Copper Dome Chronicle: 2024 Session Week 7
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 20-22, 2024, is 938 words or a 4 minute read. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
Week 7 Preview
The House is taking its first furlough week and won’t hold floor sessions or committee meetings, except for the House Ways & Means Committee. The next calendar has been published for February 27.
The Senate has 41 bills, seven joint resolutions, one concurrent resolutions, and one Senate resolution on its calendar to begin the week. Much of the week will be devoted to the debate on S.915 (Executive Office of Health and Policy), which has a Special Order slot. There are 21 bills and resolutions without a printed objection:
H.3518 (driver’s licenses)
H.3866 (Attorney General duties)
H.4002 (telecommunications devices in correctional facilities)
H.4116 (funeral services and practices)
H.4868 (Florence School District 3)
S.298 (combined corporate income tax returns)
S.418 (Read to Succeed bill with new Senate amendments)
S.538 (tenure)
S.578 (disclosure of DOR documents)
S.862 (caregiver requirements in childcare facilities)
S.915 (Executive Office of Health and Policy)
S.944 (family leave insurance)
S.946 (Committee on the Regulation of Childcare Facilities membership)
S.962 (pharmacy service administrative organizations)
S.974 (accrediting institutions)
S.1001 (prison industries)
S.1025 (Aiken County School District)
S.1026 (pharmacy service administrative organizations regulations)
S.1027 (pharmacy benefits managers regulations)
S.1054 (DSS group care regulations)
S.1055 (Board of Social Work Examiners regulations)
Week 6 Review
House floor sessions consumed 4 hours, 3 minutes and passed four bills:
H.3594 (permitless carry)
H.4231 (Sunday liquor sales)
H.4957 (name, image, likeness)
H.5097 (Beaufort County precinct bill)
Senate floor sessions consumed 7 hours, 46 minutes and passed several bills:
H.3993 (farm-raised venison)
H.4047 (prohibit DNR records release regarding exotic animals)
H.4876 (Dorchester County School District 4)
S.245 (school booster clubs)
S.408 (suicide prevention training for professional counselors)
S.423 (medical cannabis)
S.558 (tuberculosis testing in nursing homes)
S.697 (marine recreational harvest data collection)
S.957 (Department of Insurance investigations)
H.3594 (permitless carry) will be sent to a conference committee once the Senate appoints conferees. The House conferees are Reps. Micah Caskey (co-sponsor of the bill), Bobby Cox (primary sponsor of the bill), and Justin Bamberg (voted in favor of the House version). There is only one other bill in a conference committee: H.3728 (Transparency and Integrity in Education Act).
The Board of Economic Advisors met on February 15 to discuss current revenue data and made the decision not to adjust the revenue forecasts for FY 2023-2024 ($12.89B) or FY 2024-2025 ($13.21B) at this time. However, general fund revenue is currently ahead of expectations by approximately $388.1M through January 2024.
Committee Schedule Week 7
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.
House Ways & Means Committee; February 20 at 1pm; Agenda; Live Stream.
Summary: The committee will consider the FY 2024-2025 General Appropriations Act and Capital Reserve bill this week. The committee will meet until a budget and capital reserve bill are reported out of committee. The committee website will have some important information available: budget summary documents, budget subcommittee handouts, full committee handouts.
***One of the most important budget documents to understand is a summary control document. Read our primer from last year about how to read one; it will take less than 5 minutes.***
Senate Finance Budget Subcommittees (6 budget hearings)
Higher Education; February 20 at 10am; Agenda
Health & Human Services; February 20 at 3pm or 15 minutes upon adjournment whichever is later; Agenda
Criminal Justice; February 21 at 8:45am; Agenda
Health & Human Services; February 21 at 10am; Agenda
Transportation & Regulatory; February 21 at 12pm; Agenda
Higher Education; February 22 at 10am; Agenda
Senate Judiciary Committee; February 20 at 3pm; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are 16 bills on the agenda and all are Senate bills.
Senate Finance Sales & Income Tax Subcommittee; February 20 upon adjournment; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: S.107 (maximum sales tax on livestock trailers); S.859 (skills based hiring); S.969 (income tax deduction for law enforcement and firefighters); S.1021 (abandoned buildings tax credit); H.3880 (admissions tax on golf dues).
Senate Education Subcommittee; February 21 at 9am; Agenda
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda both regulating name, likeness, and image in college athletics: S.993 and H.4957.
Senate LCI Professions & Occupations Subcommittee; February 21 at 10am; Agenda
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: S.709 (pyrotechnic safety board); S.728 (firefighter cancer health care benefit plan residency requirement); S.780 (Super-Kart Act); S.857 (mobile/portable cosmetologist or esthetician operation).
Senate Legislative Oversight Committee; February 21 at 11am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall will make her final appearance before a legislative committee before her retirement.
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee; February 21 at 11am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.4624 (prohibit gender transition procedures).
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee; February 21 at 11:30am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are 16 Senate bills on the agenda, each proposing changes to how judges are elected.
Senate Finance Property Tax Subcommittee; February 22 at 9:30am; Agenda; Live Stream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: S.1017 (low income housing property tax exemption); S.355 (real property deeds); H.3608 (real property deeds); S.231 (municipal privilege/license tax on railroads).
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee; February 22 at 10am; Agenda
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.1064 (Alzheimer's special care unit code review).
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
