Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 17
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 April 30-May 2, 2024, is 997 words or a 4 minute read. There are 6 legislative days remaining in the 2024 regular session. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
SC Election Commission Candidate Filing Tracker
Week 17 Preview
The House has 30 bills and resolutions on its calendar eligible for debate to begin the week. There is one bill on the contested calendar: S.915 (Executive Office of Health and Policy). It is anticipated more bills will be moved to the House contested calendar; some because of authentic debate and some as a tactic to extend the floor session.
The Senate has 77 bills, four concurrent resolutions, 11 joint resolutions, and one Senate resolution on its calendar to begin the week. There is one bill in the status of Special Order: H.4624 (prohibit gender transition procedures). There are 46 bills and resolutions without a printed objection on the Senate calendar (approximately 50% of the calendar).
Barring exceptional circumstances, this is the last week for full committees and subcommittees to meet. Unanimous consent requests to recall legislation from committees are likely in both chambers, and the Senate could recall bills after polling a committee (Senate Rule 10).
Week 16 Review
Senate floor sessions consumed 18 hours, 3 minutes and passed nine bills and resolutions. The Senate spent most of its time debating H.5100 (FY25 budget) and H.5101 (capital reserve bill).
House floor sessions consumed 4 hours, 26 minutes and passed five bills.
Senate Rules
Now that the Senate is within the final 6 legislative days and a sine die resolution was passed, there are some Senate rules to remember. The House rules do not contain exceptions tied to the final days of session.
Rule 15A: This rule is used to invoke cloture on a bill, but requires 2 hours of debate prior to being in order. But during the final 3 legislative days, this time requirement may be waived by 3/5 vote of the Senators present and voting.
Rule 32A: This rule establishes the order of business for the calendar. But during the final 2 weeks, a bill returned from the House or a bill vetoed by the governor may be considered on the same legislative day. This motion is non-debatable and requires only a simple majority, but it must be made when the message is read across the desk.
Rule 32B: This bill governs the Senate contested calendar. During the final 2 weeks, a bill may be called from the contested calendar with a simple majority vote of the Senate Rules Committee. If successful, the bill will be considered after Special Orders.
Rule 32D: During the final 3 legislative days, reports of conference committees and sine die resolutions shall be in order at any time.
Rule 37: During the final 6 legislative days, the one day requirement to lie on the table for committee reports and resolutions may be suspended by a 3/5 vote of the Senators present and voting.
Committee Schedule Week 17
Some committee meetings that will generate some debate and news. If a live stream link is not provided with a committee meeting that means no live stream is available. Additional meetings may be added during the week and while 24 hours notice is generally given, it is not always possible to provide such notice.
H.3728 Conference Committee; April 30 at 10am; Agenda CANCELED
Summary: The conference committee on H.3728 (Transparency and Integrity in Education Act) will meet for the first time.
Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee; April 30 at 10am; Agenda
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: H.3278 (real estate appraisers); H.4086 (residential builders); H.4754 (comprehensive real estate agent bill).
Senate Judiciary Committee; April 30 at 2pm or upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are 17 House bills on the agenda.
Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Subcommittee; May 1 at 9am; Agenda
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: H.4820 (wild turkey limits); H.4611 (unlawful removal of dog collars); H.4874 (captive wildlife). Following this subcommittee at 10am the full committee is meeting on these three bills.
Senate Transportation Subcommittee; May 1 at 10am; Agenda
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.3349 (utility terrain vehicles).
Senate Transportation Committee; May 1 at 11am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: The committee will receive a presentation from the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Senate Medical Affairs Committee; May 2 at 9:30am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.4622 (itemized patient billing). Additionally the committee will consider seven statewide appointments and 12 regulations.
House Medical Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee; April 30 immediately upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: The committee will receive public testimony regarding S.423 (medical cannabis).
House Judiciary Committee; April 30, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are eight bills on the agenda: S.1046 (judicial merit selection commission reform); S.1001 (prison industries); S.841 (Prosecutors Personal Privacy Protection Act); S.1 (drug-induced homicide); S.112 (check fraud expungements); S.954 (electronic communications disclosure to law enforcement); S.947 (crime of kidnapping); S.1166 (dismissal of pending handgun possession charges).
House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee; April 30 one hour upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: S.881 (Prohibition of Unfair Real Estate Service Agreements Act); S.700 (Earned Wage Access Act); S.434 (service contract terms); S.542 (South Carolina Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resilience Act).
House Education & Public Works Committee; April 30 one hour upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: S.968 (disclose blood type on driver’s license); S.207 (Piedmont Gateway Scenic Byway); S.125 (additional LIFE scholarship stipends education majors); S.974 (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges institutions).
House Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Cyber Crimes; May1 at 8:45am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: The committee will receive two presentations.
House 3-M Committee; May 2 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: H.4628 (regulate sale and distribution of hemp-derived cannabinoid products) ; H.4890 (ambulance epinephrine auto-injectors mandate); H.5043 (Kratom Consumer Protection Act).
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 1-5: House furlough week
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 5: Election of an Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court (tentative)
June 11: Nominating Primary Elections
June 12: Senate budget conference report vote (tentative)
June 18-20: House budget conference report vote (tentative)
June 25: Nominating Primary Runoff Elections
June 26-28: Budget vetoes session (tentative)
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
