From the Dome to Your Home: January 28, 2011
House Ways and Means committee members continued to meet in subcommittee to hear budget requests from state agencies. Debate in the House of Representatives this week was dominated by H3003, the bill that would require photo identification to vote, while the Senate concentrated on the charitable raffle and gambling bill, S255.
Weekly Bill Introductions
Committee Action This Week
The Association’s legislative team covered these bills in committee or subcommittee and provided testimony where needed. Click on the bill's link for a full chronology of amendments and committee progress.
House Judiciary committee
H3295 - Alcoholic permits for homeowner's associations – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Allows a homeowner's association, chartered as a nonprofit organization whose membership is limited to property owners and governed by a board of directors, to apply for a license to sell alcoholic liquors by the drink.
Senate Judiciary committee
S1 – SC Election Reform Act - met but did not take action on this bill.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires photographic identification to vote. This bill also allows for an early voting period of 15 days before the general election or primary election.
S20 - Requires law enforcement to check immigration status of arrested, detained or stopped individuals - met but did not take action on this bill.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires a law enforcement officer who has reasonable suspicion that a person stopped, detained or arrested by law enforcement is an illegal immigrant to verify immigration status.
House Education and Public Works committee
H3122 – Changes the law regarding special permits to move vehicles during an emergency – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Deletes the word "move" from the current law and replaces it with the word "operate."
House Judiciary Special Laws subcommittee
H3029 – Social Security Number Protection Act – adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Outlines that a person is not required to provide his social security number on a form required by the state of South Carolina.
H3274 – Requirements for ejectment of a tenant - favorable report with an amendment. The amendment makes a technical language change.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires a magistrate to immediately issue an ejectment warrant and law enforcement officers must eject the tenant if grounds for ejectment constitute malicious property damage or threat to human life and the tenant fails to appear and show cause within five days.
Senate Transportation subcommittee
S336 – Specific requirements for uniform traffic citations – favorable report. Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges testified against this bill.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires a copy of the traffic citation be handed directly to the offender by the law enforcement officer issuing the ticket. This bill also requires law enforcement to stop the owner or operator of the vehicle to issue the traffic citation.
Senate Judiciary subcommittee
S231 - Removes references to nonprofit organizations in the laws related to beer and wine permits – carried over
Summary of the bill as introduced: Removes specific references to nonprofit organizations. This bill also allows the Department of Revenue to issue permits running for a period not exceeding fifteen days for a fee of ten dollars per day. These special permits may be issued only for locations at fairs and special functions.
House Judiciary Constitutional Laws subcommittee
H3375 – SC Fairness in Civil Justice Act of 2011 – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Outlines limits on the award of punitive damages. This bill also enacts the Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act to govern the retention of private attorney (s) by the Attorney General or a solicitor.
House Judiciary General Laws subcommittee
H3178 – Removes references to nonprofit organizations related to special permits to sell beer and wine – favorable report with amendments (the amendments return the qualifications to previous law before legislation was passed last year and reduces the two year records check requirement to 90 days).
Summary of the bill as introduced: Removes specific references to nonprofit organizations in the law that allows special permits for the sale of beer and wine.
H3405 – Allows elected or appointed officials to carry a concealed weapon while on duty – adjourned debate
Summary of the bill as introduced: Includes any elected or appointed public official not already on the list of elected and appointed officials allowed to carry a concealed weapon while on duty.
Hometown, SC Legislative Action Day is on February 16
The Hometown, SC Legislative Action Day meeting and legislative reception will be Wednesday, February 16, at the Marriott in Columbia. The keynote address for the opening general session will be given by Dr. Scott Huffmon, assistant professor of Political Science at Winthrop University, and Senator John Land (Manning) will be the luncheon speaker. The deadline for pre-registration has passed but participants can still register online.
The Municipal Association encourages reprints and reproductions of this report; however, contact the Municipal Association for permission and give credit for any reprints or re-use of this report.