Friday Reports
The Friday Report, is prepared and distributed every Friday of the legislative session. The most recent Friday Report will always appear on the home page.
The Senate debated and gave second and third readings to the FY 24-25 Appropriations Act (H. 5100) and Capital Reserve Fund (H. 5101) this week. The House worked on the floor and in committees taking up several Senate bills of interest. With only two weeks left in the legislative session, committees in both chambers will be wrapping up their work next week to get bills on the calendars for debate.
To learn more about these bills and other legislation of interest to counties, read the full Friday Report.Read Full Report
The Senate spent most of the week in chamber working its way through the calendar in preparation of the full Senate debate on the budget bill (H. 5100) and Capital Reserve Fund (H. 5101) next week. The House spent time in subcommittees debating several Senate bills received prior to last week’s crossover deadline.
To learn more about these bills and other legislation of interest to counties, read the full Friday Report. Read Full Report
SCAC Director of Governmental Affairs Kent Lesesne
and Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal
attended the Senate Judiciary Committee
to support H. 3865 on coroner qualifications.
The Senate Finance Committee adopted its version of the budget bill (H. 5100) and Capital Reserve Fund (H. 5101) this week. Although several other committees also met, the Senate was in perfunctory session all week. The House spent Tuesday and Wednesday working through its calendar and passed a handful of bills in advance of Thursday’s crossover deadline.
To learn more about these bills and other legislation of interest to counties, read the full Friday Report.Read Full Report
The Senate spent most of this week on the floor working through its calendar in preparation for the Thursday, April 11 crossover deadline. This deadline requires any bill that has not crossed over to the other chamber to receive a two-thirds vote to be considered. The House was on furlough this week and the Senate will be in perfunctory session next week. However, the Senate Finance Committee will begin deliberating the budget bill (H. 5100) on Tuesday.
For a full breakdown on the bills discussed this week, check out the Friday Report.
Both chambers worked through their respective calendars in advance of the April 11 crossover deadline. Bills that have not crossed over from their originating chamber will require a two-thirds vote after the deadline to be considered by the other chamber. In advance of furlough next week, the House passed one of its priority pieces of legislation — a comprehensive 10-year energy bill (H. 5118) — and sent it to the Senate. A Senate Finance subcommittee took testimony from SCAC staff and county auditors on S. 1114, a bill to change the way boats and watercraft are titled and taxed. This and several other bills of interest to counties are discussed in the full Friday Report.
Left: County officials this week worked at the SC Scrap Tire Coalition on the Waste Tire Disposal bill (S. 736). From left Greenville County Director of Solid Waste Compliance Susan Turner, Saluda County Council Chairman Jim Moore, SCAC Staff Attorney John Wienges, Greenville County Director of Solid Waste Marcia Papin and Horry County Solid Waste Authority Assistant Executive Director Ed Marr.
Right: SCAC Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs Owen McBride (center) testifies onRead Full Report
Kent Lesesne testifies before the
Senate Corrections and Penology Committee.
It was a productive week at the State House.
The House debated and passed H. 5164 to revise the Education Scholarship Trust Fund Program enacted in 2023.
The Senate finished debate and gave third reading to the Judicial Merit Selection Reform bill, S. 1046.
Both chambers passed a Sine Die Resolution, S. 1192.
A Senate Finance subcommittee is expected to take up a bill (S. 1114) next week that would remove the statutory requirement that outboard motors be titled by DNR and would exempt them from individual taxation. This could potentially cost counties revenue. Please reach out to members of the Senate Finance Committee and ask them to oppose the bill.
For details on this legislation and more covering a variety of SCAC policy positions, read this week’s Friday Report.Read Full Report
The House this week passed the 2024-25 state budget including an increase to the Local Government Fund. A Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee took up S. 763, a bill that would alleviate the financial burdens placed on counties in the disposal of waste tires. The subcommittee carried the bill over due to last minute concerns from manufacturers.
Please contact members of the Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee to express your support of passing the bill.
A breakdown of the FY 24-25 Appropriations Act including details on provisos impacting counties, waste tire disposal and more is available in this week’s Friday Report: https://conta.cc/3Tjf4tdRead Full Report
Legislators met in a Joint Assembly this week and elected Hon. John W. Kittredge as the new Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. The Senate spent most of the week debating a Judicial Merit Selection Commission reform bill (S. 1046) that was previously set for special order.
Both chambers took up and adopted the conference report on the constitutional carry of concealable weapons bill (H. 3594), during which time several members reiterated their opposition to the bill. The House worked to clear a variety of bills from the uncontested calendar in preparation for next week’s debate on the FY 24-25 Appropriations Act (H. 5100). These and several other bills of interest to counties are discussed below.
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Redevelopment Authorities (RDAs): Tax Increment Financing for Affordable Housing — H. 4552. This bill adds certain affordable housing projects to what qualifies as a redevelopment project for federal military installations. It includes an affordable housing project (defined referencing median income percentages according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) where all or a part of new property tax revenues generated in the tax incrementRead Full Report
After weeks of the judicial elections being held up in the Senate, legislators reached a resolution by placing a judicial reform bill (S. 1046) in the special order status. Senators began debating the bill Thursday. The Senate and House then agreed to hold the election for the South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice at noon March 6. All the other judicial elections will be at noon April 17.
The House debated and passed a bill that creates the Executive Office of Health and Policy, H. 4927.
Check out these and several other bills of interest to counties this week's Friday Report: https://conta.cc/49xngNjRead Full Report
The Senate debated several bills this week and passed S.915, which creates the Executive Office of Health and Policy. A Senate Judiciary subcommittee met Wednesday and continued discussions on numerous bills regarding selection of judges. Although most House of Representatives members observed a prescheduled furlough week, the Ways and Means Committee met Tuesday and Wednesday to finalize provisions on the state budget before sending the FY24-25 appropriations bill to the House floor for debate.
Thank you to all the county officials who attended Counties Connect events Tuesday night and Wednesday. Your presence at the State House and conversations with your delegation members were greatly appreciated!
Check out this week's Friday Report for the legislative details relevant to counties: https://conta.cc/4c1Mq8L Read Full Report