Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 5
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 February 6-8, 2024, is 1,106 words or a 4.5 minute read. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
Week 5 Preview
The looming question during Week 5 is will a joint assembly be held on February 7 to elect judges, including the elevation of Justice John Kittredge to the position of Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. H.4895, the concurrent resolution convening the joint assembly, was passed by the House on January 18 and reported favorable by the Senate Operations and Management Committee on January 24. House Speaker Murrell Smith made a few brief comments during Thursday’s floor session that the House was ready to convene the joint assembly and elect judges, but that the Senate has not acted yet on the authorizing resolution. There are three senators objecting to the consideration of H.4895.
Judicial reform has been a hot topic under the copper dome. The House Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Judicial Selection and Retention Process issued a list of possible policy changes on January 31 after holding several hearings. On February 6 a Senate Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing about judicial reform and 16 Senate bills filed on the subject.
As previously discussed, judicial elections are one of the most significant political events in the General Assembly each year. But the debate over how judges are elected has reached a boiling point that crosses partisan and geographic boundaries. Expect some floor speeches in both chambers this week.
The House has 16 bills on its calendar eligible for debate to begin the week. Bills that may generate significant debate include:
H.3608 (real property deeds)
H.3989 (Solar, Agricultural, Farmland, and Environmental Act)
H.4710 (unemployment benefits)
H.4231 (Sunday liquor sales)
H.4364 (curbside/third-party alcohol delivery)
H.4300 (FY 23-24 General Appropriations Act) line item budget vetoes.
The Senate has 35 bills, 3 concurrent resolutions, 1 joint resolution and 1 Senate resolution. S.305 (prior work experience on initial teaching certificate) remains in the status of Special Order. There are 15 bills and resolutions without a printed objection:
H.3116 (disabled veterans property tax exemption)
H.3518 (driver’s licenses)
H.4116 (funeral services and practices)
H.4841 (Dillon County road naming bill)
H.4868 (Florence County School District 3)
H.4878 (Lexington County road naming bill)
H.4892 (Anderson County School District 1)
S.298 (combined corporate income tax returns)
S.305 (prior work experience on initial teaching certificate)
S.408 (suicide prevention training for professional counselors)
S.558 (tuberculosis testing in nursing homes)
S.577 (apprenticeship tax credit)
S.578 (disclosure of DOR documents)
S.778 (social worker state compact)
S.782 (Jasper County School District)
Week 4 Review
House floor sessions consumed 6 hours, 3 minutes and passed several bills:
H.3309 (Seizure Safe Schools Act)
H.3424 (age verification for certain websites)
H.3523 (Fallen First Responder Survivor Advocate Act)
H.4029 (housing authorities and magistrates)
H.4159 (Telehealth and Telemedicine Modernization Act)
H.4674 (license plates)
H.4700 (age verification for social media)
H.4810 (sales tax exemptions)
H.4825 (kidnapping)
H.4892 (Anderson County School District 1)
H.4937 (Pickens County precinct bill)
S.410 (Fairmont-Larkin Recreation Commission)
S.782 (Jasper County School District)
S.801 (Oconee County precinct bill)
Most of the House floor time was during the debates on H.3424 (age verification for certain websites) and H.4700 (age verification for social media).
Senate floor sessions consumed 19 hours, 30 minutes and passed several bills:
S.577 (income tax technical correction)
S.621 (South Carolina-Ireland Trade Commission)
S.700 (Earned Wage Services Act)
S.738 (Clarendon County School District)
S.806 (sine die adjournment and appropriations act)
H.3594 (permitless carry)
H.3951 (Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act)
The overwhelming majority of Senate floor time was during the debate on H.3594 (permitless carry).
Committee Schedule Week 5
Some committee meetings that will generate some debate and news.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee; February 6 at 3pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are 16 Senate bills on the agenda, each proposing changes to how judges are elected.
Senate Finance Sales and Income Tax Subcommittee; February 6, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: H.4087 (tax credits omnibus bill) and H.4720 (FY 24-25 continuing resolution). Some observers believe H.4087 will have several amendments considered as advocates look to create what was called in the old days (the 2000s and early 2010s) a BAT bill: big a** tax bill (this is a family publication). The continuing resolution is a fall back measure in the event a budget isn’t enacted by July 1.
Senate Education Subcommittee; February 7 at 9am; Agenda; No Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: S.584 (students with disabilities policy and notice of allegations), S.729 (ROTC course for physical education credits), H.3295 (competency-based education), and H.3309 (Seizure Safe Schools Act).
Senate Transportation Committee; February 7 at 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: A confirm hearing for Governor McMaster’s nominee to be the Secretary of Transportation, Mr. Justin P. Powell, who is currently the agency’s chief operating officer.
Senate Finance Budget Subcommittees (3 budget hearings)
Criminal Justice; February 7 at 8:45am; Agenda; No Live Stream
K-12 Education; February 7 at 10am; Agenda; No Live Stream
Higher Education; February 8 at 10am; Agenda; No Live Stream
House Ways & Means Budget Subcommittees (4 budget hearings)
Constitutional; February 6, immediately upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Economic Development; February 6, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Healthcare; February 6, 45 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Public Education & Special Schools; February 6, 1.5 hours upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee; February 6 at 10am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.4927 (Executive Office of Health and Policy).
House Education & Public Works Committee; February 6, 1 hour upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: H.4957 (name, image, and likeness for intercollegiate athletics) and H.4467 (accounting majors for LIFE scholarship stipends).
House 3-M Medical and Health Affairs Subcommittee; February 6, 1.5 hours upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: H.3988 (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians), H.4333 (mobile optometry units), H.4365 (social worker state compact), H.4622 (itemized medical billing), and H.4680 (Firefighter Cancer Health Care Benefit Plan eligibility).
House Labor, Commerce and Industry Insurance Subcommittee; February 8 at 9am; Agenda; No Live Stream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: H.4218 (genetic information protection) and H.3618 (pharmacy benefits managers)
Special Joint Committee to Study Childcare; February 8 at 10am; Agenda (TBA); Live Stream
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 9-11: Senate Finance Committee budget deliberations
April 10: Crossover Day
April 10: Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) April revenue estimate (final forecast)
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
