Legislation Pending In House Committees
Return to the LPITS HOME PAGE - Last Updated:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 3:53 P.M.
Listed below are short "bullet-style" summaries of various bills still
pending in House committees.
- No State Retirement Benefits for State Officers or Employees Convicted
of Felonies Arising out of Performance of Job (H. 3092, Rep. Kirsh). This
bill prohibits any state retirement benefits from being paid to a state
officer or employee convicted after June 1995 of a South Carolina or U.S.
felony arising out of performance of official duties. This bill is pending
in the Ways and Means Committee.
- Lowering of Blood Alcohol Content Percentages To Make Presumptions in
DUI Cases (H. 3112, Rep. Kirsh). If this bill is adopted, a person with a
blood alcohol content of .08 percent or above would be inferred to have been
driving under the influence (current level for inferring DUI is .10
percent). This bill is pending in the Judiciary Committee.
- Position of Adjutant General To Be Appointive (H. 3122, Rep. Wilkins;
and H. 3179, Rep. Cromer). Under both of these proposed
constitutional
amendments, the adjutant general no longer would be elected by the voters
but instead would be appointed by the governor (with H. 3179, unlike H.
3122, also requiring the Senate to give advice and consent to the
appointment). Both proposals are pending in the Judiciary Committee.
- Position of State Superintendent of Education To Be Appointive (H.
3133, Rep. Hodges; and H. 3184, Rep. Wilkins). Under both of these proposed
constitutional amendments, the state superintendent of education no longer
would be popularly elected but instead would be appointed by the governor
(with H. 3133, unlike H. 3184, also requiring the Senate to give its advice
and consent to the appointment). Both proposals are pending in the Judiciary
Committee.
- 15 and 16-year-olds Must Complete Mandatory Driver Training Course (H.
3124, Rep. Cromer). This bill requires any 15 or 16-year-old seeking a
driver's license to first complete an approved driver training course. This
bill is pending in the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.
- Enactment of Laws by Initiative Petition (H. 3245, Rep. McElveen).
This proposed constitutional amendment would grant to the people the power
to enact laws and constitutional amendments through initiative petition.
This proposal is pending in the Judiciary Committee.
- Individual Medical Accounts (H. 3326, Rep. Richardson). This bill
authorizes the creation of individual medical accounts to pay eligible
medical, dental and long-term care expenses of the account holder. This bill
is pending in the Ways and Means Committee.
- Permission Required To Use Body Parts Removed From Body During Autopsy
for Organ or Tissue Donation (H. 3334, Rep. Keyserling). This bill prohibits
body parts removed from a body during performance of an autopsy or
postmortem from being used for purpose of organ or tissue donations unless
authorization for the donation is obtained from the decedent (pursuant to
the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act) or from a person otherwise authorized to
consent to the donation. This legislation is pending in the Medical,
Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee ("3M Committee").
- South Carolina Charter Schools Act of 1995 (H. 3388, Rep. Richardson).
This bill provides for establishment of "charter schools" within the state's
public school districts, for purposes, among other things, of encouraging
use of diverse and innovative teaching methods and providing parents and
pupils expanded choices in types of educational opportunities within the
public school system. This bill is pending in the Education and Public Works
Committee.
- Home School Students May Participate in Interscholastic Activities of
Their School Districts (H. 3467, Rep. Fair). This bill permits home school
students to participate in interscholastic activities in the school district
where they reside upon meeting certain conditions. This bill is pending in
the Education and Public Works Committee.
- Conditions for Transporting Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste on South Carolina's Roads and Railroads (H. 3553, Rep.
Keyserling). This bill prohibits the transport of spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste on South Carolina's roads and railroads unless
an environmental impact statement is prepared and DHEC certifies that the
transport of these materials poses no significant risk to the health and
safety of South Carolinians. This bill is pending in the Agriculture,
Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee.
- Abolition of Tenure at Public Colleges and Universities (H. 3767, Rep.
Witherspoon). This bill would abolish tenure at the state's colleges and
universities. This bill is pending in the Education and Public Works
Committee.
- Auto Insurance Reform (H. 3781, Rep. Felder). This bill contains a
number of provisions pertaining to auto insurance, among other things
providing for a phase-out of recoupment fees, increasing the minimum
property damage coverage required on auto insurance policies, and deleting
the required offering of "objective standards" rates. This bill is pending
in the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.
- South Carolina Property Rights Act (H. 3790, Rep. Harrison). This bill
would entitle owners of real property to compensation when state or local
regulations substantially diminish the value of the property. This bill is
pending in the Judiciary Committee.
- Magistrates Part of Unified Judicial System (H. 3956, Rep. McAbee).
This bill would include magistrates and magistrate courts as part of the
State's unified judicial system. This bill is pending in the Ways and Means
Committee.
- Implementation of Community-Based Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Programs (H. 4034, Rep. Shissias). This bill requires the South Carolina
Human Services Coordinating Council to develop and coordinate implementation
of community-based programs and projects relating to the problem of
adolescent pregnancy. This bill is pending in the House "3M" Committee.
- Abolition of Mental Health Commission (H. 4074, Rep. McElveen). This
bill would abolish the 7-member State Mental Health Commission and would
required the department to be run by a director appointed by the governor
with the advice and consent of the Senate. This bill is pending in the
Judiciary Committee.
- Department of Transportation To Be Governed by a Director Appointed
by the Governor (H. 4294, Rep. Kelley). This bill would abolish the
Commission which oversees the Department of Transportation and instead would
require that Department to be governed by a director appointed by the
governor. This bill is pending in the Education and Public Works Committee.
- No Drivers Licenses for Persons Under Age 18 Not Enrolled in School
(S. 7, Sen. Leatherman). This bill prohibits issuance of a driver's license
to a person under age 18 unless the person is a high school graduate, has
a GED, or currently is enrolled in school. This bill is pending in the
Education and Public Works Committee.
- Auto Insurance Reform (S. 628, Senate Banking and Insurance
Committee). This bill addresses a number of aspects pertaining to issuance
of auto insurance policies in South Carolina, among other things,
eliminating the current "base" and "objective standards" rates, temporarily
freezing recoupment fees, and repealing in certain instances the requirement
that insurance companies write auto insurance physical damage coverages.
This bill is pending in the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.