Legislative Information
The South Carolina General Assembly convenes each January in Columbia and adjourns sine die in June. During that six-month period, approximately one in every four bills introduced affects county government operations. The SCAC monitors each bill as it is introduced, keeping its membership up-to-date on all legislative activity with a weekly legislative overview known as the Friday Report. The Association also distributes Legislative Action Alerts when necessary to notify the membership of imminent action on crucial bills.

Meetings
Annual Conference -- Held in late summer, this conference is open to all elected and appointed officials. The conference includes a business session, general session, workshops, group meetings, and exhibits of county products and services.

Legislative Conference -- Held in December, this conference allows members of the Legislative Committee to discuss and adopt a legislative program for the upcoming year. The committee is made up of the council chairman from each county along with the Association's Board of Directors.

Mid-Year Conference -- Held in late winter in Columbia, this conference enables all county officials to become better informed about the Association's legislative program. The Association also hosts a reception for all members of the legislature during this conference.

County Council Coalition -- Held in October: Coalition reviews and discusses initial draft of the policy positions by the Association's four policy steering committees. The input by the County Council Coalition will be incorporated into the policy position papers by the steering groups when they meet in November. These recommendations will be taken to the Legislative Conference for action.

Steering Committees -- SCAC's four Steering Committees meet in September and November to discuss legislative policy to recommend to the Legislative Committee.

Research
SCAC provides technical assistance in many areas to those counties which request it. The Association develops technical research bulletins and conducts surveys on a variety of subjects on an as-needed basis. Regular publications such as the Annual Wage and Salary Report, Legislative Review, Home Rule Handbook, and Handbook for South Carolina County Officials are made available to county officials.

Publications
Each year, the SCAC publishes a Directory of County Officials which lists addresses and telephone numbers of all elected and many appointed county officials in each of the state's 46 counties. Specific information is also provided on each county such as form of government, method of election and population. The SCAC publishes Carolina Counties newsletter five times per year (four times when the General Assembly is in session) to keep the Association's membership informed concerning legislative matters. The newsletter includes news items of interest to county officials and county governments. In 1990, the SCAC introduced County Focus Magazine. This quarterly provides in-depth feature articles on subjects of interest to county officials and includes a section called "County Update," which describes what's happening in South Carolina's counties.

Education
In August 1989, the SCAC, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of South Carolina and The Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University, established the Institute of Government for County Officials. This certificate program provides county officials the opportunity to enhance their skills and abilities so that they can function more effectively. Level II was added in August 1992, and the Advanced Institute was added in August 1994. Also, the SCAC, in cooperation with the South Carolina Education Television Network, sponsors periodic teleconference training opportunities for county officials. In addition, SCAC has prepared an educational video for the General Assembly and the public, entitled South Carolina Counties: Government that Works!

Legal Assistance
SCAC provides legal assistance to county governments by helping county attorneys in rendering legal opinions, preparing amicus briefs, drafting ordinances, and consulting with county attorneys and other county officials. The SCAC Legal Assistance Program, coordinated through the Legal Advisory Committee, provides special assistance to a county involved in litigation which may impact other counties. In addition, the Association annually sponsors the South Carolina Local Government Attorneys' Institute, which provides six hours of C.L.E. credit in local government law for county attorneys.

Financial Services
The SCAC offers a number of financial services to its member counties. SCAC sponsors two self-funded insurance trusts, designed specifically to meet the needs and requirements of local government agencies, including the Workers' Compensation Trust and the Property and Liability Trust. And, in cooperation with the National Association of Counties Financial Services Center, SCAC is now offering purchase cooperative agreements with several companies.

Debt Collection Services
The Setoff Debt Collection Act, Chapter 56 of Title 12 of the South Carolina Code (1976), authorizes local governments to participate in the state's Setoff Debt Collection Program. In this program, counties submit delinquent debts for possible matches against state income tax refunds due their debtors. The SCAC acts as a clearinghouse between county governments and the S.C. Department of Revenue for the processing of these debts. Monies, which otherwise would have gone uncollected, are returned to the counties this way.