From the Dome to Your Home: April 17, 2015
The House of Representatives and Senate were back in session this week and held subcommittee and committee meetings. The House debated and passed its version of a roads plan on Wednesday evening, while the Senate Finance Committee debated the House version of the budget.
Senate Finance Committee begins work on the budget
The Senate Finance Committee started work on the state budget bill on Wednesday morning, taking up provisos first. As of Thursday evening, the Senate Finance Committee was still working on new provisos from committee members. Committee members amended a proviso on Thursday that would allow municipalities to use surplus victims" assistance funding to purchase body cameras for sworn officers. Special thanks to Senator Vincent Sheheen for working with Association staff on this amendment. Senate Finance Committee will continue meeting to debate the budget on Tuesday. For more information on the state budget bill, contact Melissa Carter (mcarter@masc.sc) at 803.933.1251.
Body camera bill adopted by the subcommittee
S47, the bill that requires law enforcement officers to wear body cameras, was amended and passed by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday. The bill was amended to include state funding to pay for body cameras and their ancillary costs. Municipal Association staff was part of a group that crafted a compromise amendment to address concerns ranging from privacy and information storage, to funding. The bill will be on the full Senate Judiciary Committee agenda next week. Special thanks to Senators Larry Martin, Marlon Kimpson, Gerald Malloy and Brad Hutto for supporting the funding to accompany the mandatory body cameras. For more information on the body camera bill, contact Tiger Wells (twells@masc.sc) at 803.933.1270.
House passes roads plan
The House of Representatives gave final approval to H3579, its version of a plan to fix the state's roads and infrastructure. The bill was amended on the House floor to include an additional $25 million to be evenly split among the state's counties. The bill, developed from recommendations from the House Transportation Infrastructure and Management Ad Hoc Committee, includes a 10 cent gas tax increase and reform of the Department of Transportation. It also allows cities, towns and counties to opt in or out of taking on state roads. Next, the bill goes to the Senate Finance Committee for debate. For more information on the roads plan, contact Melissa Carter (mcarter@masc.sc) at 803.933.1251 or Scott Slatton (sslatton@masc.sc) at 803.933.1203.
Weekly bill introductions
Committee action this week
House Education and Public Works Committee
H3304 - Creates a new fire district in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Creates the Landrum Fire and Rescue District in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
House Ways and Means Economic Development, Capital Improvement and Other Taxes subcommittee
H3113 - Includes the cost of environmental remediation in property assembly costs - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Includes the cost of environmental remediation as a reimbursable expense in redevelopment projects.
H3259 - Reduces the minimum square footage requirement contained in the definition of eligible site - favorable
Summary of the bill as introduced: Reduces the minimum square footage requirement from 40,000 to 25,000 contained in the definition of eligible site under the South Carolina Retail Facilities Revitalization Act.
House Ways and Means Property Tax subcommittee
H3146 - Requires reimbursement of the cost of mailing property tax notices if a taxing entity causes the notice to be incomplete - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires a taxing jurisdiction to reimburse the cost of mailing property tax notices again if that taxing entity causes the notice sent by the county to be incomplete when the initial notice is mailed on October 15.
H3313 - Changes the rollback calculation on agricultural property - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires when calculating roll-back taxes due on a parcel of real property that changed from agricultural to commercial or residential, the value used for platted green space or open space use of the parcel if the use is ten percent or more of the parcel, it must be valued based on the green space or open space use.
H3562 - Local Option School Operating Millage Property Tax Credit Act - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Allows a county council with referendum approval to impose a one percent sales tax to use to provide a credit against property tax levied in the county for school operations.
Senate Judiciary Committee
S282 - Makes several changes to the Tort Claims Act - carried over
Summary of the bill as introduced: Makes several changes to the Tort Claims Act including changes to the medical malpractice language and defective product language.
Senate Finance Committee
S527 - Makes changes to the state retirement system - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Makes technical changes to Public Employee Benefit Authority and the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission as recommended by an audit report.
House Ways and Means General Government, Personnel and Benefits subcommittee
H3011 - Directs increased projected revenue in the state budget bill to the state non-federal aid highway fund - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Directs any increase in projected revenue after third reading of the annual budget bill in the House of Representatives to be appropriated to the state non-federal aid highway fund.
H3013 - Requires chief procurement officers to do life-cycle cost analysis for all public works construction projects - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires chief procurement officers of governmental bodies to do life-cycle cost analysis for all public works construction projects that are expected to cost more than $1 million. This bill also authorizes alternate infrastructure-type bidding procedures for public works construction projects.
H3767 - Prohibits property taxes on real property owned or leased by certain childcare providers - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Prohibits charging property taxes on real property owned or leased to certain childcare providers.
House Labor, Commerce and Industry Business and Commerce subcommittee
H3431 - Prevents a political subdivision from mandating an employee benefit - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Prevents a political subdivision of the state from mandating or requiring an employee benefit.
H3031 - Sets the minimum wage in the state - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Prohibits a political subdivision of the state from requiring a minimum wage that exceeds the one provided for in statute.
House Judiciary Special Laws subcommittee
H3325 - Uniform Partition of Heirs" Property Act - favorable report with amendments. As soon as the amendments are available, they will be posted in the tracking system.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Creates procedures for a court to follow in determining the value of the property and factors for a court to consider for different types of partitions.
House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Wildlife subcommittee
H3796 - Provides procedures for the recovery and launching of vessels and watercraft - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Provides procedures for the recovery and launching of vessels and watercraft and provides procedures for the use of access ways and public boat landings.
Senate Judiciary subcommittee
H3168 - SC Emergency Management Law Enforcement Act - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Outlines procedures for the use of out-of-state officers who are deployed to the state in accordance with the provisions of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
Senate Judiciary subcommittee
S429 - Modifies the requirements of workers" compensation to include mental illness - carried over
Summary of the bill as introduced: Modifies the definitions of injury and personal injury in workers" compensation to add mental illness to related conditions that may be compensable if resulting from a significant traumatic experience.
House Ways and Means Sales and Income Tax subcommittee
H3010 - SC Marketplace and Infrastructure Improvement Act - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires the SC Department of Revenue to take certain actions in the event Congress passes the Marketplace Fairness Act and directs all new state and local sales tax revenue from this action to the State Highway Fund.
H3210 - South Carolina Fair Tax Collection Act - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Allows the SC Department of Revenue to place a delinquent tax liability in a current noncollectable status if the Department determines that its forbearance from collection may improve the prospects of collecting the tax due.
H3211 - South Carolina Fair Tax Act - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Establishes a flat tax rate of six percent and outlines the procedures for collection and penalties.
H3725 - Makes changes to the SC Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act - favorable report with an amendment. The amendment removes references to solar and reduces the cap from $1 million to $500,000.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Adds the definition of state-owned abandoned buildings and certain tax credits for rehabilitating state-owned buildings.
H3704 - Makes permanent the surcharges on certain misdemeanors to fund training at the SC Criminal Justice Academy - adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Makes permanent the surcharges on certain misdemeanors to fund training at the SC Criminal Justice Academy.
Senate Judiciary subcommittee
S55 - Requires reapportionment to a population variance of less than 10 percent for single member districts - favorable report with amendments. The amendments delay the effective date until two years after the governor's signature. The amendments also clarify that political subdivisions that have already completed reapportionment after the 2010 Census are exempt from this bill until the 2020 Census.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires reapportionment to a population variance of less than 10 percent for single member districts within three years of the date on which the latest official census is adopted by the General Assembly.
S215 - Requires certification of a municipal election within two days of the election - favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires managers of elections to certify the municipal election within two days of the election.
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