The South Carolina House Republican Caucus unveiled its 2012 Legislative Agenda last week focusing on a fairer tax code, stronger Right to Work laws, healthier retirement system, ensuring the First in the South Primary, and pushing last year's reforms through the S.C. Senate. 

 

In the 2012 Agenda, we are focusing our sights on ensuring long-term growth and fiscal stability:

 

 

 

 

 

Bridgestone is hiring for its new Aiken County manufacturing plant which is under construction.  
To learn more, go here. 

  

ALEC, a nonpartisan association for state lawmakers, has released its annual Report Card on American Education and SC is not doing well by their benchmarks. SC received an education policy grade of C+; but, out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, South Carolina was at the bottom receiving a ranking of 50th based on NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) performance. The report measures the overall 2011 NAEP scores.

 

The House unanimously voted to agree with Senate amendments to a bill that says DHEC's board overstepped its authority when it granted Georgia permission that helped clear the way for an expansion project at the Savannah port. This port competes with the Charleston port. A spokesman for Gov. Haley says she will veto the bill. It will then come back to the General Assembly for a very quick veto override. 

 

Officer Down & the Blue Alert System: 

Legislation has been approved by the House and Senate that would create a "Blue Alert" system to more promptly inform police agencies and residents when an officer is seriously injured, killed or kidnapped in the line of duty. The system would be modeled after "AMBER Alerts" in which the public is told about missing children through electronic message boards, emails and text messages. I am a co-sponsor of this bill.

 

No State Law for Football: 

The rival football game between Clemson and South Carolina will not be mandated by law. The fear that the ACC and the SEC might change their policies towards the number of out of conference teams they can schedule each year, was the reason this bill was proposed. The bill came up before the House sub-committee and it was unanimously rejected.  No reason for the government to get involved in this.

 

The House approved and sent to the Senate (H-3793) a bill addressing SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA AND OTHER SYNTHETIC DRUGS. The legislation adds numerous materials, chemical compounds, mixtures and preparations, including those commonly known as bath salts, spice, and K2, to the list of Schedule I controlled substances, which are unlawful for members of the general public to purchase, sell, distribute, manufacture, or possess.  

 

Definitions of Joint and Sole custody will be clearly stated for the first time in decades. The South Carolina's child custody law has varied greatly depending on which family court judge was hearing the case. The proposal lists 15 factors that judges can consider in awarding custody. There were 3,372 child custody and visitation cases filed statewide last fiscal year, which ended June 30, plus another 987 cases in which modification of child custody or visitation was sought, according to figures from the S.C. Judicial Department. The bill unanimously cleared the House last week and is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

The House amended, approved, and sent to the Senate (H-4571) This bill makes revisions pertaining to the REPEAL OF SECTION 56-1-754, WHICH RELATES TO THE SUSPENSION OF A DRIVER'S LICENSE OF A PERSON CONVICTED OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE VIOLATION. This particular code section was repealed by the General Assembly last year by Act 13 of 2011. This new legislation enacts language in order to carry out the intentions of the General Assembly when it enacted this legislation to discontinue the suspension of the driver's license of a person who was charged with a controlled substance violation before April 12, 2011, but whose conviction occurred on or after April 12, 2011. 

 

Following a lengthy debate on the House floor last week, the House voted 86-25 to approve  (H-4652) a bill by LCI Chairman Bill Sandifer (R-Oconee) that strengthens the State's Right to Work Laws. The legislation allows employers to hang posters notifying employees of the provisions of the state's right to work law. It prohibits local or state governments from requiring project labor agreements when awarding government contracts, incentives, or tax credits. It also requires that employees who are union members and who have authorized a payroll deduction for union dues to be allowed to stop the deduction at any time. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. I am a co-sponsor of this bill. 

 

Legislation suspending unemployment benefits of anyone failing a drug test as part of a job application is heading to the House floor. State law already disqualifies workers fired for drug use from collecting unemployment benefits. This bill addresses those already receiving benefits. Their benefits would be suspended if they test positive for illegal drugs while applying for a new job.   

 

The House Education and Public Works Committee approved (H-4451) a bill to prohibit texting while driving, sending the bill to the House. The bill goes to the floor with amendments to decrease the amount of the fines and which changes the violation in accidents resulting in great bodily injury or death from a felony to a misdemeanor. SC is one of only 8 states having no statewide driving-while-texting ban. I am a co-sponsor of this bill. 

 

This week both House and Senate committees took up possible reform of the SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT).  Back in 2007, a law restructuring the SCDOT put the agency in the Governor's Cabinet and gave oversight to a seven-member commission, six of whom are elected by legislators from each congressional district.  Interest in additional reform has been sparked by the obsession with funding the new interstate starting in Myrtle Beach, Governor Haley's desire to eliminate the SCDOT Commission, and SCDOT's cash flow issues which prevent paying paving contractors on time. 

 

The House Judiciary Subcommittee gave preliminary approval to a bill (H-4625) that would give the governor full control of the S.C. Department of Transportation and create an advisory committee for the SCDOT.  However, the bill is a work in progress and may be changed when it reaches the full House Judiciary Committee.  The reform effort is an attempt to remove politics from the decision making at the SCDOT – good luck on that! 

 

However, the SC House plan appears to be on a collision course with a SC Senate plan. SC Senate Transportation Committee Chairman, Larry Grooms, also wants to get rid of the SCDOT commission, but thinks a legislative oversight board should replace it.  He is concerned about one person (governor) having full authority over one of South Carolina's largest and most influential agencies.