Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 18
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 May 7-9, 2024, is 742 words or a 3 minute read. There are 3 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 18 Preview
The House has 48 bills and resolutions on its calendar eligible for debate to begin the week. There are five bills on the contested calendar. 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 85 bills, one concurrent resolution, four joint resolutions, and one Senate resolution on its calendar to begin the week. There are 52 bills and resolutions that are uncontested (57%) and no bills have Special Order status.
The sine die resolution, S.1192, establishes what bills are eligible for consideration after 5pm on May 9. For most legislation, it must either be enrolled for ratification after each chamber agrees to a version of it or the bill must be in conference committee status to remain alive. If a bill in its second chamber (i.e., a Senate bill on the House calendar) doesn’t receive second reading on Wednesday, May 8, it is dead - unless it can be attached as a rider to another bill that is alive. Bills in parliamentarian limbo, such as Bills Returned from the House and Senate Amendments, must be in conference committee or an agreed upon version adopted by both chambers in order to make it across the finish line.
Expect long floor sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday there will be moments when one chamber is standing at ease, waiting on the other chamber to send them legislation. But rest assured on Thursday, at five o’clock Eastern Standard Time, the gavels will crash down one more time on the 2024 regular session.
Week 17 Review
Senate floor sessions consumed 13 hours, 55 minutes and passed 12 bills and resolutions. The majority of floor time was consumed by the debate and passage of H.4624 (prohibit gender transition procedures).
House floor sessions consumed 8 hours, 51 minutes and passed 15 bills and resolutions. The House had extended debate on several bills as the text of H.5118 (comprehensive energy bill) was offered and adopted as an amendment to multiple bills.
Remaining Priority Bills
At this time of the year, every bill is critically important to one group or another. However, there are some priority bills of one chamber or one caucus that remain on calendars. Their disposition, one way or another, could have ripple effects for the fate of other legislation. Below are some examples with a baker’s dozen for each chamber.
Senate Bills
S.1 (drug-induced homicide)
S.125 (additional LIFE scholarship stipends education majors)
S.134 (live stream school board meetings)
S.557 (tax credits omnibus bill)
S.841 (Prosecutors Personal Privacy Protection Act)
S.862 (caregiver requirements in childcare facilities)
S.881 (Prohibition of Unfair Real Estate Service Agreements Act)
S.915 (Executive Office of Health and Policy)
S.947 (crime of kidnapping)
S.969 (income tax deduction for law enforcement and firefighters)
S.1021 (abandoned buildings tax credit)
S.1046 (judicial merit selection commission reform)
S.1166 (dismissal of pending handgun possession charges)
House Bills
H.3014 (hate crimes enhanced penalties)
H.3424 (age verification for certain websites)
H.3514 (South Carolina Equine Advancement Act)
H.3988 (pharmacy practice act)
H.4087 (tax credits omnibus bill)
H.4187 (retail theft)
H.4231 (Sunday liquor sales)
H.4364 (curbside/third-party alcohol delivery)
H.4617 (xylazine ban)
H.4624 (prohibit gender transition procedures)
H.4817 (alternative nicotine product vending machines)
H.4957 (name, image, likeness)
H.5118 (comprehensive energy bill)
Committee Schedule Week 18
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; May 7 at 10am; Agenda
Summary: The conference committee on H.3728 (Transparency and Integrity in Education Act) will meet for the first time. Two previous meetings have been canceled.
Judicial Merit Selection Committee; May 8 and May 9 at 9am both days; Agenda
Summary: The committee will hold public hearings on each of the six candidates seeking Seat 3 on the South Carolina State Supreme Court.
House Legislative Oversight Education and Cultural Affairs Subcommittee; May 9 at 8:45am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: The subcommittee will discuss its study of the Commission on Higher Education.
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
