South Carolina General Assembly
120th Session, 2013-2014

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A27, R37, S237

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Shealy, Setzler, Courson, Turner, Cromer, Massey, Young, Alexander and McElveen
Document Path: l:\s-res\ks\004flag.hm.ks.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3379

Introduced in the Senate on January 16, 2013
Introduced in the House on March 20, 2013
Last Amended on May 8, 2013
Passed by the General Assembly on May 14, 2013
Governor's Action: May 17, 2013, Signed

Summary: Flags on top of State House

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/16/2013  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 11)
   1/16/2013  Senate  Referred to Committee on Finance (Senate Journal-page 11)
   2/27/2013  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Finance 
                        (Senate Journal-page 24)
   3/12/2013  Senate  Committee Amendment Amended (Senate Journal-page 18)
   3/14/2013  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 11)
   3/14/2013  Senate  Roll call Ayes-41  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 11)
   3/15/2013          Scrivener's error corrected
   3/19/2013  Senate  Read third time and sent to House 
                        (Senate Journal-page 12)
   3/20/2013  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 9)
   3/20/2013  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works 
                        (House Journal-page 9)
   4/17/2013  House   Recalled from Committee on Education and Public Works 
                        (House Journal-page 71)
   4/17/2013  House   Referred to Committee on Medical, Military, Public and 
                        Municipal Affairs (House Journal-page 71)
   4/25/2013  House   Recalled from Committee on Medical, Military, Public and 
                        Municipal Affairs (House Journal-page 54)
   4/26/2013          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/30/2013  House   Debate adjourned until Wed., 5-1-13 
                        (House Journal-page 101)
    5/1/2013  House   Amended (House Journal-page 200)
    5/1/2013  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 200)
    5/1/2013  House   Roll call Yeas-96  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 202)
    5/2/2013  House   Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments 
                        (House Journal-page 25)
    5/8/2013  Senate  House amendment amended (Senate Journal-page 23)
    5/8/2013  Senate  Returned to House with amendments 
                        (Senate Journal-page 23)
   5/14/2013  House   Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled 
                        (House Journal-page 24)
   5/14/2013  House   Roll call Yeas-95  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 24)
   5/15/2013          Ratified R 37
   5/17/2013          Signed By Governor
   5/23/2013          Effective date 05/17/13
   5/28/2013          Act No. 27

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/16/2013
2/27/2013
3/14/2013
3/15/2013
4/25/2013
4/26/2013
5/1/2013
5/8/2013


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A27, R37, S237)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 10-1-161, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE FLYING OF FLAGS ATOP THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING AT HALF-STAFF, SO AS TO PROVIDE THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT THESE FLAGS MAY BE FLOWN AT HALF-STAFF FOR MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY SERVICES WHO WERE RESIDENTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY WHILE IN COMBAT, TO PROVIDE THE PROCEDURE FOR HOISTING AND LOWERING THE FLAGS ATOP THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING WHEN MORE THAN ONE INDIVIDUAL IS HONORED, AND TO PROVIDE THAT ON A DAY WHERE THE FLAGS ATOP THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING ARE FLOWN AT HALF-STAFF, THE GOVERNOR SHALL IDENTIFY THE PERSON OR PERSONS WHO ARE HONORED ON THE GOVERNOR'S WEBSITE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Flags flown at half-staff

SECTION    1.    Section 10-1-161 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 10-1-161.    (A)    On Memorial Day the flags, which are flown atop the State Capitol Building, must be displayed at half-staff until noon, then raised to the top of the staff.

(B)    To honor and pay tribute to the following public officials and individuals, the flags which are flown atop the State Capitol Building must be lowered to half-staff on the day on which funeral services are conducted for these public officials and individuals:

(1)    current and past members of the United States Congress from the State of South Carolina;

(2)    current constitutional officers of the State of South Carolina;

(3)    former Governors and Lieutenant Governors of the State of South Carolina;

(4)    current members of the South Carolina General Assembly;

(5)    current members of the South Carolina Supreme Court;

(6)    current and former Presidents of the United States; and

(7)    members of the United States military services who were residents of South Carolina and who lost their lives in the line of duty while in combat.

(C)    As contained in this section, 'half-staff' means the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff.

(D)    The flags atop the State Capitol Building must be flown at half-staff for a period of thirty days from the date of death of the President or a former President; for a period of ten days from the date of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice, or a retired Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; for a period of five days before the day of the funeral through the date of the funeral for members of the United States military services who were residents of South Carolina and who lost their lives in the line of duty while in combat, for which the Division of Veterans' Affairs must notify the Office of the Governor of the scheduled funeral date; and from the date of death through the date of interment of an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, or a secretary of a federal executive or military department, or a former Vice President.

(E)    Upon the occurrence of an extraordinary event resulting in death or upon the death of a person of extraordinary stature, the Governor may order that the flags atop the State Capitol Building be lowered to half-staff at a designated time or for a designated period of time.

(F)    The Governor may order the flags atop the State Capitol Building to be lowered to half-staff for the same designated time when an act of the United States Congress or a presidential order is issued to lower flags to half-staff over federal buildings.

(G)    The flags atop the State Capitol Building, when flown at half-staff must first be hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flags must be again raised to the peak before they are lowered for the day.

(H)(1)    On any day where flags atop the State Capitol Building are flown at half-staff to honor and pay tribute to more than one individual listed in subsections (B) or (D), the flags must be hoisted and lowered pursuant to subsection (G) as many times as there are individuals to honor and pay tribute to that day.

(2)    On any day where flags atop the State Capitol Building are flown at half-staff, the Governor shall, on a conspicuous place on the website maintained by the Governor, identify the person or persons to which such honor and tribute is being paid until the day of the funeral."

Time effective

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2013.

Approved the 17th day of May, 2013.

__________


This web page was last updated on Friday, August 16, 2013 at 12:14 P.M.