Regarding the issuance of a disability license for hunting and fishing, the bill adds a retirement system benefit from another state as a criteria.

An agribusiness operation or an agricultural packaging operation that increases its purchases of agricultural products, which have been certified as South Carolina grown is eligible to claim an income tax credit or a credit against employee withholding in an amount determined by the Coordinating Council for Economic Development.

This bill establishes specific requirements for the review and appeal process by DHEC regarding the permitting of certain agricultural animal facilities, excluding a swine facility.

This bill designates the month of July of each year as "Fibroid Tumor Awareness Month" to raise awareness of the impact uterine fibroid tumors have on womens' health.

This bill provides that beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, all public schools, including charter schools, shall post at least five signs that provide telephone numbers and related information for reporting incidents of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

This bill provides that the Department of Motor Vehicles shall supply an additional two license plates to a full-service dealer who can demonstrate the presence of a service garage at his dealership.

This bill relates to the issuance of motor vehicle dealers' license and demonstration plates, so as to provide that a dealer license plate may be used by a person whose vehicle is being serviced or repaired by the dealership.

This bill provides that all school buses put into service after August 1, 2020, must be equipped with lap seat belts for all permanent seating accommodations.

This bill provides that the Department of Transportation must maintain any outfall or drainage ditch that was constructed by the Department as part of a state highway construction project.

Creates a Joint Legislative Screening Commission. This commission will consider the qualifications of candidates for trustee to state colleges, universities, the Old Exchange Building Commission, and our Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School. Sets up membership requirements and committee responsibilities.

The South Carolina Arts Commission would provide the Governor with recommendations of qualified candidates, their terms of office, as well as duties for the state poet laureate. Our state poet laureate could be reappointed only one time.

Authorizes counties to establish standards for residential or commercial property upkeep and any notification processes to alert property owners to conditions needing correction.

Anyone petitioning for a name change would have to attach an affidavit proving they were a resident for at least one year prior to filing their petition. Out-of-state petitioners must have criminal background checks from their last address.

Allows adoption agencies to release certain information about adoptees to biological siblings and biological grandparents, in addition to adoptive parents and biological parents as set out in current law.

The "Asset Forfeiture and Private Property Protection Act" contains necessary definitions and subjects certain property to forfeiture after owners are criminally convicted. Allows the state to petition for substitute property in certain circumstances. Allows a state entity to transfer a criminal investigation to federal authorities. Requires law enforcement officers who seize property to give an itemized receipt for it. Property owners have the option to post bonds or give up substitute property for what has been seized. Anyone with a particular property interest may petition the Attorney General to remit, or mitigate, it. Defendants can move to separate their criminal trials and any civil forfeitures. Property owners may appeal any forfeiture that is deemed unconstitutionally excessive. A bona fide security interest is generally not subject to forfeiture. All state law enforcement agencies will have to submit annual seizure and forfeiture reports to the Attorney General.

The "South Carolina Service Members Relief Act," expands the rights, benefits, and obligations of Service Members and their dependents as set forth in the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action for any intentional violations of the Act. Establishes penalties. Requires the Adjutant General to post certain information about the Act on the South Carolina National Guard website.

Revises the "South Carolina Anti-Money Laundering Act," to make the specific provisions immediately effective.

Common-law marriages would no longer be valid in South Carolina after January 1, 2018. Existing common-law marriages established prior to that date would continue to be recognized.

Prohibits a person from carrying a handgun into certain places without the permission of its owner or a person in control of those premises. Revises sections relating to unlawful and lawful handgun possession, including on school property. Also revises the issuance of concealable weapon permits [CWP's]. CWP's would not be required in order for residents to carry weapons concealed or openly. Carrying a handgun with intent for unlawful use would remain illegal.

Requires anyone licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, for on-premises consumption, to maintain either a liquor liability insurance policy, or a general liability insurance policy with a liquor liability endorsement. This insurance must have at least $1,000,000 coverage while the biennial permit or license is effective.

Eliminates the exception for children to be tried as adults. Decreases the time a child may be held for any court order violations, for status offenses, from 72 to 48 hours. Requires children, and their family, to seek counseling when status offenses are due to incorrigibility. Distinguishes between status and criminal offenses. Creates an automatic expungement process for any juvenile's status offense records, with exceptions.

The "Supporting and Strengthening Families Act," would allow parents and persons with legal custody of a child to delegate caregiving authority via a properly signed power of attorney. Requires the SC Department of Social Services to provide certain information about community support services to a parent when a child is not placed outside of the home. Noncustodial parents must be notified of these proceedings.

Family courts will be given discretion to allow a child 14 years or older to be placed on the sex offender registry. Prohibits family courts from placing a child under 14 years of age on this registry. Allows anyone required to be placed on the registry to petition the court for removal after turning 21 years old. Sex offenders' registry information will be available only to victims, witnesses, schools, childcare facilities, and other listed businesses.

Provides penalties for anyone convicted of a crimes accompanied by an intent to assault, intimidate or threaten people because of their race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or homelessness. Revises the penalties for malicious injury to real property offenses, and provides additional penalties for malicious injury of personal or real property of anyone with intent to assault, intimidate, or threaten that person.

Sen. Alexander

This bill enacts the "Appraisal Management Company Registration Act" to provide for registration establish other requirements for appraisal management companies.

This bill revises provisions governing the Hurricane, Earthquake, and Fire Advisory Committee, so as to authorize the advisory committee to address the mitigation of property losses due to flood. The legislation revises loss mitigation grant program provisions, so as to establish that grants may be made to local governments to mitigate losses and provide technical assistance for the development of proactive hazard mitigation strategies and to allow the Department of Insurance to accept grants in aid for the mitigation of losses for eligible properties. The legislation revises South Carolina Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program provisions, so as to: establish certain criteria that a residential property must meet in order to be eligible for a nonmatching grant; prohibit the program from issuing a grant for a residential property exceeding five thousand dollars; allow for matching grant funds to be made available to local governments and nonprofit entities under certain circumstances; and, establish a formula for determining nonmatching grant awards based on an applicant's household income.

This bill revises provisions governing the mortgage lending industry.

This bill establishes requirements for those permitted or licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for onpremises consumption to maintain a liquor liability insurance policy or a general liability insurance policy with a liquor liability endorsement for a total coverage of at least one million dollars during the period of the biennial permit or license.

Among many things, this bill revises minimum good compounding practices. It also requires pharmacist to perform a final check on a preparation compounded by a pharmacy technician.

UNDERSERVED AREAS Sen. Alexander

This bill makes provisions for an income tax credit for each clinical rotation served by a physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant as a preceptor for certain programs.

Sen. Alexander

This bill makes provisions for cigarettes found at any point not having affixed to the package the required stamps to be considered contraband.

Sen. Sheheen

This bill implements recommendations of the joint legislative committee formed to study the unfunded liability facing the state retirement systems and propose changes that could allow the state's pensions to remain viable by continuing to deliver benefits to retirees without undermining the state's finances.

This bill reorganizes provisions governing revenue and fiscal affairs, eliminating certain divisions. The legislation revises provisions relating to the preparation of fiscal impact statements, so as to require the statements to be certified by the Executive Director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. The legislation revises provisions relating to health coverage impact statements, so as to require the Department of Insurance to conduct the analysis. The legislation revises provisions relating to distributions from a local option sales and use tax, so as to require the Department of Revenue to furnish data to the State Treasurer, and to require the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to provide certain assistance. The legislation revises provisions relating to financial reports from counties and municipalities, so as to delay the reports until March fifteenth. The legislation revises provisions relating to the South Carolina 911 Advisory Committee, so as to allow the Executive Director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to appoint a member. The legislation revises provisions relating to the South Carolina Geodetic Survey, so as to delete obsolete references. The legislation revises provisions relating to the Data Oversight Council, so as to delete obsolete references, and to revise the composition of the council. The legislation revises provisions relating to the Department of Health And Human Services, so as to delete an obsolete reference; to redesignate certain sections of the code; and to repeal certain code sections all relating to the duties of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.

This bill creates the Rural County Transformation Fund to be used only to provide financial assistance to rural counties. The legislation: makes provisions for the disbursement of funds; requires each eligible county to form a project committee to submit projects to the county council for approval; and establishes reporting requirements on funds received.

This bill revises provisions relating to tax credits, so as to authorize a nonprofit corporation to transfer credits unless the transfer of a credit is specifically prohibited.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS UNDER THE SOUTH CAROLINA JOBSECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND ACT Rep. Simrill

This bill eliminates the requirement that the State Fiscal Accountability Authority approve interest rates on bonds issued to finance industrial development projects under the South Carolina JobsEconomic Development Fund Act and specifies that approval of these interest rates by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development is not required.

This bill requires all state agencies to use a single third party original source compiler and publisher of unencumbered address data for purposes of validating and verifying state residents, households, and businesses, and directs the Chief Information Officer of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, with the input of affected agencies, to procure such a compiler and publisher in the manner required by the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.

This bill establishes requirements for certain nonprofit corporations that receive more than one hundred dollars in public funds to submit quarterly expenditure reports to the awarding jurisdiction. The awarding jurisdiction is required to make these reports available to the public.

INSTRUCTION Rep. S. Rivers

This bill makes provisions for a tax credit up to a five thousand dollars for a parent or guardian who teaches a qualifying student at home for instructionrelated expenses, and for a tax credit of up to a five thousand dollars for a parent for tuition paid to an independent school on behalf of their child.

This bill enacts the "South Carolina Choice Scholarship Act" to enable nonprofit organizations to provide scholarships to pay the education costs of a student to attend public schools or nonpublic schools under certain circumstances. The legislation provides for the Department of Education to administer these provisions. The legislation provides that these scholarships may not be treated as income or a resource for the purposes of qualifying for any other federal or state grant or program administered by the state or a political subdivision.