A schedule of what’s happening at the South Carolina Statehouse Tuesday:
SENATE (all meetings in Gressette unless noted otherwise):
9:30 a.m. (Room 308) — A Judiciary panel continues its public hearings on a bill that would make a series of minor changes to the state’s probate code– including clarifying the process for a person who has died without a valid will.
11:00 a.m. (Room 308) — Lawmakers on another judiciary subcommittee will discuss a resolution that changes part of a state law dealing with Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs). The state Supreme Court recently ruled in 16 Jade Street, LLC v. R. Design Construction, LLC that an owner of an LLC was not shielded from lawsuit if he was liable for damages caused by the LLC (traditionally, a plaintiff would sue the LLC rather than its owners/partners). Senate leaders say that was not their intent when they passed the original law cited by the Court.
1:30 p.m. (Statehouse 3rd Floor Conference Room) — A third judiciary subcommittee will hear testimony on a bill by Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) that would say law enforcement officers are not liable if a police dog attacks a suspect.
3:00 p.m. (Room 308) — The full Senate Judiciary Committee will meet Tuesday and, as usual, will have a lot on its agenda. At the top is a bill by Sen. Chip Campsen (R-Charleston) that would require candidates for state boards and commissions to fill out a campaign contribution report– basically saying to which campaigns he or she had donated. The candidate also could not donate to any lawmaker once they are actively seeking out a spot on a commission or until after they are no longer serving on that commission.
3:00 p.m. (Room 105) — The Senate Finance Committee will meet on a series of budget-related bills, then afterwards will hold a special committee meeting to discuss proposed changes to the state Retirement System that passed the House last month.
HOUSE (all meetings in Blatt):
9:00 a.m. (Room 516) — The Judicial Merit Selection Commission will hold public hearings on various positions in the state’s court system. No person can serve as a judge on the SC bench unless they are deemed qualified by the commission of lawmakers and citizens.
2:30 p.m. (Room 516) — The House Judiciary Committee has nine items on its agenda, including a bill by Sen. Ray Cleary (R-Georgetown) that would not allow debt collectors to claim interest on a debtor’s IRA account. It would also eliminate current wording that only allows a debtor to keep an amount of their IRA “reasonably necessary” to live on.
2:30 p.m. (Room 427) — The full Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee will take up several new bills and regulations, most notably one by Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-Bamberg) that would require schools to offer HPV vaccines as an option for seventh-grade girls.
2:30 p.m. (Room 403) — The House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee will consider a bill by Rep. David Mack (D-North Charleston) that seeks to include derivatives in an existing cap on how many total liabilities a bank is allowed to have. It would also factor in derivatives when calculating the maximum amount a bank can loan.
1.5 hours after adjournment (Room 433) — A transportation subcommittee will meet Tuesday. An updated agenda was not available late Monday, but the panel is expected to look at a proposal by Rep. Bill Crosby (R-North Charleston) that would require the state Department of Transportation to conduct a noise study before starting any highway construction.
1.5 hours after adjournment (Room 521) — A Sales and Income Tax subcommittee will consider a bill by Rep. Tommy Stringer (R-Greer) that would eliminate many of the state’s smaller sales tax loopholes. The bill, which is part of the House Republican’s tax reform package, would leave most of the larger– and more popular– exemptions intact.
