Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 3
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 January 23-25, 2024, is 1,342 words or a 5 minute read. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
Senate Budget Calendar (TBA)
Week 3 Preview
The House has only two items pending on its calendar to begin the week: H.3989 (Solar, Agricultural, Farmland, and Environmental Act) and eleven (11) line item vetoes from H.4300, the FY24 General Appropriations Act. Additionally, two House resolutions (H.4735 and H.4695) amending the House rules related to the number of amendments that may be offered are rumored to be possible additions to the calendar. Unless the rules amendments are debated, floor sessions should be fairly modest this week to allow full committees and subcommittees to work.
The Senate has 29 bills, one joint resolution, and one Senate resolution on its calendar to begin the week. Education legislation may take center stage this week as S.305 (prior work experience on initial teaching certificate) was set for special order and Senate Education Chair Greg Hembree took the floor on January 18 to announce that it was his intent to debate S.126 (charter accountability and school transfers) on January 24. Of the 29 bills pending, only 7 bills are listed as uncontested on the calendar.
The biggest event this week will be the annual State of the State Address delivered by Governor Henry McMaster on January 24 at 7pm; it will be live streamed.
Week 2 Review
House floor sessions consumed 7 hours, 58 minutes of time, of which 6 hours, 45 minutes were consumed on Wednesday for the floor debate on H.4624. The House passed one bill last week:
H.4624 would prohibit gender transition procedures, surgical or chemical, on persons under age 18; prohibit the use of public funds for gender transition procedures; and prohibit public school employees from withholding information from a student’s parent or legal guardian about a student’s perception of his or her gender that is inconsistent with his or her biological sex.
Senate floor sessions consumed 3 hours, 51 minutes of time. The Senate passed six bills last week:
H.3690 (anti-ESG bill).
H.3799 (water professionals day; first Monday in March).
H.4120 (SLED illegal immigration enforcement unit).
S.916 (Newberry County school board candidates).
H.3782 (streaming content service definition for franchise fee purposes).
S.882 (prescription medication records) requires parents/legal guardians to have access to a child’s prescription medication records for children under age 16, though there are several exceptions in the bill such as an emancipated minor, a married minor, a minor who is homeless and without a guardian, prescription refills when a parent/legal guardian has already consented to the use of the medication, and any conflict with federal law.
Committee Schedule Week 3
Some committee meetings that will generate some debate and news.
Joint Bond Review Committee; January 24 at 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: Joint Bond Review Committee (JBRC) is one of the most powerful committees in the General Assembly with responsibility for review, comment, and approval of items such as facility leases for state agencies and higher education institutions, State Infrastructure Bank projects, and the state’s permanent improvement projects (PIP) list.
Senate Finance Committee; January 23 at 3pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: Six bills on the agenda: H.3116 (disabled veterans property tax exemption), H.3951 (Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act), S.577 (technical correction), S.578 (release of tax records), S.620 (electronic tax sales), and S.806 (sine die adjournment and the annual appropriations act). Additionally, the committee may discuss a Senate budget deliberations schedule at this meeting.
Senate Education Subcommittee; January 24 at 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.905, a bill amending the Read to Succeed Act. There are several sections of the bill, which remains applicable to charter schools as this is amending existing law. The main purpose of this bill is to embed the science of reading as the primary instructional strategy for literacy in South Carolina public schools. This has been State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver’s top priority since assuming office. The 3rd grade reading benchmark that was a hallmark of the Read to Succeed Act remains in place, though there would be a pause until the 2025-2026 school year in order to provide time and training on the science of reading to schools, if this bill becomes law.
Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Ad Hoc Subcommittee; January 24 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: One bill on the agenda: S.910 to regulate consumer lending (sometimes called payday lending) advertising by banning some practices that advocates of the bill claim target consumers who are least likely to be able to repay a loan. This is the third subcommittee hearing on the bill.
Senate Banking and Insurance, Insurance Subcommittee; January 24 at 11am; Agenda; No Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills and two regulations on the agenda: S.32 (uninsured motorist coverage), S.944 (family leave insurance policies), S.957 (DOI procedures), and S.962 (PSAO fiduciary duties to pharmacies).
Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee; January 25 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are three appointments and three bills on the agenda: S.621 (South Carolina-Ireland Trade Commission), S.843 (misrepresentation of Native American tribes), and S.846 (prohibit certain Native American terms in a corporate/association name). Both S.843 and S.846 are pending consideration with favorable reports from a subcommittee.
Senate Medical Affairs Committee; January 25 at 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: The committee will consider one bill: S.915, which would merge several health-related state agencies into one entity, the Executive Office of Health and Policy. The state agencies affected by this bill include the Departments of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Public Health (DPH), Aging (Aging), Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), Mental Health (DMH), and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS).
House Ways & Means Budget Subcommittees (10 budget hearings)
Economic Development; January 23, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Healthcare; January 23, 1.5 hours upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Transportation; January 23, 1.5 hours upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Higher Education; January 23, 2:30pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Constitutional; January 23, 3pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Criminal Justice; January 24, 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Constitutional; January 24, 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Public Education & Special Schools; January 24, 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Higher Education; January 24, 10:30am; Agenda; Live Stream
Healthcare; January 24, immediately upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
House Ways & Means Economic Development Legislative Subcommittee; January 23, immediately upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.4710 (unemployment benefits). The bill would change the duration of unemployment benefits to be seasonally adjusted based on statewide unemployment rates, similar to the structure in Florida.
House Education & Public Works Committee; January 23 1.5 hours upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: H.3309 (Seizure Safe Schools Act), S.245 (criminal background checks for school booster club financial officers), H.4673 (beginners’ permits), and H.4674 (displaying a license plate).
House Judiciary Committee; January 23 at 2:30pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are nine bills on the agenda: H.3424 (age verification for certain websites), H.4700 (parental consent for social media accounts for minors), H.4029 (local housing authorities), H.4825 (kidnapping penalties), H.4158 (housing rental agreements), H.4231 (Sunday hard liquor sales), H.4364 (curbside pickup/delivery of alcohol), H.3608 (county auditors), and H.3523 (Fallen First Responder Survivor Advocate).
House Ways & Means Committee; January 24 at 1pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: S.298 (combined corporate tax filings), H.4810 (sales tax exemptions), and H.4710 (unemployment benefits).
House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee; January 25 at 9am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are seven bills on the agenda: H.4589 (municipal election protests), H.4590 (early voting hours), H.4022 (instant runoff voting in municipal elections), H.4259 (Hand Count Audit Act), H.4260 (prohibit electronic poll books; hand ballot pilot), H.4261 (devolves State Election Commission responsibilities to county election commissions), and H.4591 (ranked choice voting/instant runoff prohibitions).
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 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 10: Crossover Day
April TBD: Senate Finance Committee and Senate floor budget deliberations; BEA April revenue estimate
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
