Copper Dome Chronicle: 2023 Session Week 9
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Copper Dome Chronicle, sponsored by Advocatus. We strive for substantive writing with brevity, inspired by the book Smart Brevity; one of the best books about communications and writing we’ve read in years.
This week’s edition, covering March 6-10, 2023, is 606 words or less than a 3 minute read. Thanks for reading; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
1. Hate Crimes Bill, Workforce Development Bills Pass the House
On March 8 the House worked on several bills, passing two significant bills. H.3726 restructures the state’s workforce development ecosystem at the state level by consolidating most programs under the Department of Employment and Workforce. The House spent approximately 95 minutes debating the bill and several amendments, many that were tabled. The House spent the latter half of the afternoon debating H.3014, also known as the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, for 2 hours, 9 minutes. The bill creates enhanced penalties for certain crimes when the offense committed against a victim was intentional because of the victim’s race, color, religion, sex, and other factors listed in the bill.
On March 9 the House debated H.4088, which has become known as the Scout Motors incentive bill. On March 3 Scout Motors announced its first manufacturing facility will be located in Blythewood bringing 4,000 jobs and $2B in capital investment. This will be South Carolina’s fourth vehicle manufacturing facility, joining BMW (opened 1994), Mercedes-Benz Vans (opened 2006), and Volvo (opened 2018). Alabama has four vehicle manufacturing plants, so the Palmetto State and Yellowhammer State will soon share the distinction of having the most vehicle manufacturing plants in the Southeast. To learn more about the incentives and potential impacts to the FY 2023-2024 budget, read this special edition of The Copper Dome Chronicle.
The House sent 10 bills to the Senate last week and consumed 8 hours, 52 minutes of floor time.
2. Senate Works Its Calendar
The Senate spent much of its time on March 8 hearing an excellent explanation by Sen. Sean Bennett on S.285, a school choice bill creating scholarship funding organizations that was set for special order on March 7. These scholarships are funded by donations that are eligible for tax credits accrued to the donor. Throughout the week the Senate worked its calendar, especially on March 9 spending much of its time clearing bills that were previously carried over. The Senate sent 6 bills to the House last week and has 10 bills on the statewide third reading calendar. The Senate consumed 7 hours, 12 minutes of floor time.
3. Bill Introductions
H.4083 - Introduced by Rep. Stewart Jones and dozens of members of the House Republican Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus, the bill repeals sunset provisions regarding COVID-19 Liability Immunity Act and Act 142 (a bill restricting COVID-19 vaccine mandates).
H.4086 and H.4115 - Introduced by House Labor, Commerce and Industry Chair Bill Sandifer, both bills are fairly comprehensive “cleanup” bills. H.4086 amends several sections of the Residential Home Builders code (Chapter 59, Title 40) and H.4115 amends several sections of the Contractors code (Chapter 11, Title 40, mostly general or mechanical contractors).
H.4124 - Introduced by House Speaker Murrell Smith, House Ways & Means Chair Bruce Bannister, and House Ways & Means Healthcare Subcommittee Chair Bill Herbkersman, the bill is similar to S.399. It splits the Department of Health and Environmental Control in two: the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Services with the split beginning July 1, 2024.
S.602 - Introduced by Senate Family and Veterans’ Services Chairwoman Katrina Shealy and 21 bipartisan cosponsors, the bill would transform the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs from a stand-alone agency to a cabinet agency. The bill’s cosponsors include Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, Senate Finance Committee Chair Harvey Peeler, and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Nikki Setzler. With this powerhouse lineup of Senate leadership, the bill is on the fast track to the Senate floor.
