South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

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A70, R99, S11

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators L. Martin, Malloy, Peeler, Courson, Campsen, Johnson, Hembree, Setzler, Coleman, Alexander, Scott and Sheheen
Document Path: l:\s-jud\bills\l. martin\jud0003.rem.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3192

Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2015
Introduced in the House on February 4, 2015
Last Amended on June 3, 2015
Passed by the General Assembly on June 3, 2015
Governor's Action: June 8, 2015, Signed

Summary: Notice of meetings for public bodies

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   12/3/2014  Senate  Prefiled
   12/3/2014  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary
   1/13/2015  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 37)
   1/13/2015  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 37)
   1/20/2015  Senate  Referred to Subcommittee: L.Martin (ch), Rankin, Hutto, 
                        Malloy, Campsen, Massey, Gregory
   1/28/2015  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 26)
   1/29/2015  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 11)
   1/29/2015  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 11)
   1/29/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-32  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 11)
    2/3/2015  Senate  Read third time and sent to House 
                        (Senate Journal-page 18)
    2/4/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 14)
    2/4/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 14)
   4/22/2015  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 7)
   4/28/2015  House   Amended (House Journal-page 39)
   4/28/2015  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 39)
   4/28/2015  House   Roll call Yeas-100  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 41)
   4/29/2015  House   Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments 
                        (House Journal-page 31)
   4/30/2015  Senate  House amendment amended (Senate Journal-page 38)
   4/30/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-42  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 38)
   4/30/2015  Senate  Returned to House with amendments 
                        (Senate Journal-page 38)
    5/1/2015          Scrivener's error corrected
    5/6/2015  House   Non-concurrence in Senate amendment 
                        (House Journal-page 18)
    5/6/2015  House   Roll call Yeas-0  Nays-113 (House Journal-page 19)
   5/12/2015  Senate  Senate insists upon amendment and conference committee 
                        appointed Campsen, Gregory, Johnson
   5/12/2015  House   Conference committee appointed Newton, Taylor, Norrell 
                        (House Journal-page 38)
    6/2/2015  Senate  Free conference powers granted (Senate Journal-page 47)
    6/2/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-39  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 47)
    6/2/2015  Senate  Free conference committee appointed Campsen, Gregory, 
                        Johnson (Senate Journal-page 47)
    6/2/2015  Senate  Free conference report adopted (Senate Journal-page 49)
    6/2/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-39  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 49)
    6/3/2015  House   Free conference powers granted (House Journal-page 144)
    6/3/2015  House   Roll call Yeas-100  Nays-1 (House Journal-page 144)
    6/3/2015  House   Free conference committee appointed Newton, Taylor, and 
                        Norrell (House Journal-page 145)
    6/3/2015  House   Free conference report received and adopted 
                        (House Journal-page 145)
    6/3/2015  House   Roll call Yeas-103  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 147)
    6/3/2015  House   Ordered enrolled for ratification 
                        (House Journal-page 148)
    6/4/2015          Ratified R 99
    6/8/2015          Signed By Governor
   6/17/2015          Effective date 06/08/15
   6/18/2015          Act No. 70

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/3/2014
1/28/2015
1/29/2015
4/22/2015
4/28/2015
4/30/2015
5/1/2015
6/3/2015


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

(A70, R99, S11)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 30-4-80, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PROVISIONS IN THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT CONCERNING REQUIRED NOTICE FOR MEETINGS OF PUBLIC BODIES, SO AS TO PROVIDE PUBLIC BODIES SHALL POST AGENDAS FOR ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS AND SPECIAL MEETINGS, TO PROVIDE THE TIME AND MANNER FOR POSTING THESE AGENDAS AND NOTICES OF MEETINGS, TO SPECIFY CONTENTS REQUIRED FOR THESE MEETING NOTICES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER IN WHICH THESE AGENDAS SUBSEQUENTLY MAY BE AMENDED.

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

Meeting notice and agenda requirements

SECTION    1.    Section 30-4-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 30-4-80.    (A)    All public bodies, except as provided in subsections (B) and (C) of this section, must give written public notice of their regular meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice must include the dates, times, and places of such meetings. An agenda for regularly scheduled or special meetings must be posted on a bulletin board in a publicly accessible place at the office or meeting place of the public body and on a public website maintained by the body, if any, at least twenty-four hours prior to such meetings. All public bodies must post on such bulletin board or website, if any, public notice for any called, special, or rescheduled meetings. Such notice must include the agenda, date, time, and place of the meeting, and must be posted as early as is practicable but not later than twenty-four hours before the meeting. This requirement does not apply to emergency meetings of public bodies. Once an agenda for a regular, called, special, or rescheduled meeting is posted pursuant to this subsection, no items may be added to the agenda without an additional twenty-four hours notice to the public, which must be made in the same manner as the original posting. After the meeting begins, an item upon which action can be taken only may be added to the agenda by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting; however, if the item is one upon which final action can be taken at the meeting or if the item is one in which there has not been and will not be an opportunity for public comment with prior public notice given in accordance with this section, it only may be added to the agenda by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting and upon a finding by the body that an emergency or an exigent circumstance exists if the item is not added to the agenda. Nothing herein relieves a public body of any notice requirement with regard to any statutorily required public hearing.

(B)    Legislative committees must post their meeting times during weeks of the regular session of the General Assembly and must comply with the provisions for notice of special meetings during those weeks when the General Assembly is not in session. Subcommittees of standing legislative committees must give notice during weeks of the legislative session only if it is practicable to do so.

(C)    Subcommittees, other than legislative subcommittees, of committees required to give notice under subsection (A), must make reasonable and timely efforts to give notice of their meetings.

(D)    Written public notice must include but need not be limited to posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public body holding the meeting or, if no such office exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held.

(E)    All public bodies shall notify persons or organizations, local news media, or such other news media as may request notification of the times, dates, places, and agenda of all public meetings, whether scheduled, rescheduled, or called, and the efforts made to comply with this requirement must be noted in the minutes of the meetings."

Time effective

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

Ratified the 4th day of June, 2015.

Approved the 8th day of June, 2015.

__________


This web page was last updated on August 12, 2015 at 11:04 AM