Legislative Update
March 13, 2023
Vol. 40, No. 10
South Carolina House of Representatives
G. Murrell Smith, Jr., Speaker of the House
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND CONSTITUENT SERVICES
Room 212, Blatt Building, P.O. Box 11867, Columbia, S.C. 29211, (803) 734-3230
Vol. 40 March 13, 2023No. 10
(March 7 - 9)
(March 7 - 9)
The House gave second reading approval to H.4088, a joint resolution appropriating $1.2 billion from the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Contingency Reserve Fund and $86 million from the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 projected general fund surplus for infrastructure funding to foster economic development. The legislation facilitates Project Connect, the construction of a manufacturing facility near Blythewood, in Richland County, by Scout Motors, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, to produce electric trucks and sport utility vehicles. The Department of Commerce is appropriated $1 billion to provide funding to Project Connect for: (1) road access and improvements, including a new interchange on Interstate Highway 77; (2) water and wastewater infrastructure; (3) required site improvements and mitigation; (4) a railroad bridge over I-77 to support rail spur construction; (5) a training center run by Midlands Technical College to train workers for the manufacturing facility; (6) land acquisition; (7) soil stabilization; and (8) other necessary purposes as recommended by the Department of Commerce for Project Connect, subject to review and comment by the Joint Bond Review Committee. Provisions are made for a $200 million loan for additional soil stabilization that is not eligible for forgiveness and must be paid back to the state.
H.4300, the General Appropriation Bill, and H.4301, the joint resolution making appropriations from the Capital Reserve Fund, were set for special order to accommodate consideration of the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 State Government Budget on the House Floor during the week beginning on Monday, March 13 at 1 PM.
The House passed, and sent to the Senate, H.3014 the "Clementa C. Pickney Hate Crimes Act." It was proposed in memory of deceased State Senator and Reverend, Clementa C. Pinckney, who, along with his fellow Charleston Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church congregation members, were shot and killed during a religious gathering in 2015. This bill would create an opportunity for criminal courts to impose additional penalties of not more than $10,000 and additional jail time of up to five years on defendants who targeted their victims based on the perpetrator's perception—whether correct or not—of the victim's race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability. This additional sentence would be contingent upon these defendants first being convicted of the underlying crime they committed when they targeted these victims.
The House of Representatives amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.3726, the "Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act." Drawing upon the work of the Ad Hoc Committee for Economic Development and Utility Modernization appointed by the Speaker of the House, the legislation makes comprehensive revisions geared towards realizing South Carolina's full workforce potential by implementing initiatives to coordinate and make the most of all publicly funded job training, scholarships, apprenticeship programs, and other workforce development services. To provide centralized oversight of all services, the Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD) is created in the Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) to coordinate, align, and direct workforce efforts throughout the state to maximize available resources, enhance accountability and transparency, and actively foster a customer‑centric workforce development system that is readily accessible, highly effective, and easily understandable. The Director of the OSWD is hired by the Executive Director of the Department of Employment and Workforce and serves at his pleasure. All functions, powers, and duties of the Department of Commerce relating to the former Education and Economic Development Coordinating Council are transferred to the Department of Employment and Workforce to provide for a reconstituted and expanded Coordinating Council for Workforce Development (CCWD) made up of representatives from pertinent state agencies, legislative committees, K-12 public education, higher education, technical and comprehensive education, and private sector employers ranging from largescale to small businesses. The legislation provides for an executive committee of the CCWD, composed of the heads of key state agencies and appointees of legislative leadership. The CCWD is charged with formulating and updating a comprehensive Unified State Plan (USP) that provides a systemwide approach to streamline and unify efforts of all those involved in education and workforce development in the South Carolina. The plan must be formulated using time‑sensitive metrics including educational attainment and labor participation rate targets. A dashboard must be developed to enable the public to monitor and track progress of the USP.
The legislation requires all state and local government agencies, nonprofit groups, and quasi‑governmental groups that are appropriated state funds or are authorized to expend federal funds to make annual reports to the Director of OSWD and to provide information requested by OSWD prior to the Comptroller General approving release of funds to ensure proper reporting on any activities that may be workforce development related. An annual report detailing all funds used for workforce development projects must, in turn, be submitted to the Governor, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
The legislation revises requirements for employers to make Unemployment Trust Fund contribution and wage reports to the Department of Employment and Workforce by expanding reporting requirements to include more employers and providing for more detailed reports that include Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes and total number of hours worked.
The duties of the CCWD and the Office of Statewide Workforce Development include the creation and maintenance of an Education and Workforce Portal to provide South Carolinians with information critical to their lifelong educational journey, including: (a) an "Educational Program Alignment Toolkit" that serves as an infrastructure of resources to enable the K‑12, technical college, and higher education systems to individually and collectively ensure their respective educational curriculum, initiatives, and programming match workforce needs; (b) a "Career Pathways Tool" that uses applicable occupational data, educational programming, workforce needs, salary information, job market analyses, in-demand occupations, and other information to provide students, parents of students, job seekers, educators, and counselors, with useful information about potential career pathways and the various routes to meaningful employment; (c) real-time labor market information; (d) comprehensive inventory of all education and training assets in the state; and (e) global view of workforce‑related program data including federal, state, and local education and training options and opportunities.
The legislation provides for regional workforce advisors, overseen by the OSWD, who are charged with coordinating and facilitating the delivery of information, resources, and services to students, educators, employers, and the community within their geographic areas of responsibility.
The CCWD and the Office of Statewide Workforce Development are charged with studying and making recommendations to address barriers to labor participation, such as affordable access to childcare and transportation. The CCWD and the Office of Statewide Workforce Development are responsible for providing individuals who are receiving assistance from public benefit programs with the supports, skills,
and credentials they need to gain and retain employment in occupations for which employers demonstrate persistent demands. This includes a "SC Benefits calculator" to help families, case managers, and community providers understand the impact of earnings and assist families planning their exit from the use of these public benefits, with the goal of promoting self‑sufficiency and maximizing use of available opportunities.
The CCWD is directed to coordinate with the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs to develop and implement procedures that connect active-duty military spouses, family members, veterans, and military retirees to job opportunities and career support.
The executive committee of the CCWD may recommend the appropriate actions necessary to eliminate duplicative programs and workforce activities that do not further the USP, improve programs not meeting stated performance targets, and, when necessary and to the extent not prohibited in law, recommend the discontinuation of programs that repeatedly do not meet targets or may no longer be needed. The CCWD is charged with meeting regularly with industry associations to gain an understanding of their workforce needs and ideas and producing an annual statewide workforce and education supply gap analysis of what skills should be developed to meet demand. The CCWD is directed to make recommendations to the General Assembly on how the state of South Carolina could marshal its workforce development resources more effectively.
The House also passed, and the Senate will be receiving, H.3019, Expunging Mistaken Identity Arrests and Other Mandatory Expungements. Anyone arrested for a crime they did not commit, and who was arrested because their identity was mistaken, would be entitled to a no-fee expungement of their arrest records within 180 days of the discovery of the mistaken identity. In addition, if no trial is conducted, or no guilty plea is entered, within five years of an arrest for third degree assault and battery [i.e., simple assault and battery], public intoxication or disorderly conduct, breach of trust, open container in a motor vehicle, trespassing, fraudulent check, misdemeanor shoplifting, driving under suspension, or a simple possession of marijuana charge, the person who was arrested will receive approval from the circuit solicitor for its dismissal, expungement, and destruction of all related records. SLED would have to be informed of these dismissal and expungement approvals. Anyone failing to follow these requirements would be subject to contempt of court citations.
The House also sent the Senate, H.3204 proposed legislation to specify Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact Commission [PSYPACT] Dispute Resolution jurisdiction. For South Carolina to participate in this compact, the United States District Court for Georgia is the required entity for handling any PSYPACT dispute resolutions. This commission is charged with oversight of the professional work performed by therapists licensed in other states who counsel, or otherwise treat, patients who do not live in those licensing states. It was created to provide this oversight so that participating nonresident telepsychology therapists would not have to become licensed here before treating South Carolina patients.
The Senate is also receiving from the House, H.3866, a proposal to clarify the South Carolina Attorney General's Role in Litigation Pursued in South Carolina's Interest. When the Attorney General brings litigation in South Carolina's interest on behalf of a state agency, this bill sets forth that he would be doing so not as the lawyer for that agency, or its staff. In addition, he would not be considered the holder of any records or other agency documents that relate to the lawsuit that is brought. Unfair trade practice suits filed by the Attorney General would not be considered brought by South Carolina's State Department of Consumer Affairs, or other state agency, unless they are named in these pending lawsuits as a party, should this proposal be enacted. As amended, in these cases he can return any produced documents back over to the producing parties instead of keeping them for a lengthy time--as current law requires him to do, destroy them, or retain these documents in compliance with state records retention policies.
Also sent to the Senate was H.3890, legislation proposed to facilitate Youthful Offender Driving Under Suspension Conviction Expungements. Youthful offenders convicted of driving under suspension would be able to expunge these convictions after they meet specified prerequisites. These include having no other in-state or out-of-state convictions during their service of a youthful offender sentence including probation and parole or during the five‑year period following completion of their youthful offender sentence, also including probation and parole time.
The Senate now has, for its consideration and debate, H.3925 a bill to add South Carolina's Attorney General as a Prosecution Coordination Commission member. It would add the Attorney General as a member of the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination, delete Commission responsibility for providing blank indictments to circuit solicitors, and remove staggered terms for initial Commission appointees.
H.3750 (DOT Projects) was approved by the House and sent to the Senate. The bill adds "planning for repairs to bridges, highways, roads, and other improvements on the state's rights of way" to the list of exemptions from the state procurement code. This would allow the Department of Transportation greater flexibility.
H.3360 (Center for School Safety) was approved by the House and sent to the Senate. The bill outlines the establishment of the Center for School Safety and Targeted Violence within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The purpose of the center is to provide training, education, and expertise in the areas of school safety and targeted violence. SLED is responsible for adopting guidelines and procedures for training and educating law enforcement, school personnel, parents, and the public on school safety and targeted violence. SLED may also incorporate personnel from various departments within the organization as assigned by the Chief of SLED. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and is contingent upon funding in the General Appropriations Act.
S.361 (DOT Construction Contracts) was approved by the House and sent to the Senate. S.361 XE "S. 361" would remove the requirement for preapproval of construction contract extensions by the DOT Commission. Instead, it would require that the Commission ratify any extensions to construction contracts at their next scheduled meeting.
House Education passed H.4060 that seeks to establish a statewide workforce readiness goal. It makes changes related to dual enrollment and transfer of credits between institutions of higher learning in South Carolina. The bill establishes a uniform system of dual enrollment college courses offered to high school students by public two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning and participating independent institutions of higher learning. These courses must be equivalent in content and rigor to those offered by the institutions to their own students and taught by appropriately credentialed faculty. The Lottery Tuition Assistance Program must be available to dual enrollment students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve who are enrolled in public two-year regional campuses and technical colleges. The Advisory Committee on Academic Programs will be responsible for developing a statewide secondary to postsecondary articulation agreement among all school districts and all public institutions of higher learning and participating independent institutions of higher learning. It also requires public four-year institutions of higher learning to accept a minimum of 60 transfer credit hours for students who have earned an associate of arts or an associate of science degree from a public two-year institution of higher learning, and these students must be given junior academic standing at the institution. The amendment also requires each public four-year institution of higher learning to facilitate a reverse transfer option for public two-year institution of higher learning students who enroll in their institution without completing an AA degree or an AS degree. The Department of Employment and Workforce is to maintain and provide online access to information regarding the economic value of college majors, including comparing bachelor's degree earned to job availability. This information must be available at no cost to the public and communicated to the State Department of Education and each public school district in the State.
The House Judiciary Committee met and issued a favorable report, with amendment, on H. 4066, State Executive Committee Election Protests. This proposed legislation would limit state conventions to a maximum of 943 delegates. Our state executive committee would hear all election protests and could require protest bonds to be posted by anyone contesting an election. Before doing so, however, they would have to pass an appropriate resolution prior to that election being held. Bonds are proposed to be capped at $750. Successful protests would mean any bond posted would be returned to its poster.
A favorable report, with amendment, was given to S. 120, Execution Team Identity and Lethal Injection Drug Provider Information Protections. This bill would provide protection of the personal information of state execution team members, including their names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, social media information, and usernames. Also, to be protected would be similar, and additional, information related to pharmacists, other healthcare professionals, and providers of lethal injection drugs for executions to be performed by our Department of Corrections.
The Ways and Means Committee met on Wednesday, March 8, and gave a favorable report on H.4088, a joint resolution appropriating $1.2 billion from the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Contingency Reserve Fund and $86 million from the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 projected general fund surplus for infrastructure funding to foster economic development. The legislation facilitates Project Connect, the construction of a manufacturing facility near Blythewood, in Richland County, by Scout Motors, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, to produce electric trucks and sport utility vehicles. The Department of Commerce is appropriated $1 billion to provide funding to Project Connect for: (1) road access and improvements, including a new interchange on Interstate Highway 77; (2) water and wastewater infrastructure; (3) required site improvements and mitigation; (4) a railroad bridge over I-77 to support rail spur construction; (5) a training center run by Midlands Technical College to train workers for the manufacturing facility; (6) land acquisition; (7) soil stabilization; and (8) other necessary purposes as recommended by the Department of Commerce for Project Connect, subject to review and comment by the Joint Bond Review Committee. Provisions are made for a $200 million loan for additional soil stabilization that is not eligible for forgiveness and must be paid back to the state.
S.125 XE "S. 125" Scholarship Stipends Sen. Hembree
S.125 , relates to additional LIFE scholarship stipends, extending the stipend to education majors (including math and science majors) where recipients must upon graduation work in a South Carolina public school for one year for every year the stipend is received. A student who uses a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship to attend an eligible two-year institution shall receive a maximum of four continuous semesters and may continue to use the scholarship to attend an eligible four-year institution, subject to the maximum number of semesters for which the student may be eligible for the scholarship.
S.245 Booster Club Sen. Kimbrell
This bill would provide that a person with certain criminal convictions is prohibited from serving as the treasurer of a booster club.
H.4100 XE "H. 4100" County Constituted as a School District Rep. Crawford
This bill provides that the area of each county of this state also must be constituted as a school district and a county may not have multiple school districts within its boundaries, and provides that the General Assembly shall provide for the governance, fiscal authority, and administrative and operational responsibilities for a countywide school district where no provisions of law now apply; and to provide that all acts or parts of acts relating to a school district that is not a countywide school district required by Section 59-17-165 are repealed as of July 1, 2025.
H.4101 XE "H. 4101" Piedmont Gateway Scenic Byway Rep. McDaniel
This bill would create the "Piedmont Gateway Scenic Byway" and identifies the three segments that comprise the byway in northern Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
H.4083 No COVID-19 Liability Immunity Effectiveness Sunset Date Rep. S. Jones
This legislative proposal would remove the expiration date for the South Carolina COVID-19 Liability Immunity Act. These initiatives, also known as Safe Harbor Acts, protect persons from legal liability for services or goods they have provided since March 13, 2020 to combat COVID-19 and its related variants. These legal protections are currently scheduled to end on December 31st of this year.
H.4114 Additional Richland-Lexington Airport Commissioners Rep. Caskey
The Richland-Lexington Airport Commission membership would increase from twelve to fourteen members if this bill becomes law. If passed, seven of these commission members would be appointed by the Lexington County Legislative Delegation. Of these seven, at least two would have to be a resident of Cayce or West Columbia.
H.4117 Curing Rejected Absentee Ballots Rep. J. L. Johnson
County Boards of Voter Registration and Elections would have to provide an absentee voter with an opportunity to cure their absentee ballot if it is rejected. These county boards would have to notify these voters within one day of identifying any defect, and they would be allowed seven days after receiving notice to submit a corrected absentee ballot. Inspections and comparisons of envelopes with county records could commence 29 days preceding an election. County board notice to these voters could be via USPS, email, or telephone contact, depending upon the information they have been provided. An additional section in this bill would establish a $1,000 to $5,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail for anyone committing canvassing or elections interference offenses.
H.4119 Voiding Ineffective Restrictive Covenants Rep. Pendarvis
Real estate purportedly subject to restrictive covenants that have been declared void and unenforceable by our US Supreme Court, the South Carolina Supreme Court, or which cannot be enforced under the provisions of SC Code Section 31-21-10 et seq., could be specifically identified as exempt via a property owner or licensed attorney filing a document with the County Clerk of Court that includes specific information set out in this bill. This code section prohibits limiting sales of real estate based on a buyer's race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin. Once this document is in the Clerk of Court's offices, this filing could be contested in a civil court suit brought by an affected party to have this filing nullified, if appropriate.
S.405 Revisions for Certifying Electoral College Electors Senator Sen. Campsen
This bill requires the Governor to transmit to the Archivist of the United States a certificate of ascertainment of appointment of electors at least six days before the meeting of the electors. It also changes the timing for electors to meet from the first Monday --to the first Tuesday-- after the second Wednesday in December following their appointment. It further revises the manner of disposition of certificates of ascertainment of appointment of electors. Currently, two certificates of ascertainment must be delivered to the South Carolina Secretary of State. This requirement would be deleted. Instead, two sets of certificates would be sent to the State Election Commission Executive Director. One of these certificates would be preserved by the Executive Director for one year and would remain open to the public for inspection during normal business hours.
S.436 "Heirs' Property Commission" Sen. Scott
The "Heirs' Property Commission," would be created under the proposals contained in this bill to address the legal and economic issues associated with heirs' property in our state. Members of it are proposed to be a member of the South Carolina Bar Real Estate Practices Section, who would serve as its chairman; a representative of the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation, a Master‑in-Equity, members representing county government, city government, the Coastal Conservation League, Habitat for Humanity, and the Lowcountry Gullah Foundation, all of whom would be appointed by our Governor; the Secretary of Transportation; and two more members who are also members of the South Carolina Bar Real Estate Practices Section, with one appointed by the President of the Senate and the other appointed by the Speaker of the House. Once constituted, it would review issues related to heirs' property in South Carolina and their impact on South Carolina families and economic development opportunities.
S.448 No Moped Operator Habitual Offenders Sen. Hutto
Moped operators with a valid moped operator license could not be determined to be habitual traffic offense violators for driving under suspension while operating their moped if this legislative proposal becomes law. In addition, a motor vehicle driver's license suspension period, for determining any habitual offender violations, would not include any stops made while that motor vehicle driver's license remains under suspension for failing to pay any SCDMV reinstatement fees.
H.4084 "Dental Administration of Neuromodulators Act" Rep. Oremus
A person licensed to practice dentistry by the board may obtain a permit from the board that authorizes him to administer neuromodulators in the region of the oral cavity and associated adjacent structures, to include the oral and maxillofacial regions, subject to the provisions of this section.
H.4085 Membership of Community Mental Health Boards Rep. M. M. Smith
The bill changes certain board membership requirements for mental health boards.
H.4102 Emergency Medical Technician Rep. Trantham
Among many things, the bill provides for a death benefit for emergency medical technicians killed in the line of duty, as well as volunteer firefighter or a volunteer emergency medical services personnel.
Labor, Commerce, and Industry
S.520 Pharmacy Audit Rights and Pharmacy Services Administrative Organizations Sen. Setzler
This bill expands the rights and duties of pharmacies during audits and revises duties of pharmacy benefits managers. The legislation makes provisions for pharmacy services administrative organizations who contract with pharmacy clients in the state to conduct business on their behalf with third‑party payers or pharmacy benefits managers. PSAOs provide administrative services to pharmacies and negotiate and enter into contracts with third‑party payers or pharmacy benefits managers on behalf of pharmacies. The legislation repeals provisions relating to freedom of selection and participation in health insurance policies or health maintenance organization plans.
H.4086 Residential Builders Revisions Rep. Sandifer
This bill makes various revisions relating to the licensure and regulation of residential builders.
H.4113 Ambulance Assessments Rep. Herbkersman
This bill creates an ambulance assessment fee for private ambulance services. The legislation requires the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to establish and charge ambulance services a uniform fee. Fees are to be deposited in a newly created Ambulance Fee Trust Fund that is to be used exclusively for Medicaid payments to ambulance services and shall not be used to replace payment commitments between the ambulance services and the state.
H.4115 Building Contractor Revisions Rep. Sandifer
This bill makes various revisions relating to the licensure and regulation of building contractors.
H.4116 Funeral Director Revisions Rep. Sandifer
This bill makes various revisions relating to the licensure and regulation of funeral directors and other licensed funeral service providers.
H.4082 Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Ophthalmic Disease Medicines Rep. Bannister
This bill establishes a sales tax exemption for insertable medicine used in the prevention, treatment, or cure of an ophthalmic disease or condition so long as the medicine is administered by or pursuant to the supervision of a physician, and in an office which is under the supervision of a physician, in an independent surgery center, or in a hospital‑based outpatient department.
H.4087 Tax Incentives for Economic Development Rep. G. M. Smith
This bill revises various tax incentive provisions for economic development. The legislation revises corporate income tax credit provisions for headquarters to provide changes to staffing requirements and certain timing. The legislation revises recycling facility tax credit provisions to lower the minimum level of investment for a qualified recycling facility and to include batteries, solar panels, and turbines in the definition of "postconsumer waste material." The legislation revises provisions in the Enterprise Zone Act of 1995 to allow remote employees working in South Carolina to be included in certain job creation requirements and to create a new provision to incentivize certain companies. The legislation revises provisions relating to the Enterprise Zone Act credit against withholding for retraining to provide who is eligible for the credit and the amount of the credit allowed.
H.4088 Infrastructure Funding to Foster Economic Development Rep. G. M. Smith
This joint resolution provides for the appropriation of $1.2 billion from the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Contingency Reserve Fund and $86 million from the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 projected general fund surplus for infrastructure funding to foster economic development. The legislation facilitates Project Connect, the construction of a manufacturing facility near Blythewood, in Richland County, by Scout Motors, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, to produce electric trucks and sport utility vehicles. The Department of Commerce is appropriated $1 billion to provide funding to Project Connect for: (1) road access and improvements, including a new interchange on Interstate Highway 77; (2) water and wastewater infrastructure; (3) required site improvements and mitigation; (4) a railroad bridge over I-77 to support rail spur construction; (5) a training center run by Midlands Technical College to train workers for the manufacturing facility; (6) land acquisition; (7) soil stabilization; and (8) other necessary purposes as recommended by the Department of Commerce for Project Connect, subject to review and comment by the Joint Bond Review Committee. Provisions are made for a $200 million loan for additional soil stabilization that is not eligible for forgiveness and must be paid back to the state.
H.4118 Community Development Tax Credit Enhancements Rep. Weeks
This bill revises provisions for community development tax credits to extend the credit and to provide for an increase in the credit amount. The legislation extends the provisions of Act 314 of 2000.
H.4123 Earnings Limitation Exemption for School Resource Officers Rep. Herbkersman
This bill revises the Police Officers Retirement System earnings limitation to provide that this earnings limitation does not apply to school resource officers.
H.4124 Department of Public Health and Department of Environmental Services Rep. G. M. Smith
This bill makes comprehensive reform provisions to replace the Department of Health and Environmental Control with a newly created Department of Public Health to assume DHEC's health‑related functions and a newly created Department of Environmental Services to assume DHEC's environmental‑related functions. The new departments are established as cabinet agencies in the executive branch of government under the leadership of directors who are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
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The House Research Office uses the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (with practical modifications, esp. regarding numbers).
These summaries are prepared by the staff of the South Carolina House of Representatives and are not the expression of the legislation's sponsor(s) nor the House of Representatives. They are for the use of members of the House of Representatives and are not to be construed by a court of law as an expression of legislative intent. These Legislative Updates are on the South Carolina General Assembly home page (http://www.scstatehouse.gov). Go to Publications, then Legislative Updates. This lists all the Legislative Updates by date as a Word document and a document with hypertext links to the bills. Also available under Publications is a Bill Summary Index to the Legislative Updates (bills are listed in numeric order and provide the different summary versions at the different stages and dates in the process).