragic train derailment at Cleveland Park in Spartanburg County in March. A six-year-old Cherokee County boy, Benji Easler, died in the accident.

“To be able to introduce this bill so late in the session and get it passed so quickly is a fitting tribute to Benji, and the other children and parents on the train that day,” Peeler said. “Parents shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their children on kids’ rides, and children shouldn’t have to worry about their own well being just to have a good time.”

Peeler was able to get the bill fast-tracked, recalled from the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee and placed on the calendar for the last day of this year’s session. For most other legislation filed in May, the possibility of getting passed by either chamber was close to nil. The need for something to be done, and done quickly, to prevent such disasters in the future moved senators to act.

“I want to make sure to thank my fellow senators for assisting in passing this bill, and hopefully no other families in our state have to go through something like this again,” Peeler said.

The bill would ensure:

• The ride must have a properly operating speedometer.
• The ride must have a device that allows the speed of the train to be regulated and the speed of the train must be set so as to only operate at or below the maximum speed recommended by the manufacturer.
• All drivers operating the ride must be trained to operate the ride in accordance with the manufacturer’s operation recommendations; a training record for each driver must be maintained by the owner or operator of the ride as long as the driver is employed by or operates the train on behalf of the owner or operator; and each driver must be tested by the department before the driver is authorized to operate the train; a driver employed to operate the train, or who will operate the train on behalf of the owner or operator, subsequent to the department issuing the permit or renewal permit does not affect the validity of the permit, so long as the driver does not operate the train until the driver has been tested by the department.
• The ride must be inspected mechanically, including, but not limited to, a speed test of the train to ensure that the train is operating in accordance with the speed governor, and in accordance with this chapter or regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter, but in no case less than an annual inspection.

Columbia, SC - June 2, 2011 - A compromise was reached Thursday to repeal the point-of-sale tax provision of Act 388. For months, business groups — led by state Realtors — have been trying to end a tax that has unreasonably burdened both businesses and individuals. Counties and municipalities fought the effort, but in the end consented to language that resulted in the bill being passed out of the Senate on the last day of session.

“I had every confidence that an agreement could be made, and now we can go about our state’s economic recovery,” said Sen. Paul Campbell, one of the bill’s top supporters. “The tax is inherently unfair and deserves to go.”

Earlier in the week, the two sides sat down for a meeting with Senate Finance Committee chairman Hugh Leatherman. After several hours of back-and-forth talks throughout the week, the two sides put aside enough of their differences to fashion a proposal that would pass without issue.

“It’s good to see the two sides in this debate come together for sensible tax reform to enhance business opportunities in the state,” Leatherman said.

Applying to properties that are currently taxed at six percent of their value, the legislation would lead to taxing the property at a 25 percent discount of the fair market value. For instance, if a property was evaluated at $125,000, it would be taxed at $100,000.

“Point-of-sale has been a very contentious issue, and I’m happy to see cooler heads prevail,” Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said.

The bill will return to the House for a vote on accepting or rejecting the new language.