From the Dome to Your Home: May 27, 2011
The House of Representatives and the Senate met in regular session and held subcommittee and committee meetings this week. The Senate finalized its version of the state budget and debated tax incentives for Amazon, while the House debated illegal immigration and school vouchers. There is one week or three legislative days left in the 2011 regular session. The House of Representatives and Senate are working on a resolution to end the session on June 2 and return on June 14 to continue working on the budget and redistricting. The resolution has been adopted by the House and is waiting adoption by the Senate.
Highlights of the Week
Point of sale bill on the Senate calendar and the House point of sale bill in Senate Finance committee
- Senate point of sale bill UPDATE
S647, the Senate version of the point of sale bill, remains on the Senate contested calendar. The Senate continued to debate the state budget bill on Tuesday and debated sales tax exemptions for retailer Amazon on Wednesday and Thursday and did not take up the point of sale bill. H3713, the House version of the point of sale bill, was introduced in the Senate last week and referred to the Senate Finance committee.
It is very important for ALL LOCAL OFFICIALS to continue to contact all senators to express their opposition to S647 and H3713 as passed by the House. It is critical to tell your senators to oppose both of these bills in their current form.
- House point of sale bill UPDATE
Last week, the House voted 64 to 51 to give H3713 third reading as amended. The amended version of the House bill trues up values to 100 percent of the fair market value at reassessment rather than point of sale. This amendment does not address the millage rollback calculation that local governments need to remain revenue neutral after reassessment.
It is still important for ALL LOCAL OFFICIALS to call their House members who voted against H3713 and thank them for supporting schools, cities, towns and counties.
For information on both of the point of sale bills, click here.
Contact Melissa Carter (mcarter@masc.sc) at 803.933.1251 if you have questions about the point of sale bills.
Senate gives final approval to the state budget
The Senate adopted its version of the budget on Tuesday evening after five weeks of debate. Included in the Senate version of the budget is the same 10 percent cut to the current year distribution of the Local Government Fund as included in the House version of the budget. This equals an $8.9 million loss to cities and towns for FY 2011-2012. To allow this cut, the Senate Finance committee approved H3516, the bill passed by the House that allows the General Assembly to reduce the Local Government Fund for one year beyond the amount allowed by law. H3516 remains on the Senate contested calendar and has received no action.
The budget is now back on the House calendar for concurrence. Assuming the House non-concurs with the Senate version, a conference committee will be appointed to iron out the differences between the two versions. Given the short amount of time left in the regular session, it’s likely the budget won’t be finalized until the General Assembly returns in June. Contact Melissa Carter (mcarter@masc.sc) at 803.933.1251 with questions about the budget or Local Government Fund.
Illegal immigration bill passes the House
The House of Representatives amended and approved S20, the illegal immigration reform bill that originated in the Senate. The bill is now back in the Senate for concurrence or nonconcurrence. The bill still has the potential to increase costs to local governments for enforcement and increased potential of lawsuits. The State newspaper published an article about the immigration bill on Wednesday. Contact Warren Harley (wharley@masc.sc) at 803.933.1270 if you have questions about the immigration bill.
Redistricting moving in the House
The House Judiciary Election Laws subcommittee met throughout the week to consider H3991 and H3992, the House redistricting plans for House districts and Congressional seats. The subcommittee completed its work on the two bills on Thursday morning. These bills include the maps for House districts and SC Congressional seats. Next, the House Judiciary committee will begin meeting on Monday, June 6, to consider the new districts. Contact Ed Schafer (eschafer@masc.sc) at 803.933.1203 with questions about redistricting.
S336, traffic camera bill, amended and given second reading by the House
S336, the bill that requires a copy of the traffic citation be handed directly to the offender by the law enforcement officer issuing the ticket, was amended and given second reading by the House on Thursday and will be up for third reading on Tuesday. The bill has already passed the Senate. Contact Warren Harley (wharley@masc.sc) at 803.933.1270 if you have questions about this bill.
Immediate action needed in support of CDBG Funds
Two bi-partisan senators in Washington are collecting signatures for a “Dear Colleague” letter urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to make the CDBG program a spending priority in fiscal year 2012. Please call Senators Graham and DeMint today and urge them to “sign the Leahy-Snowe letter in support of CDBG.” The letter will remain open for signatures only through Wednesday, June 1 so phone calls will be more effective than letters or emails. Senator Graham’s phone number is 202.224.5972 and Senator DeMint’s number is 202.224.6121. We need as many calls as possible to encourage their support. Please let Reba Campbell at 803.933.1245 (rcampbell@masc.sc) know if you make these calls.
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.
Senate Transportation committee
S54 – Allows golf carts to operate only within two miles of the address on the registration – no action
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires permitted golf carts to operate only within two miles of the address on the registration. This bill also requires permits be replaced every five years or at the time of an address change
H3259 – Golf cart operation outside a gated community – favorable report with an amendment. The amendment includes language from S54
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires the two-mile limit within which a golf cart owner may operate his golf cart to be measured from the community's primary entrance when the owner lives in a gated community
H3431 – Enacts John's Law – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires the Department of Transportation to publish its list of railroad crossings at which it plans to install crossing arms and other safety devices
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."
H3266 – Highways in the state built according to state standards – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Requires all highways in the state highway system to be built according to state standards.
2011 year-end legislative report
A wrap-up of the 2011 legislative session will be available online on June 18 following a presentation at the Annual Meeting.
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.