Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 10 & House Budget Week
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.
This week’s edition, covering March 11-14, 2024, is 1,325 words or a 6 minute read. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
Week 10 Preview
This is budget week in the House. The first floor session will begin on Monday at 1pm with additional floor sessions expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the House will remain in session until the budget work is finished. The budget bill and provisos are available online, and the House Ways & Means Committee posted a summary document.
The House calendar is reserved for budget debate this week, though after the budget has received third reading the House may consider other bills on third reading or bills returned from the Senate. But usually the only bills considered are the budget and the capital reserve fund bill.
The Senate has 61 bills, eight joint resolutions, one concurrent resolution, and one Senate resolution on its calendar to begin the week. There is one bill in the status of Interrupted Debate: S.1046 (judicial reform). This bill and S.99 (judicial reform), which will be offered as an amendment to S.1046, will consume much of this week’s floor time.
There are 43 bills and joint resolutions without a printed objection:
H.5153 (Anderson County District 2)
H.5168 (Kershaw County School District)
H.4002 (telecommunications devices in correctional facilities)
S.1046 (judicial reform)
S.962 (pharmacy service administrative organizations)
S.839 (crime of homicide by child abuse)
S.877 (crime of luring a child)
S.996 (crime of obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse)
S.968 (disclose blood type on driver’s license)
S.538 (tenure)
S.1052 (wildlife area management regulations)
S.1054 (residential group care facilities regulations)
S.1055 (social work regulations)
S.954 (electronic communications disclosure to law enforcement)
S.995 (crime of sexual exploitation using a morphed image of a minor)
S.1090 (license plates regulations)
S.1091 (self-insurers regulations)
S.107 (maximum sales tax on livestock trailers)
S.650 (lottery tickets)
S.859 (skills based hiring)
S.969 (income tax deduction for law enforcement and firefighters)
S.1017 (nonprofit housing corporations)
S.1021 (abandoned buildings tax credit)
S.1047 (Denmark Technical College Area Commission)
S.1117 (wilderness therapeutic camps regulations)
H.3121 (income tax credit for perpetual recreation trail easement)
H.3295 (competency-based education)
H.3309 (Seizure Safe Schools Act)
H.3608 (real property deeds)
H.3811 (industry partnerships tax credits)
H.3880 (admissions tax on golf dues)
H.4376 (unclaimed remains)
H.4720 (continuing resolution)
H.4957 (name, image, likeness)
S.434 (service contract terms)
S.746 (trust business definition)
S.1031 (Uniform Money Services Act)
H.3255 (living organ donors)
S.994 (electronic nicotine delivery devices)
H.4624 (prohibit gender transition procedures)
S.965 (COVID-19 vaccination mandates)
S.1074 (certified medical assistants)
S.1101 (Hampton County interchange naming bill)
House Rules Review
Old cliche from the sports world: in order to win the game one must know the rules of the game. A legislative chamber is no different and a budget week is as good as any to see members use the rules to their advantage. Specifically for the House, there is Rule 5.3 (pages 19 through page 23) regarding the general appropriations act. Other important rules this week are Rules 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.11, and 8.12.
A personal favorite: House Rule 5.3.B.3: “An amendment which has the effect of appropriating or reducing funds in excess of one million dollars during the fiscal year stated within the bill shall include within the amendment the corresponding appropriation reduction(s) and/or revenue increase(s) within the same section that shall fully fund the amendment's proposed appropriation(s) or revenue reductions(s) or have attached to it in writing an explanation of the specific appropriation reduction(s) and/or revenue increase(s) from the different section(s) that shall fully fund the amendment's proposed appropriation(s) or revenue reductions. Provided, if an amendment identifies unspent projected revenue or balance as the funding source, the Speaker must consult with the Office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and confirm the existence of sufficient unspent revenue or balance before the House may consider the amendment.” In summary, under this House rule if an amendment increases or decreases spending by more than $1M an offsetting amount must be proposed from either the same section or other sections of the budget. The Senate Rules do not contain such a provision.
But the Senate Rules have an interesting twist on the policy implications of budget provisos, commonly called “Rule 24.” Senate Rule 24(a) states in part:
“Matter which is germane to the subject of the General Appropriation Bill and any Supplemental Appropriation Bill shall be defined as those things which reasonably, specifically, and inherently directly relate to the raising or spending of revenue for or in the fiscal year for which the bill applies and do not temporarily or permanently add, amend, or repeal a portion of the general permanent laws of South Carolina. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the temporary suspension of any permanent law.”
By comparison, House Rule 5.3.B.4 states: “No amendments thereto may temporarily or permanently add, amend, repeal, or alter a portion of the general permanent tax laws of South Carolina. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the temporary suspension of any permanent law.” Spot the key difference? The Senate rule applies to the entire Code of Laws while the House rule applies only to tax laws.
Week 9 Review
House floor sessions consumed 6 hours, 10 minutes and passed 20 bills and resolutions:
H.3594 (permitless carry)
H.5153 (Anderson County District 2)
H.5168 (Kershaw County School District)
H.5007 (Lower Saluda River hook size limit)
H.4590 (early voting hours)
H.4552 (affordable housing on redeveloped military installations)
H.4754 (comprehensive real estate agent bill)
H.4113 (ambulance services fee)
H.4218 (genetic information protection)
H.5146 (Florence County use of automatic license plate readers)
H.4611 (unlawful removal of dog collars)
H.4612 (feral hog hunting)
H.5105 (military coursework college credit)
H.4819 (handicapped parking placards)
H.3160 (definition of personal vehicle)
H.4333 (mobile optometry units)
H.4933 (vehicle sunscreen devices)
H.4436 (interfering with an emergency vehicle)
H.4680 (firefighter cancer health care benefit plan residency requirement)
H.4365 (social work interstate compact)
Senate floor sessions consumed 12 hours, 17 minutes and passed one bill conference report: H.3594 (permitless carry). The Senate spent extensive time debating S.1046 (judicial reform).
Committee Schedule Week 10
Some committee meetings that will generate some debate and news. No House committees will meet this week. If a live stream link is not provided with a committee meeting that means no live stream is available.
Senate Finance Budget Subcommittees (4 budget hearings)
Health & Human Services; March 12 at 3pm or upon adjournment, whichever is later; Agenda
Health & Human Services; March 13 at 9am; Agenda
Transportation & Regulatory; March 13 at 12pm; Agenda
K-12 Education; March 14 at 10am; Agenda
Senate Medical Affairs Committee; March 13 at 10am; Agenda.
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: S.763 (tipping fees on waste tires) and H.4486 (septic tank testing pilot program).
Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Subcommittee; March 13 at 11am; Agenda
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: S.1051 (waterfowl hunting on Lake Blalock); S.955 (blue crab fishery); S.1125 (commercial herring seasons).
Senate LCI Professions & Occupations Subcommittee; March 13 at 11am; Agenda
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: S.1132 (barbering and cosmetology practices) and S.1139 (residential swimming pools).
Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; March 13 at 12pm; Agenda
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.999 (wastewater signage).
Senate Medical Affairs Committee; March 14 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.975 (vaccine or gene therapy mandates).
Senate LCI Committee; March 14 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: At this time of this posting the agenda has not been posted but activity from previous subcommittee meetings could be considered.
Key Dates
January 9: Session Convenes
January 16: Judicial Merit Selection Commission final report published
January 24: State of the State
February 7: Judicial elections (subject to change)
February 15: Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) February revenue estimate
February 20-22: House Ways & Means Committee budget deliberations
March 6: Election of the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court
March 11-14: House floor budget deliberations
March 16: Candidate filing opens for all House and Senate seats at 12pm
April 1: Candidate filing closes for all House and Senate seats at 12pm
April 9-11: Senate Finance Committee budget deliberations
April 10: Crossover Day
April 17: Judicial Elections
April 23-25: Senate floor budget deliberations
May 9: Session Adjourns
June 11: Nominating Primary Elections
June 25: Nominating Primary Runoff Elections
July 1: Fiscal Year 2024-2025 begins
October 6: Last day to register to vote
October 21: Early voting opens
November 2: Early voting closes
November 5: General Election Day
