2018 Legislative Report
July 10, 2018
Government Reorganization & Reform:
H3886 Homeowners Association Reform Act
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Provides that the Department of Consumer Affairs will receive and record data from any calls or written complaints regarding HOAs, as they currently do with other consumer protections. This legislation is an important first step in providing uniformity, transparency, and relief for homeowners across our state.
This much needed reform does the following:
H4977 Governor & Lieutenant Governor Restructuring
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Formalizes the 2012 voter-approved constitutional amendment that ends the practice of electing the governor and lieutenant governor separately. 2018 will be the first year in which the party nominees for governor will select a lieutenant governor candidate as a running mate.
S27 Governor Appointment of SC Superintendant of Education
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Places a constitutional question on the ballot that asks voters if they approve of granting the governor of SC the authority to appoint the state superintendent of education instead of keeping it as an elected position. This referendum will allow you to decide at the polls during this year's General Election.
S105 Automatic Stay Reform
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Shortens the amount of time radical environmental groups can hold up the construction of important state infrastructure and business development projects in court. Recently several projects in our area like International Drive, the widening of Hwy 707, and the completion of Hwy 31 (just to name a few) were held up due to frivolous lawsuits.
Public Safety:
H4496 Enhanced Ban of Sanctuary City Policies
(Passed by the House, Stuck in the Senate)
This legislation will authorize the circuit court to determine if a political subdivision has intentionally violated the provisions of this law that prohibit interfering with enforcement. If a political subdivision is found to be in violation, it will be barred from receiving Local Government Fund appropriations for at least three consecutive years.
H3208 Increased Penalties for Acts of Terrorism
(Passed by the House, Blocked by the Senate)
Mandates prison sentence of 10 years or more for individuals who plan an act of terrorism and a minimum of five years in prison for anyone who supports an act of terrorism, including financial assistance.
H3548 Ban on Dismemberment Abortions
(Passed by the House, Filibustered by the Senate)
Bans "dismemberment" abortion procedures in which a physician uses forceps to pull apart the unborn child before removing it in pieces.
Education
H3427 Computer Science Curriculum in Public Schools
(Passed by the House, Blocked by the Senate)
Requires the state school system to form a computer science and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum.
Opiod Abuse Prevention:
H3810 Prescription Requirements for Minors
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Establishes requirements related to prescribing opioid analgesics to minors.
H3826 Tamper Proof Prescription Pads
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Requires written prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant prescription pads that meet the counterfeit-resistant standards required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for prescriptions.
H4600 Community Distribution of Opioid Overdose Antidotes
(Passed by the Hose & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Authorizes pharmacists to prescribe opioid antidotes to certain community organizations to distribute to a person at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose or to a caregiver of such a person.
Ratepayer Protection Package to Address VC Summer Nuclear Project Failure & Resulting Rate Hikes:
H4376 Santee Cooper Reform
(The House bill was not passed in the Senate; however, this issue could be included in the final budget.)
A three-pronged approach which (1) provides a new governance structure to hold the Santee Cooper Board of Directors accountable, (2) increases ratepayer protections by creating the Santee Cooper Rate Reduction and Stabilization Fund, and (3) creates the Santee Cooper Joint Evaluation and Recommendation Committee (SCJERC) that will determine whether a sale is in the best interest of ratepayers and taxpayers and puts a transparent process in place to vet potential buyers. The bill creates the Santee Cooper Rate Reduction and Stabilization Fund and requires it to be explicitly used for rate relief. The legislation also authorizes the governor to remove at-will all current Santee Cooper board members and shortens the terms from seven years to four years.
The Budget
(Three House members and three Senators have been appo8inted to finalize a budget agreement in a conference committee. The House is scheduled to further debate and address next year's budget upon return to Columbia on June 27th.)
The House passed a budget earlier this year that contains Republican priorities. The House budget includes:
H3886 Homeowners Association Reform Act
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Provides that the Department of Consumer Affairs will receive and record data from any calls or written complaints regarding HOAs, as they currently do with other consumer protections. This legislation is an important first step in providing uniformity, transparency, and relief for homeowners across our state.
This much needed reform does the following:
- Provides for the recording of the association's governing documents with the county's Register of Deeds or Clerk of Court. This makes the documents available to home owners and potential buyers.
- Provides notice to the homeowner when there is any increase in the annual budget. This will increase transparency for home owners.
- Requires notice on the SC property disclosure statement to notify a potential buyer that the property is governed by an HOA.
- Allows magistrates concurrent jurisdiction to handle certain monetary disputes.
H4977 Governor & Lieutenant Governor Restructuring
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Formalizes the 2012 voter-approved constitutional amendment that ends the practice of electing the governor and lieutenant governor separately. 2018 will be the first year in which the party nominees for governor will select a lieutenant governor candidate as a running mate.
S27 Governor Appointment of SC Superintendant of Education
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Places a constitutional question on the ballot that asks voters if they approve of granting the governor of SC the authority to appoint the state superintendent of education instead of keeping it as an elected position. This referendum will allow you to decide at the polls during this year's General Election.
S105 Automatic Stay Reform
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Shortens the amount of time radical environmental groups can hold up the construction of important state infrastructure and business development projects in court. Recently several projects in our area like International Drive, the widening of Hwy 707, and the completion of Hwy 31 (just to name a few) were held up due to frivolous lawsuits.
Public Safety:
H4496 Enhanced Ban of Sanctuary City Policies
(Passed by the House, Stuck in the Senate)
This legislation will authorize the circuit court to determine if a political subdivision has intentionally violated the provisions of this law that prohibit interfering with enforcement. If a political subdivision is found to be in violation, it will be barred from receiving Local Government Fund appropriations for at least three consecutive years.
H3208 Increased Penalties for Acts of Terrorism
(Passed by the House, Blocked by the Senate)
Mandates prison sentence of 10 years or more for individuals who plan an act of terrorism and a minimum of five years in prison for anyone who supports an act of terrorism, including financial assistance.
H3548 Ban on Dismemberment Abortions
(Passed by the House, Filibustered by the Senate)
Bans "dismemberment" abortion procedures in which a physician uses forceps to pull apart the unborn child before removing it in pieces.
Education
H3427 Computer Science Curriculum in Public Schools
(Passed by the House, Blocked by the Senate)
Requires the state school system to form a computer science and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum.
Opiod Abuse Prevention:
H3810 Prescription Requirements for Minors
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Establishes requirements related to prescribing opioid analgesics to minors.
H3826 Tamper Proof Prescription Pads
(Passed by the House & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Requires written prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant prescription pads that meet the counterfeit-resistant standards required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for prescriptions.
H4600 Community Distribution of Opioid Overdose Antidotes
(Passed by the Hose & Senate & signed by the Governor)
Authorizes pharmacists to prescribe opioid antidotes to certain community organizations to distribute to a person at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose or to a caregiver of such a person.
Ratepayer Protection Package to Address VC Summer Nuclear Project Failure & Resulting Rate Hikes:
H4376 Santee Cooper Reform
(The House bill was not passed in the Senate; however, this issue could be included in the final budget.)
A three-pronged approach which (1) provides a new governance structure to hold the Santee Cooper Board of Directors accountable, (2) increases ratepayer protections by creating the Santee Cooper Rate Reduction and Stabilization Fund, and (3) creates the Santee Cooper Joint Evaluation and Recommendation Committee (SCJERC) that will determine whether a sale is in the best interest of ratepayers and taxpayers and puts a transparent process in place to vet potential buyers. The bill creates the Santee Cooper Rate Reduction and Stabilization Fund and requires it to be explicitly used for rate relief. The legislation also authorizes the governor to remove at-will all current Santee Cooper board members and shortens the terms from seven years to four years.
The Budget
(Three House members and three Senators have been appo8inted to finalize a budget agreement in a conference committee. The House is scheduled to further debate and address next year's budget upon return to Columbia on June 27th.)
The House passed a budget earlier this year that contains Republican priorities. The House budget includes:
- $600 million in tax relief for citizens of our state
- Nearly $20 million for technical schools to train students for high-skill and wlel-paying jobs
- $60 million for teacher salary increases
- New school buses
- Salary increases for prison workers
- Funding to help our agriculture industry
- Funding to pay for opioid abuse prevention measures
