Chester Representative Greg Delleney is preparing impeachment legislation for the beginning of the regular legislative session in January in the case that leaders of the House and Senate don’t call a special session before then to impeach
Sanford.

The decision to call lawmakers back to Columbia depends on the word of House Speaker Bobby Harrell and President Pro Tem of the Senate Glenn McConnell. It would then take a two-thirds vote by lawmakers to amend the resolution which concluded their legislative year that ended in June, and allow them to stay at the Statehouse and start a special session. The House would consider the issue of impeachment first. If the House approves articles of impeachment, then the issue goes to the Senate for a trial.

Delleney says he expects says if lawmakers return, the entire process could be very brief. The standard process would be for the impeachment measure to gain approval in by a subcommittee and the Judiciary Committee before reaching the floor of the full House. But Delleney says a two-thirds vote by members of the House would allow them to skip the committee and subcommittee review. “We could probably to it in one day, then recess and send it to the Senate, and the trial and vote in the Senate could be done the same day.” [Read more...]