Legislative Happenings
Senator Gerald Malloy, District 29- Darlington, Chesterfield, Lee and Marlboro Counties
Dear Friends and Constituents,
It has been a busy week, with legislative deadlines approaching and many important issues to consider. Pending on the Senate Calendar are several important bills to be debated, including ethics reform, the SC Farm Aid Fund, the incarceration age for juveniles, animal welfare, alimony reform, and others. Ethics reform and income disclosure were discussed at length on the Senate floor this week and debate is expected to continue next week.
One of the bills I have co-sponsored, S.913, requiring the release of police dashboard video in officer-involved shootings, passed the Senate recently and is now in the House for consideration.
S.1166, a bill to assist South Carolina State University, passed the Senate this week and is now in the House. The proposed legislation would forgive a significant portion of the University’s loan debt to the State. Among other things, the University will be required to pay $3 million, reduced annual payments of $355,000, and operate within a balanced budget. South Carolina State, the State’s only historic black college, is under new administration and is working to straighten out its fiscal problems.
Discussion on H.4717, a bill creating the South Carolina Farm Aid Fund is expected to continue. The bill was introduced to aid farmers who suffered at least a forty percent loss after the historic flooding in October of 2015. Under the proposed legislation, $40 million would be appropriated from the FY 2014-15 Contingency Reserve Fund, and a Farm Aid Board will be created to oversee and administer funds.
The Senate Finance Committee began work on the state budget on Tuesday. Upon completion of the Committee’s work, the budget bill will go to the full Senate for consideration. Budget discussions are expected to dominate much of the work of the Senate for the rest of the month.
Information on legislation and meetings may be found on the state website at the following link:
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/index.php
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers as we move forward in the legislative year with many important issues to address for the benefit of our State. Please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns that you may have. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and I look forward to hearing from you.
Contact Information: Senate Office of Gerald Malloy, PO Box 142, Columbia, SC 29202.
Email: geraldmalloy@scsenate.gov
Victoria Walker, Administrative Assistant, Office Telephone: (803) 212- 6172
vickiwalker@scsenate.gov
