–Most of the attention will be focused on the budget talks in the House Ways & Means committee, but there are more than two dozen other meetings occurring on the Statehouse grounds Wednesday.
–A candlelight vigil will be held on the Statehouse steps at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday as family and friends of missing lobbyist Tom Sponseller pray for his safety. Sponseller has been missing since Saturday.
SENATE:
–A Senate Finance panel will be receiving budget requests from several agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Criminal Justice Academy.
–A judiciary subcommittee will hear public testimony on a bill by Sen. Mike Fair (R-Greenville) that would alter how a juvenile is evaluated by the Department of Juvenile Justice after a misdemeanor offense… Another panel will hear testimony on the latest effort to prevent video poker from appearing again in South Carolina. A bill by Sen. Larry Martin (R-Pickens) would clarify that a state law which allows for sweepstakes and bingo machines does not also include video poker.
–The General Committee will consider several bills, including one by Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) that would allow medically-discharged SC National Guard officers to receive an honorary promotion of one rank when they are discharged. Currently, active officers are given the honor only when they retire.
–A Labor subcommittee will try again with a bill that restricts jobless benefits for a person fired for cause. The panel will hear from the public on legislation by Sen. Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) that would make a discharged employee ineligible for benefits for the next 20 weeks (when extended federal benefits could be triggered).
–The Education Committee will hear testimony from the leaders of the state’s three research universities. Clemson president James Barker, USC president Harris Pastides, and MUSC’s Raymond Greenberg will testify with Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt.
–The Agriculture & Natural Resources committee will also meet. On the agenda is a bill by Rep. Bill Hixon (R-North Augusta) that would make it a crime to remove an electronic dog collar. The legislation passed the House last year.
–A judiciary subcommittee will meet to consider legislation from Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Gaffney) that would cap the number of official state symbols at 45. Peeler has said before that he believes legislators waste too much time naming “official state whatevers.” The issue reached a head last year, when Peeler became upset over discussion on making collard greens the official state vegetable.
–Another panel will take up a slew of bills, including one by Sen. Martin that toughens criminal violence laws by reclassifying one person choking another as criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.
–A panel will meet to consider the governor’s appointment of Henry McCaskill to the Workers Compensation Commission.
HOUSE:
–An Environmental Affairs subcommittee will consider a bill by Rep. David Hiott (R-Pickens) that would establish regulations for home-based food production operations and clarify that those operations cannot sell food wholesale.
–Along the same vein, a Business & Commerce panel will hear testimony on a bill by Rep. Bill Sandifer (R-Seneca) that would create regulations for the “cottage food” industry. These are small food operations run out of a single home kitchen. In return for certain labeling and other rules, the law would not require the Department of Health and Environmental Control to inspect the kitchen. Cottage food providers also could not sell over the internet.
–A Transportation subcommittee will take up several bills, including one by Rep. Bill Whitmire (R-Walhalla) that would allow All-Terrain Vehicles to legally drive on state roads.
–The Criminal Laws subcommittee will hear from the public on a few bills, notably legislation by Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville) that would allow a judge to reduce a person’s imprisonment below the amount required by law if that person helps in the investigation or prosecution of a second person.
–An Occupational Regulations panel will consider new regulations for cosmetologist and barber licenses.
–A Constitutional Laws panel will hear several proposals, including a bill by Rep. Phyllis Henderson (R-Greer) that would clarify state laws allowing for sweepstakes and bingo machines do not also cover video poker.
