It's Thursday, April 16.
The House gavels in at 10 a.m. The Senate returns an hour later.
You're reading The State House Gavel, your daily reporter notebook by Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson that previews and captures what goes on at the South Carolina Statehouse.
First, South Carolina's public health department says the state could be nearing the end of the monthslong measles outbreak.
The state's outbreak was declared in October but has hovered at 997 positive cases for weeks, mostly centered in Spartanburg County. The Department of Public Health now says should the numbers stay where they are, the outbreak could end April 26.
Notebook highlights:
- Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge gives annual address to the legislature, and a former chief justice will take on a new role
- Restrictive abortion legislation moves ahead and Senate votes to expand Heritage Act law
- As session nears sine die, what House Speaker Murrell Smith wants to see move forward and what the Senate's GOP leader says about their schedule
- Statehouse leaders income tax cut passage. Will more tax policy follow?
- An update in the GOP race for governor
Chief justice defends election process, asks for help
State Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge addressed a joint General Assembly for the second time since his promotion to the top seat on South Carolina's high court.
The chief justice spoke Wednesday about his and the judiciary's relationship with the General Assembly.
"I am available to meet, speak, work with you, individually or in groups on any matters involving our justice system that are important to you," he said. "I believe there is a positive relationship between the legislature and the judicial branch.
And he said progress in the judiciary is being made, noting the court system has made considerable cuts into the general session court's backlog, reducing cases by nearly 17%.
Other highlights:
- Judicial reform
Kittredge chided the "half-truths and false narratives that circulate on social media, podcasts, other outlets masquerading as journalism" around the judiciary, particularly the judicial selection process.
South Carolina is one of two states where most judges are vetted and elected by the legislature.
Kittredge said while there is no "perfect way to select judges," lawmakers have, he said, elected quality judges over the years and called South Carolina's system one of the finest in the country.
- Magistrate reform
Kittredge said magistrate reform is needed in South Carolina.
He noted magistrate court is where most South Carolinians will have their first, or their only, exposure to the court system.
But the challenge is what that reform should look like, he said.
For example, Kittredge, who speaks often to lawmakers about the judiciary and makes requests, said he requested a "modest" increase this year in magistrate filing fees, which could provide added and long overdue financial help to counties to support the system, including salaries.
Missed his speech? You can watch it in its entirety below:
Kittredge was not the only chief justice to get headlines.
Former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty will take on a new role.
Beatty was elected Wednesday to an at-large seat on the South Carolina State University board of trustees.
The retired chief justice and former member of the House secured 86 votes in the General Assembly to challenger Douglas Twitty's 64 votes.
Read more
- SC Daily Gazette: Former SC chief justice elected to SC State’s board over Freedom Caucus-led opposition
Senate panel advances abortion ban bill
An anti-abortion proposal that would ban the procedure at conception and remove most exceptions will be heard by the full Senate Medical Affairs Committee today.
The bill — S. 1095, sponsored by Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson — outlaws nearly all abortions, removes exceptions for rape and incest and fatal fetal anomalies and would reclassify abortion-inducing medication, such as misoprostol and mifepristone, as a Schedule IV controlled substances.
Cash's proposal, which has five Republican co-sponsors, would also add felony penalties to doctors who violate the proposed law, and create a misdemeanor penalty for a pregnant women who does the same.
“We're not God, and we can't keep putting women in the position of 'oh, you’re horrible,'" said Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, a Colleton Democrat and one of two women in the Senate.
Cash, one of the most vocal anti-abortion legislators in the General Assembly, has pushed for similar legislation in the past, as recently as last fall, but said he made tweaks to this bill to give it a better attempt at passage.
It may not matter.
As we reported this week, as of next week, there are four more weeks, or 12 more days, on the legislative calendar until sine die on May 14. And next week, the Senate will debate the budget, further narrowing the calendar.
Additionally, the bill still has its critics beyond Democrats.
Whether by past vote or public remarks, there are plenty of Republicans in both the House and Senate who have said they cannot support abortion legislation that narrows the law beyond six weeks or, especially, removes exceptions.
“I even have concerns on the penalty side, to a degree,” said Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a Spartanburg Republican and candidate for governor. "I'm going to land ... on the side of being pro-life, but I'm also the land on the side of being pro-individual rights and a pro-not-so-heavy-handed. I think we've become borderline police state.”
There's also the governor's lack of support.
Gov. Henry McMaster has repeatedly gone on record to say that he supports the six-week ban, which he signed, saying it has the support of most South Carolinians.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, told reporters Wednesday that the timeframe to move anything controversial like abortion legislation through is increasingly difficult at this stage.
"We’ve had no conversation among the caucus about that bill at all,” Massey told reporters. "If there’s a contested Senate bill that we wanted to do, we should do it this week.”
Read more:
- WIS: New proposal would leave few abortion exceptions in SC, eliminating state’s ‘heartbeat law’
- SC Daily Gazette: Stricter abortion ban advances in SC Senate, months after previous plan rejected
- The State: Penalizing women and doctors for abortions in SC effort inches forward
What else happened in the Senate Wednesday?
The Republican-controlled Senate in a 31-7 partisan vote approved legislation that would further expand the 2000 Heritage Act law, which protects monuments, statues, street and building names in South Carolina from being removed or changed.
The legislation — S. 508, sponsored by Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens — would extend protections to any historical figure who "played a significant role in past developments."
It would also ban QR code stickers, what can be scanned by a cellphone, from being used on memorials, plaques and statues for residents and visitors to get any added information.
And the proposal would let any organization registered with the Secretary of State's Office formed to protect monuments and memorials sue — what Charleston Democratic Sen. Ed Sutton said summed up the legislation, calling it merely a "lawsuit bill."
What will the Senate do today?
Senate GOP Leader Massey told reporters the Senate is unlikely to tackle S. 76, sponsored by Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, a former solicitor, dealing with criminal gang activity and offenses.
Massey said he expects the Senate will clear the chamber's bills today, and, at minimum, start a conversation around S. 227, a concurrency land development and growth bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
"Otherwise, I don't expect a whole lot of controversy on a Senate bill on the floor," Massey said.
Read more:
- AP: South Carolina Senate protects nearly all monuments and bans adding QR codes to statues
- SC Daily Gazette: SC senators approve expanding monument protections, banning QR codes for more info
Speaker pops over for a chat about sine die, roads
House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, popped by Wednesday morning to give us a temperature check as session begins to wind down and lawmakers sprint to pass their bill of choice before sine die on May 14.
There are only so many Wednesdays left (four) in the session. What needs to be done before sine die?
"In reality, if we don't get it (House bills) passed by this week it’ll be very difficult for the Senate to be able to take up those bills. So, we're trying to get those bills done. We have put some emphasis on the roads bill. Hopefully, we'll get to that next week, and we will probably take up the Senate bill (S. 831) I would imagine, and to see about getting that back to them so we can get it in the conference (committee) soon."
What points of contention do you see between the House and Senate budgets?
"I have not seen a (Senate) spreadsheet yet. Obviously, we have to work our way through there, but there are always differences. But I know this is good for the media to say that we have these huge differences, and (it's) very hard to be reconciled. But I've been here for 20-plus years, and we always reconcile the issues on the budget."
You mentioned the roads bills — S. 831 and H. 5071 — hitting the floor next week. Where do you see sticking points?
"Well, it's an omnibus bill, and a lot of people have concerns and questions, and we'll have to work our way through it. But at the end of the day, we have to modernize our transportation system. You look at Georgia, you look at North Carolina, look at Florida, they have express lanes. We do not have that. We have tremendous congestion in our urban areas. So, we need to modernize and we need to also be more efficient, deal with NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) and other issues that will expedite the ability to build roads."
What else happened in the House Wednesday?
- The House voted 77-31 to concur with Senate amendments on the K-12 school and college and university bathroom use bill — H. 4756, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Pope, R-York. The bill now head to the governor, who is expected to sign the legislation into law.
Income tax cut done. Are property taxes next?
Gov. Henry McMaster joined state leaders on Tax Day Wednesday to hail the passage of H. 4216, a law lowers the top income tax rate down to 5.21%, a cut from 6%.
Starting in the next tax filing year, the law also raises the income tax rate to 1.99% for anyone earning up to $30,000. Eventually, the tax would flatten to 1.99% for everyone, then phase out completely if the state brings in enough revenue year after year.
That could take years, even decades to accomplish.
"We're thriving compared to other states and compared to our past," McMaster said. "And we want to keep on."
More than 70% of filers are expected to see a cut or no change.
Nearly 23% of filers are set to see an increase in their liability.
"There are people in every tax bracket, from the people making under $10,000 to the people making more than $1 million who pay less taxes. And then in every one of those groups, there are some who pay more," House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, said. "But the result is everybody pays a lower, flatter tax and is treated more fairly."
Bannister said for filers on the low-income scale, there is still the graduated rate, with a lower rate.
"Even with with that, majority of South Carolinians are paying substantially less on their state income tax," he said.
Tax policy has been a focus of the final year of the session.
But it may be the only large tax bill to become law this year, after the Senate declined to pass tax conformity and the House still weighs whether to expand the homestead exemption property tax bill for anyone 65 and over — a change the Senate included in its budget proposal.
Beyond the debate, some lawmakers have called on the General Assembly to look at broader tax policy, rather than piecemeal.
House and Senate leaders said Wednesday they plan to turn attention to property taxes, with Bannister telling reporters the House plans to put together a group to start looking at the tax in a holistic way — what will be a much heavier legislative lift.
GOP campaign trail update
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette says she will participate in the April 21 GOP debate hosted by the state Republican Party.
The debate at the College of Charleston will be the second state GOP-sanctioned debate.
Evette declined to participate in the first GOP debate in Newberry early this month, citing sponsorship and ticket prices she argued shut out grassroots supporters and activists that back candidates and the party.
Though that hasn't changed, Evette says she will now show up on the debate stage with her Republican challengers.
“Nothing has changed,” Matt Goins, Evette's campaign spokesman said. "The lieutenant governor previously shared that she would participate in a S.C. GOP debate, and she is doing just that. She wants the people to hear directly from her why she’s the right choice to lead our state forward.”
Editor's Note: SCETV plans to host a GOP governor's debate and a Democratic gubernatorial debate. Dates and more information will be released at a later date.
Statehouse daily planner (4/16)
SC House
- 9 a.m. — Blatt 110 — Judiciary Criminal Laws Subcommittee on 52
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Blatt 516 — Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Blatt 403 — Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulatory Review Subcommittee
Agenda Available
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Blatt 521 — Ways and Means Committee
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 10 a.m. — House in session
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only
SC Senate
- 9 a.m. — Gressette 407 — Family and Veterans' Services Child Welfare Subcommittee on 3502
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Gressette 207 — Medical Affairs Committee
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Gressette 308 — Senate Education Committee on 984, 4163, 4738, 5073, 5179, 5205
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 9 a.m. — Gressette 209 — Judiciary Subcommittee
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 10 a.m. — Gressette 209 — Judiciary Subcommittee on 254, 3021
Agenda
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only - 11 a.m. — Senate in session
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcast - Audio Only
SC governor
- 9 a.m. — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to participate in the South Carolina Affordable Housing Summit in Columbia
- 10:30 a.m. — Evette to attend Higher Education Day at the Statehouse
Statehouse clips from around the state
- Student violence causes SC teachers to quit. Legislators are working on a solution. (SC Daily Gazette)
- Emotional testimony as SC lawmakers debate redefining abuse to include coercive control (WPDE)
- SC state Sen. Josh Kimbrell used his Facebook account to chastise Spartanburg-area firefighter (Post and Courier)
- How SC’s three Democratic governor hopefuls are maneuvering to win nomination (The State)
- 'Things are moving along': Santee Cooper says VC Summer restart plan is going as scheduled (WLTX)
- Governor directs investigation of Fort Mill charter school board after leadership upheaval (Post and Courier)
- SC senators deny proposed abortion ban was a ‘bargaining chip’ in hemp debates (The State)
- SC state Sen. Josh Kimbrell used his Facebook account to chastise Spartanburg-area firefighter (Post and Courier)
- James Emory Mace, a Vietnam veteran and former Citadel commandant in Charleston, has died (Post and Courier)
