The State Capitol Report – June 1, 2016

Submitted By, Rep. Robert Q. Williams, SC House District #62

The House of Representatives and the Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto on H.4717 to allow the bill to become law. The legislation responds to the unprecedented damage of the October 2015 floods by creating the “SOUTH CAROLINA FARM AID FUND” to assist farmers in order to prevent the economic collapse of many of the state’s farms which could cause a severe disruption in the state’s economy and food supply chain. Established with a $40 million appropriation from the 2014 2015 Contingency Reserve Fund, the South Carolina Farm Aid Fund is created for making financial awards to farmers who have experienced a verifiable loss of agricultural commodities of at least forty percent as a result of the catastrophic flooding of October 2015. Grant awards must be used for agricultural production expenses and losses due to the flood, which demonstrate intent to continue the agricultural operation, such as purchases of seed and fertilizer.

The Senate and the House voted to override the Governor’s veto on S.1016, the “EYE CARE CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW” to allow the bill to become law. The legislation provides that a person in this state may not dispense spectacles or contact lenses to a patient without a valid prescription from an individual licensed by the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Optometry or the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners.

The House adopted the free conference report on H.3114, the ”SOUTH CAROLINA PAIN-CAPABLE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACT”, and, the Senate having already adopted the free conference report, the bill was enrolled for ratification. The legislation establishes a prohibition on the performance of abortions beginning at twenty weeks following fertilization. Exceptions are provided to permit these late term abortions in order to prevent the death or serious physical impairment of the mother as well as in instances where a fetal anomaly is present that is likely to prevent a child’s life from being sustained after birth.

The House amended Senate amendments to H.3184, a bill establishing enhancements to ethics laws by providing for MORE INDEPENDENT MEANS OF INVESTIGATING ALLEGED MISCONDUCT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS in the legislative and executive branches of government, and returned the bill to the Senate. The legislation discontinues current practices of the legislative and executive branches of state government each exclusively investigating the alleged ethics violations of their own members, and instead provides for allegations of public misconduct to be investigated by a reconstituted State Ethics Commission made up of members selected by both of these branches of government.

The House amended Senate amendments to H.5001, the General Appropriation Bill, and H.5002, the joint resolution making appropriations from the Capital Reserve Fund, which together comprise the proposed FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017 STATE GOVERNMENT BUDGET. The budget legislation was returned to the Senate with amendments that, for the most part, reinstate the version of the budget approved by the House earlier in the year with certain exceptions, such as an adjustment of Department of Transportation funding that coordinates with S.1258, the road funding legislation that was recently reported out of the Ways and Means Committee, and revisions to the terms of loan forgiveness and debt service at South Carolina State University.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4936, a bill designating EDUCATIONAL GOALS FOR ALL SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES and the standards and areas of learning which measures these goals. Through this legislation, the General Assembly declares that the principles outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, published by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators and approved by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, the Education Oversight Committee, the State Board of Education and Transform SC schools and districts, are the standards by which our state’s high school graduates should be measured and are this state’s achievement goals for all high school students.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3848, the “SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDING PRINCIPLES ACT”, and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation requires the State Board of Education and Education Oversight Committee to incorporate instruction on the founding principles that shaped the United States into the required study of the United States Constitution and the South Carolina Social Studies Standards upon the next cyclical review.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4510, a bill establishing LIMITATIONS ON THE NUMBER OF FOSTER CHILDREN WHO MAY BE PLACED IN A FOSTER HOME, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation allows a foster home to provide full-time care for up to eight children, with up to five of them being foster children. The exceptions to this maximum number include keeping a sibling group together, allowing children to remain in their home community, returning a child to a home that was a previous placement for them, complying with a court order, and any placement in the best interest of the child.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3685 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation makes provisions for the ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF TRAFFIC TICKETS to bring South Carolina into compliance with federal electronic ticketing provisions.

The House approved S.693 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises the INSURERS’ REHABILITATION AND LIQUIDATION ACT to make provisions that are specific to federal home loan banks and insurer members of those banks in delinquency proceedings.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4932, a bill making revisions to SPECIFICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS FOR VEHICLES AND TRAILERS operated along the state’s highways, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation revises provisions for maximum trailer lengths to provide for a greater maximum length that applies only to trailers or semitrailers used exclusively or primarily to transport vehicles used in connection with motorsports competition events. The legislation makes revisions relating to axle and weight limits for motor homes and intrastate public agency transit passenger buses. The legislation makes provisions for increased weights associated with idle reduction systems. New provisions are included to allow motor vehicles fueled primarily by natural gas to exceed weight limitations by specified amounts. An exemption from restrictions is included to apply the large dirt-hauling trucks and other vehicles used in connection with the construction, repair, and maintenance of the shipping container terminals of the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

The House returned S.652 to the Senate with amendments. The legislation provides authority for financial institutions that do business in South Carolina to conduct SAVINGS PROMOTION CONTESTS for members and customers, which encourage people to save money by adding a feature to personal savings accounts that include a chance to win prizes.

The House approved and sent the Senate H.3133, a bill that establishes a protocol allowing SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY TO PETITION THE FAMILY COURT TO REMOVE THE PERSON’S REQUIREMENT TO REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER once the individual has reached twenty one years of age and has been released from the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, South Carolina Department of Corrections, or South Carolina Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3927, a bill relating to SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation provides authority for the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue special personalized organizational license plates and special organizational souvenir license plates. The legislation provides that there is no fee for the issuance of “Korean War Veterans” special license plates. Provisions are made for “Silver Star” and “Bronze Star” special license plates to be issued for motorcycles. The legislation provides authority for the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue “Chase Away Childhood Cancer Special License Plates” with proceeds to be distributed to Chase After a Cure.

If you have a comment or opinion concerning the matters discussed in this report, or if I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call your legislative office in Columbia 803-734-3142, or my home 843- 395-9408. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.

Author: Duane Childers

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