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.
After voting to set S. 423, the “Compassionate Care Act” bill for special order, the Senate began debate on the bill Wednesday. Debate is expected to continue next week on the floor, and multiple amendments are likely to be offered and considered.
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee met Tuesday and discussed several bills aimed at changing the process of nominating and selecting judicial candidates, although no bills were advanced.
The House spent most of the week on the floor working through its calendar to prepare for the consideration of the state budget bill by the Ways and Means Committee in the coming weeks. Several bills of interest to counties are discussed below.
Check out this week's Friday Report for the legislative details relevant to counties: https://conta.cc/4bIoh6WRead Full Report
on Camp LeJeune water contamination litigation legislation.
The Senate spent most of the week on the floor debating and ultimately passing H. 3594, the “Open Carry Without Training Act.” The House continued meeting in budget subcommittees and also spent time working through their calendar on the floor. Several bills of interest to counties are discussed below.
Check out this week’s Friday Report for the legislative details relevant to counties: https://conta.cc/3u9I66d
The Senate Finance Committee met for the first time in 2024 and took up several bills of interest to counties. When not in committee meetings, members of the Senate spent time on the floor debating H. 3594, the “Constitutional Carry” of concealed weapons bill. The House continued meeting in budget subcommittees to hear from various state agencies on budget requests for FY 2024-25. Several bills of interest to counties are discussed below.
Check out this week’s Friday Report for the details and bill discussions relevant to counties at https://conta.cc/3u7aZQo.
The House continued meeting in budget subcommittees to hear from various state agencies and groups on requests for FY 2024-25. The Senate spent time on the floor debating and passing H. 3690, a bill to enact the “ESG Pension Protection Act” to require, among other things, that the Retirement System Investment Commission only consider financial factors in making certain investment decisions.
Check out this week’s Friday Report for the details and bill discussions relevant to counties at https://conta.cc/3vJcvIZ
Tuesday marked the beginning of the second year of the 125th session of the South Carolina General Assembly. Any bills that were introduced last year but did not become law do not need to be filed again to be taken up in 2024. However, bills that do not become law this year will have to be filed again in 2025. The House began meeting in budget subcommittees to hear from various state agencies and groups, including SCAC, on budget requests for FY 2024-25.
Check out this week’s Friday Report for the details and bill discussions relevant to counties at https://conta.cc/3HhJTJi.
The House and Senate met on Wednesday and finally approved the budget bill (H. 4300). Both chambers also took up several conference reports. The Senate and House also indicated that unless there are budget vetoes by the Governor they consider to be significant, they will not reconvene until January 2024.
The budget and other bills of interest are discussed below:
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Budget – H. 4300. Both chambers took up and adopted the conference committee report on the budget bill on Wednesday. As adopted by the General Assembly, the state budget increases funding to the Local Government Fund (LGF) by $13,212,234 statewide. This represents full funding to the LGF under the statutory formula. (See the updated LGF County Allocation Estimates Chart.) The budget also provides for $20 million in new money to County Transportation Committees. The budget also includes $12 million for the Rural Stabilization Fund, the same as in FY 22-23. (See the updated RSF County Estimates Chart.)
Other funding of note in the budget includes:
- $155 million to cover a $2,500 base pay increase for state employees making under $50,000 and a 5 percent base pay increase for state employees making over $50,000 Read Full Report
The House met on Wednesday and took up vetoes by the Governor, as well as a few other bills on the calendar. The Senate did not meet this week. The budget conference committee met on Wednesday and Thursday and finally reached an agreement on the budget bill (H. 4300) Thursday afternoon. Both chambers will now meet in statewide session in the coming weeks to adopt the conference committee report.
The budget and other bills of interest are discussed below:
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Budget – H. 4300. After several weeks of disagreement, the budget conference committee met this week and agreed on a budget bill. As adopted by the conference committee, the state budget increases funding to the Local Government Fund (LGF) by $13,212,234 statewide. This represents full funding to the LGF under the statutory formula. The budget also provides for $20 million in new money to County Transportation Committees. The committee also funded the Rural Stabilization Fund at $12 million, the same as in FY 22-23.
Other funding of note in the budget includes:
- $155 million to cover a $2,500 base pay increase for state employees making under $50,000 and a 5 percent base pay increase for state employees making over $50,000;
- $121.5 million for the state’s share of the 3.7 percent increase in premiums under the State Health Plan, including expanded well visits, prescribed contraceptives for dependents, and annual Read Full Report
On Tuesday, the Senate took up the House amendments to the six-week abortion ban bill (S. 474). Several more amendments were debated but ultimately the Senate concurred with the House amendments, and the bill will be enrolled for ratification. The Senate also gave third reading to H. 4299, the continuing resolution to pay the expenses of state government in case the FY 23-24 begins without a new budget. There is still a chance that the Budget Conference Committee will meet before July 1 to deliberate the differences between the House and Senate versions of H. 4300, the FY 23-24 Appropriations Act, but there are also talks that the two chambers may have reached an impasse.
These and other bills of interest are discussed below:
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Budget – H. 4300. Both chambers increased funding to the Local
As indicated in last week’s Friday Report, Governor Henry McMaster called both chambers to return to work this week. Because there is no sine die resolution, the General Assembly can take up any bills that are pending. The Senate met briefly on May 16 without taking up any bills and did not meet the rest of the week. The House debated several bills, but spent most of its time debating the six-week abortion ban bill (S. 474), which it passed and sent back to the Senate with amendments.
The House will reconvene on Wednesday, while the Senate will meet on Tuesday. In addition to any other bills lawmakers decide to consider, they will take up any conference committee reports that are completed. The budget conference committee has met but has not completed its work on the budget. SCAC will continue to report on any new developments.
Bills of interest are discussed below:
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Budget – H. 4300. The budget conference committee met throughout the week to finalize appropriations and provisos for 2023-2024. The conferees are Reps. Bannister, Herbkersman, and Weeks and Sens. Peeler, Setzler, and Alexander. Both chambers increased funding to the Local Government Fund (LGF) by $13,212,234 statewide. This represents full funding to the LGF under the statutory formula. TheRead Full Report
The House and Senate spent the final week of the regular statewide session finalizing committee deliberations and debating numerous bills in their respective chambers. As a result of a disagreement over the future of the Comptroller General’s office, no sine die resolution was adopted to allow the General Assembly to return to deal with specific bills such as the budget and other bills that are in conference committees. Governor Henry McMaster has indicated he will call both chambers to return next week when the House is expected to debate the six-week abortion ban bill (S. 474). SCAC will continue to report on any new developments. Bills of interest are discussed below:
Revenue, Finance and Economic Development
Budget – H. 4300. The House took up the budget as previously amended by the Senate this week. Both chambers increased funding to the LGF by $13,212,234 statewide. This represents full funding to the LGF under the statutory formula. The House amended the budget to reinsert their original provisos and line items and also to spend surplus money that was realized by the Board of Economic Advisors on Tuesday. The House returned the budget bill to the Senate and the Senate insisted on their version. As a result, H. 4300 will