Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
Pursuant to Article III, Section 9, of the Constitution, the members of the House of Representatives from the several districts of this State assembled in the Hall of the House of Representatives in the Capitol, in the City of Columbia, this day, and were called to order at 12:00 Noon by Sandra K. McKinney, the Clerk of the Late House of Representatives.
Deliberations were opened with prayer by the Chaplain of the late House of Representatives, the Rev. Dr. Alton C. Clark as follows:
As we meet for the organization of this House of Representatives, we ask, O Lord, at the very start for Your leadership and guidance. Use us, we pray, for the welfare of our people and in a way altogether pleasing in Your sight. Give us the sure confidence that God never calls us to tasks without enabling us to perform these tasks. And as we seek His assistance, His help is never too late. Cause us to know always that the way we do our work is important, what we do is more important, but how we live is most important.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
Pursuant to Rule 6.3, the House of Representatives was led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America by Rep. M.O. ALEXANDER.
The following was received.
August 7, 1992
The Honorable Robert J. Sheheen
Speaker of the House of Representatives
506 Blatt Building
Columbia, S.C. 29211
IN RE: RESIGNATION FROM HOUSE DISTRICT 111
Dear Mr. Sheheen:
The purpose of this communication is to advise that I am submitting my resignation as Representative of House District No. 111, the same effective as of noon August 28, 1992.
Please be further advised that my eight (8) years service in the House of Representatives with you was a most enjoyable, rewarding and learning experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. As I venture into my new endeavor as a Jurist for our beloved State, I assure you that the General Assembly, and in particular, The House of Representatives and the Judiciary Committee, will be ever present in my mind and memory.
Thanking you once again, for your kindness extended to me during my tenure there and wishing you the utmost success in your every endeavor, I remain,
Yours very truly,
Daniel E. Martin, Sr.
Received as information.
The following was received.
June 30, 1992
Mrs. Sandra McKinney
Clerk of the House of Representatives
State House
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Dear Mrs. McKinney:
Under date of June 26, 1992, the State Election Commission certified to this office the result of the election in House District 15, held in South Carolina on June 9, 1992. The certification shows that Mr. Donny Wilder has been elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, District 15.
I, therefore, certify that Mr. Donny Wilder has been elected as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from District 15, for a term as prescribed by law.
Yours very truly,
/s/Jim Miles
Secretary of State
June 26, 1992
Honorable Robert J. Sheheen, Speaker
House of Representatives
P.O. Box 11867
Columbia, South Carolina 29211
Dear Mr. Speaker:
This is to advise that Mr. Donny Wilder was elected to House of Representatives District 15 at a special election held in Laurens County on June 9, 1992.
Very truly yours,
James F. Hendrix
Deputy Director
Received as information.
The CLERK of the late House announced that the first business in order was the election of a Temporary CHAIRMAN.
Rep. SHEHEEN nominated Rep. TUCKER.
On motion of Rep. FAIR, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The CLERK of the late House appointed Reps. STILLE and TOWNSEND to escort Rep. TUCKER to the rostrum.
Rep. TUCKER presented his credentials and the oath of office was administered to him by the CLERK.
Rep. TUCKER thereupon took the Chair.
The Temporary CHAIRMAN appointed Mrs. Sandra K. McKinney to act as Temporary Clerk; Mr. James D'Alessio as Temporary Reading Clerk, and Mr. Mitchell Dorman as Temporary Sergeant at Arms.
The following was received.
Clerk of the House of Representatives
State House
Columbia, South Carolina
Members of the House:
The State Election Commission has certified to this office those members of the House of Representatives of South Carolina which were elected in the election of November 3, 1992. The members are hereby certified as set forth in the attached pages as the duly and properly elected members of the House of Representatives, all of which is duly certified.
/s/Jim Miles
Secretary of State
District 1 Thomas C. Alexander (D)
District 2 Lindsey Graham (R)
District 3 Claude V. Marchbanks, Jr. (R)
District 4 Teddy N. Trotter (R)
District 5 Alfred Robinson, Jr. (R)
District 6 John W. Tucker, Jr. (D)
District 7 Ronald P. Townsend (D)
District 8 C.D. Chamblee (D)
District 9 Patrick B. Harris (D)
District 10 Daniel T. Cooper (R)
District 11 Harry Stille (D)
District 12 Jennings G. McAbee (D)
District 13 James S. Klauber (R)
District 14 Marion P. Carnell (D)
District 15 Donny Wilder (D)
District 16 Eugene C. Stoddard (D)
District 17 Harry F. Cato (R)
District 18 Lewis R. Vaughn (R)
District 19 Michael L. Fair (R)
District 20 H. Howell Clyborne, Jr. (R)
District 21 Michael F. Jaskwhich (R)
District 22 Terry Edward Haskins (R)
District 23 Ralph Anderson (D)
District 24 David H. Wilkins (R)
District 25 W.B. McMahand (D)
District 26 James G. "Jim" Mattos (D)
District 27 M.O. Alexander (D)
District 28 Dell Baker (R)
District 29 E. DeWitt McCraw (D)
District 30 Olin R. Phillips (D)
District 31 Don Beatty (D)
District 32 Doug Smith (R)
District 33 Lanny Littlejohn (R)
District 34 Carole C. Wells (R)
District 35 Steve Lanford (R)
District 36 Rita Allison (R)
District 37 Ralph Davenport (R)
District 38 Bob Walker (R)
District 39 Molly Spearman (D)
District 40 Dave C. Waldrop, Jr. (D)
District 41 Timothy C. Wilkes (D)
District 42 Toney Lein Farr (D)
District 43 F.G. "Greg" Delleney, Jr. (D)
District 44 William D. Boan (D)
District 45 James H. Hodges (D)
District 46 Gary Simrill (R)
District 47 Herbert Kirsh (D)
District 48 Becky Meacham (R)
District 49 Bessie Moody-Lawrence (D)
District 50 Grady A. Brown (D)
District 51 Ralph W. Canty (D)
District 52 Robert J. Sheheen (D)
District 53 Jean Laney Harris (D)
District 54 Douglas Jennings, Jr. (D)
District 55 Marion H. "Son" Kinon (D)
District 56 Denny W. Neilson (D)
District 57 Larry L. Elliott (D)
District 58 Morgan Martin (D)
District 59 B. Hicks Harwell (D)
District 60 Woodrow M. McKay (D)
District 61 Harry R. Askins (D)
District 62 Jesse Hines (D)
District 63 William S. Houck, Jr. (D)
District 64 C. Alexander Harvin, III (D)
District 65 J. Michael Baxley (D)
District 66 Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D)
District 67 E.B. McLeod, Jr. (D)
District 68 Joseph T. McElveen, Jr. (D)
District 69 John W. "Bill" Riser (R)
District 70 Joseph H. Neal (D)
District 71 Richard M. Quinn, Jr. (R)
District 72 Timothy F. Rogers (D)
District 73 Joe E. Brown (D)
District 74 Dr. Alma W. Byrd (D)
District 75 Candy Y. Waites (D)
District 76 James H. Harrison (R)
District 77 John L. Scott, Jr. (D)
District 78 June S. Shissias (R)
District 79 Roland S. Corning (R)
District 80 James L.M. Cromer, Jr. (I)
District 81 Irene K. Rudnick (D)
District 82 Charles H. "Charlie" Stone (R)
District 83 Thomas E. Huff (R)
District 84 James Roland Smith (D)
District 85 David A. Wright (R)
District 86 Charles R. Sharpe (R)
District 87 Larry L. Koon (R)
District 88 C. Lenoir Sturkie (R)
District 89 Margaret Gamble (R)
District 90 Thomas N. Rhoad (D)
District 91 Joe Wilder (D)
District 92 Sandi S. Wofford (R)
District 93 John G. Felder (D)
District 94 Heyward Hutson (R)
District 95 Jerry Govan (D)
District 96 Elsie Rast Stuart (R)
District 97 George H. Bailey (D)
District 98 Annette Young (R)
District 99 Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R)
District 100 James Law (D)
District 101 Kenneth Kennedy (D)
District 102 DeWitt Williams (D)
District 103 John J. Snow, Jr. (D)
District 104 Harold Worley (D)
District 105 W.D. Witherspoon (R)
District 106 Thomas G. Keegan (R)
District 107 Mark Kelley (R)
District 108 Paula H. Thomas (R)
District 109 Lucille S. Whipper (D)
District 110 James J. Bailey (D)
District 111 Floyd Breeland (D)
District 112 Harry M. Hallman, Jr. (R)
District 113 Stephen E. Gonzales (R)
District 114 Bobby Harrell, Jr. (R)
District 115 Robert A. Barber, Jr. (D)
District 116 Curtis B. Inabinett (D)
District 117 Roger M. Young (R)
District 118 D.N. Holt, Jr. (D)
District 119 Ronald Calhoun Fulmer (R)
District 120 Douglas E. McTeer, Jr. (D)
District 121 James P. Harrelson (D)
District 122 Juanita M. White (D)
District 123 Scott H. Richardson (R)
District 124 Billy Keyserling (D)
The TEMPORARY READING CLERK of the late House then commenced a call of the members-elect of the House of Representatives by roll call resulting as follows:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Allison Anderson Askins Bailey, G. Bailey, J. Baker Barber Baxley Beatty Boan Breeland Brown, G. Brown, H. Brown, J. Byrd Canty Carnell Cato Chamblee Clyborne Cobb-Hunter Cooper Corning Cromer Davenport Delleney Elliott Fair Farr Felder Fulmer Gamble Gonzales Govan Graham Hallman Harrell Harrelson Harris, J. Harris, P. Harrison Harvin Harwell Haskins Hines Hodges Holt Houck Huff Hutson Inabinett Jaskwhich Jennings Keegan Kelley Kennedy Keyserling Kinon Kirsh Klauber Koon Lanford Law Littlejohn Marchbanks Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McKay McLeod McMahand McTeer Meacham Moody-Lawrence Neal Neilson Phillips Quinn Rhoad Richardson Riser Robinson Rogers Rudnick Scott Sharpe Sheheen Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Smith, R. Snow Spearman Stille Stoddard Stone Stuart Sturkie Thomas Townsend Trotter Tucker Vaughn Waites Waldrop Walker Wells Whipper White Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkes Wilkins Williams Witherspoon Wofford Worley Wright Young, A. Young, R.
The foregoing were then sworn in by the Temporary CHAIRMAN.
The Temporary CHAIRMAN announced that nominations were in order for a SPEAKER.
Rep. CARNELL nominated Rep. ROBERT J. SHEHEEN of Camden as follows:
"Fellow members of the 110th session of the South Carolina House of Representatives, it is an honor to stand before you today to nominate for reelection as speaker Robert J. 'Bob' Sheheen. With his experience and dedication to public service, and commitment to the institution of the House of Representatives in particular, Bob Sheheen is uniquely qualified to serve as the chief presiding and administrative officer of the South Carolina House of Representatives. While most all of you know Bob and have served in this body under his leadership, there are some who sit in this chamber for the first time. As an introduction for our newer members and a reminder to the rest of us, though, I offer some biographical information on Bob Sheheen. Bob is a native of Camden and a graduate of Duke University and the University of South Carolina Law School. He was first elected to the House in 1977 and quickly rose to the position of Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in 1980. In 1986 he was elected by a unanimous vote as the 87th Speaker of the South Carolina House and has served continuously since. Bob Sheheen's leadership has been acknowledged not only in the House, but also by those outside of the body. He has received honorary degrees from The Citadel and Winthrop College, and has been honored with awards from such organizations as the Municipal Association, the Association of Counties, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and the Greenville News. In the General Assembly, Bob Sheheen has tackled the tough problems and we, as members of the House and as citizens of this State of South Carolina, have been fortunate to have benefitted from his leadership and wisdom. Most recently, he helped the House weather the turmoil of Operation Lost Trust, going to court to defend the House's right to declare vacant the seats of those members found guilty of illegal conduct. He also lead the passage of tougher ethics rules for the House a year before the new Ethics Law applied to all of state government. He has been in the forefront on issues involving the environment, the budget, reapportionment, the judiciary, and other matters of statewide impact. An even more compelling reason to reelect Bob Sheheen Speaker of the House is the consistent, fair, and honest way he deals with people, whether members of the House or anyone else. Bob knows the art of compromise, understands the concept of consensus building, and appreciates honorable defeat and gracious victory. While he may win, lose, or compromise on a given issue, you never have to wonder where Bob Sheheen stands. He is an "up front" kind of person who is refreshingly straightforward in his approach. He uses logic laced with practicality to make his points, and while he may disagree with someone, he respects that person's right to have a different opinion. He uses that same approach exercising his duties as Speaker, whether they be administrative, legislative, or parliamentary in nature. I was first elected to the House in 1961, and have served continuously since 1967. I have served under four different Speakers during my tenure. The last sixteen years I have served in this House with Bob. I can tell you that no one works as hard for the people of South Carolina and for the South Carolina House of Representatives than Bob Sheheen. Members of the House, at this time it gives me great pleasure to nominate Robert Sheheen for a fourth term as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Thank you."
On motion of Rep. HODGES nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The Temporary CHAIRMAN appointed Reps. BOAN, CORNING, and BAXLEY to escort the SPEAKER-elect to the desk where the oath of office was administered unto him by the Temporary CHAIRMAN.
SPEAKER SHEHEEN thereupon took the Chair and addressed the House as follows:
"Two years ago, I stood before you after my election as Speaker to discuss with you what I thought was some turmoil in the South Carolina House as a result of Operation Lost Trust. I stand before you today to discuss with you what I think is a remarkable recovery by the South Carolina House as an institution from the turmoil that occurred two years ago. We stand here today deciding to tackle some issues for South Carolina in the next two years and representing a 124 individual districts and during the next two years we will face some further turmoil in the South Carolina House. I say to those new members here today that I am proud of this institution and its investment in honesty and integrity and its statement to the public and the practice that it has performed under the new Ethics Act that has been passed. But, I come to you today to tell you that I think that we are an institution that has performed well within these walls, but we still have a long way to go because our people feel somewhat alienated from politics. They don't feel as though they are a part of our institution and a part of our government nearly as much as they need to feel. There are many articles that have been written about it in the past Presidential election about how people are alienated from the electoral process, how they no longer want to participate in the vote, how they are tuned out, but I have to tell you that they are not tuned out, they are just turned off. What we have experienced in the last 10 years is too much ideological arguing among political parties about issues that are important to us as parties but not about issues that are important to the average everyday concerns of American citizens. We all sometimes have been guilty of ceaseless bickering for the benefit of our own individual concerns or those of our parties. But, we fail to answer sometimes the hard questions of our times of how people are going to maintain and improve their standards of living, how we are going to deal with budgetary problems, how we are going to perform in a post cold war era and what are we going to do about the rising cost of healthcare and how we are going to pay for college for our children and what are the family issues going to mean in the work place and how are we going to have a comprehensive energy policy for the year 2000 and what are we going to do to create and save jobs and pay attention to our environment. Some of us have engaged in negative advertising during political campaigns that say to the public that all of us politicians are a pretty seamy bunch. Political corruption, which we have experienced in South Carolina promoted by that ceaseless bickering and negative advertising has further indicated to the public that this is an insider's game and not their game. They are not tuned out, they are just turned off. We have engaged in one-upmanship between political parties which lead to grid lock in Washington and solid block voting in the South Carolina House on issues such as reapportionment and environmental concerns and as we have bickered over that, Republicans and Democrats alike, sometimes we have forgotten to stop and consider that what we are about is not our party's political agenda, but what we are about is the future of the people of South Carolina. And South Carolina mirrors in my opinion the nation as a whole in the adopting of the great majority of our citizens a central position on most issues and sometimes we forget that and say that party politics has no need for the center. The clear political lesson that we have tried to teach people in the last 10 years is that it's better to divide and conquer when we should have gotten together and conquered problems. The candidacy of Ross Perot proved that. It spoke volumes to us in this last Presidential election. He represented certain things that appeal to a larger segment of the electorates than has ever happened by a third party candidate before. He represented an idea of can do government. It is a mistake for us to think that Americans don't like government or don't want their government to work, it is exactly the opposite. It is exactly the opposite. They want to like their government and they want their government to work. They want us to get things done. They want their government to get things done that affects and impacts their everyday life. That was one of the appeals of Mr. Perot's campaign. He was just like the Nike ad, "Just Do It". Just do it. Secondly, he spoke to those Americans who felt that they were tuned out of the process and alienated because they did not understand what we are about in government. His campaign was inclusive, it went all across the spectrum, both socially and economically, blacks and whites, and native Americans. And it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that many of us in government and in campaigns thought that the voters were tuned out and easily misled and sometimes even stupid. But, they are not that. They are not stupid and they are not easily misled. They want us to talk about issues. They don't want us to out slick ourselves. They want to know what we are going to vote for and how we are going to tackle the issues that mean something to them. So I say to you that in the next two years and in the next four years and in the next six years, that this institution has got to be about the people's business in South Carolina. Cooperation ought to be our key, it ought to be the catch word. Divisive politics based on false ideological issues ought not to matter, but how we affect South Carolinians in their everyday life ought to matter. When we get to campaign times, negative campaigning must cease and we must talk to those people in South Carolina who want to elect those can do candidates who want to make government work. There is a difference between being a politician and a leader. Leaders establish a vision for the future and they set a strategy for getting there. Leaders deal with challenges and cause change but not change for change sake, but change to make things better. In a sense, when you are a leader, you are a cheerleader, you have promised fairness in reward and sacrifice. We promise equity and it strikes a deep cord with the American electorates. We foster a spirit of generosity and compromise and a willingness to do good and pull together for the common good. Benjamin Franklin, a wise old man of democracy, turned to John Hancock when they signed the Declaration of Independence, and he said we must indeed all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. And I can tell you what that means in the South Carolina House, we must all get about the people's business and solve the problems facing South Carolinians or there will be more than 29 new faces after the next general election in two years. And finally, what I say to you is that we must put aside that notion that the conflict between politicians and political parties is a war between good men and bad men or good people and bad people. Walter Lipman said it best, a noted political pundit, he said that when you think about politics, you have got to put that notion aside, there will be differing views and different points, but politics is the competition between good men and good men. It is not the competition between good men and bad men. I pledge to you today that in the next two years, I am going to embody those ideas and those ideals. Somebody sent me this little paperback book in May of 1990, after I had been the Speaker for four years and he says that this, to me, seems to be the hallmark of your speakership, so I am going to share it with you today in conclusion. The title of the book is All I Ever Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten by a man named Robert Fulton. He says that these are the things that I learn, share everything, play fair, don't hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don't take things that aren't yours, say you're sorry when you hurt somebody, wash your hands before you eat, flush, warm cookies and cold milk are good for you, live a balanced life, learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup. The roots go down and the plants go up and nobody really knows why or how, but we all like it. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the styrofoam cup, they all die and so do we. And remember the Dick and Jane books, and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all, look. Thank you very much for allowing me to be your Speaker."
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE.
Rep. HUFF nominated Rep. DAVID WILKINS of Greenville as follows:
"Ladies and gentlemen...It gives me extreme pleasure to come before you today and to place into nomination the name of David Wilkins as Speaker Pro Tempore for the South Carolina House. This is the first opportunity that I have had to nominate someone from the floor for this office or any other office in this House and I do not take it lightly. Words that our Speaker just mentioned today such as turmoil, alienation, separation, division, conflict are not words that are in the vocabulary of David Wilkins. I have had the opportunity to serve with him since 1981 when he first came to this House and under his leadership as Chairman of Judiciary since 1986. If anything is known by the public after this election, it is the word change. There is a new spirit across, not only this country, but this State and I think we have an opportunity to bring that idea, that expectation to reality. We need to elect, I believe, someone which is epitomized, I think, by David Wilkins who can build bridges, who can reach across the aisles and who can reach across ideas and make this House work in harmony. And if anything, that is what I have seen in the work, in the labors, in the efforts of my good friend, David Wilkins. He has suffered the fights, the defeats and the victories in his Chairmanship of Judiciary. He has led us along with our Speaker, to the debates and the turmoil of reapportionment. And he has done that, I think, with an abundance of fairness and of bi-partisanship. And it is for that reason, that I consider it a great honor to place his name in nomination for your consideration as Speaker Pro Tempore of the South Carolina House. Thank You."
Rep. ROGERS nominated Rep. LUCILLE WHIPPER of Charleston as follows:
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker and ladies and gentlemen of the House, my colleagues in the House...It is with a great deal of pleasure and a great sense of privilege that I rise to nominate for the office of Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, the Honorable Lucille Whipper of Charleston. I have had the pleasure of serving with Mrs. Whipper since she was first elected to the House in 1986. Most of you in this Body have had that pleasure and you have learned about her and have learned to become familiar with her as a person and as a public servant during that period of time. You know that she is a native of Charleston, you know that she is a mother of six and that she has years of administrative experience and having retired not too long ago as Director of Human Relations for the College of Charleston. You know that she has served actively on committees of this House, on the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee and the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. You know that she has been an active member of her party, serving as Vice Chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party in 1972 and most recently serving for two years as Treasurer of the Democratic Caucus of this House. I know that Lucille Whipper has established clearly the fact that she is a leader, that she is a very hard working conscientious, diligent member of this Body, that she has the ability to communicate and to build consensus in this Body, that her reputation for honesty and integrity are unmatched in this Body. I am particularly enthusiastic in my support for Mrs. Whipper because of the issues for which she has stood so strongly in her service in this House. For a strong commitment to ethical behavior of individual members of this House and of this House as an institution, I don't think any issue that we deal with in this Body at anytime is more important than the issue of Ethics and the ethical standard that we set for ourselves and so I urge you, my fellow members of the House, as you make this decision, to ask yourself which of the candidates between who you choose has the stronger commitment to a strong ethics code for this House. I support Mrs. Whipper because of her strong commitment to a progressive environmental policy for the State of South Carolina in terms of our future and in terms of our posterity and the legacy that we leave for them. There is no more important issue than the issue of how we craft public policy for South Carolina in the area of environmental conservation and I ask you and I urge you as my colleagues to decide when you are making this choice which of the candidates has a stronger commitment to a strong policy of environmental conservation. I am particularly enthusiastic in my support of Mrs. Whipper because of her experience as an educator and because of her strong commitment to the issue of public education in South Carolina. Everyone who has served with me in this Body knows of my interest in this issue and I ask you to consider the strength of support for public education in the State of South Carolina, both in the K-12 level and in the higher education level as you choose between the candidates for Speaker Pro Tempore. In closing ladies and gentlemen, let me reflect on the words that we have just heard from our Speaker. As he has called to our attention, and reminded us of the mood of the electorate in the election through which we have just finished, in that season, the issues of the voters being turned off, of voters being soured on the process, voters feeling that they do not have a role and a stake in the decisions that are made in this Body. The Speaker spoke eloquently of the public perception of this Body. The need among the public strongly felt to be included in the processes of government here in Columbia in this great building. Of the fact that voters are turned off, they are turned off when they see us playing the inside games of power politics and failing to send clear signals to all South Carolinians, that all South Carolinians are included and are a part of the decision making process in Columbia, in the State House. And finally, the issue of equity. How are the citizens of South Carolina, all the citizens going to respond and react to the elections that take place here today. I say to you that I don't think we could send a stronger message of our commitment to equity and our commitment to inclusion and our commitment to ending politics as usual, the inside games, and our commitment to opening the political process up in this great State House than the election of an African-American woman who has proven her leadership abilities, proven her integrity, proven her integrity to the people of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise to nominate for the position of Speaker Pro Tempore, my friend, the Honorable Lucille Whipper of Charleston."
On motion of Rep. HUFF, nominations were closed.
The SPEAKER appointed Reps. BEATTY and HALLMAN as tellers.
The Temporary Reading Clerk called the roll of the House and the Members voted viva voce as their names were called.
The following named Representatives voted for Rep. WHIPPER:
Anderson Bailey, J. Barber Baxley Beatty Breeland Brown, G. Brown, J. Byrd Canty Cobb-Hunter Govan Harrelson Harvin Hines Holt Inabinett Kennedy Keyserling Law McElveen McLeod McMahand McTeer Moody-Lawrence Neal Neilson Rogers Scott Snow Spearman Waites Whipper White Wilkes Williams
The following named Representatives voted for Rep. WILKINS:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Allison Askins Bailey, G. Baker Boan Brown, H. Carnell Cato Chamblee Clyborne Cooper Corning Cromer Davenport Delleney Elliott Fair Farr Felder Fulmer Gamble Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Harris, J. Harris, P. Harwell Haskins Hodges Huff Hutson Jaskwhich Jennings Keegan Kelley Kinon Kirsh Klauber Koon Lanford Littlejohn Marchbanks Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McKay Meacham Phillips Quinn Rhoad Richardson Riser Robinson Rudnick Sharpe Sheheen Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Smith, R. Stille Stoddard Stone Stuart Sturkie Thomas Townsend Trotter Tucker Vaughn Waldrop Walker Wells Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkins Witherspoon Wofford Worley Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Rep. WHIPPER received 36
Rep. WILKINS received 86
Whereupon, the SPEAKER announced that Rep. WILKINS having received a majority of the votes cast was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The SPEAKER appointed Reps. FAIR, MATTOS and CLYBORNE to escort the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE-elect to the desk where the oath of office was administered unto him by the SPEAKER.
SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE WILKINS thereupon took the Chair and addressed the House as follows:
"Mr. Speaker, fellow members of the House, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the privilege as well as the responsibility of serving as your SPEAKER Pro Tem. There is an old saying that if you ever see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, you can bet your bottom dollar that he didn't get there by himself. Well, you are looking at one happy turtle today. I know full well that I didn't get here by myself. The bipartisan support that I received means a great deal to me. This type of cooperation speaks well of the House. Partisan politics has its place, but when the elections are over, we need to put it behind us. Now it's time to pull together and work for the common good. And that's the spirit with which I accept this position. In December of 1980 when I was first sworn in as a freshman legislator, my sons James and Robert were 4 and 5. Like all of you freshmen today, I was so excited and proud to be here and to have my family witness the opening ceremonies. My wife, Susan, and the two boys came down early and got a front row seat in the balcony. During the swearing in ceremony, I looked up in the balcony and James and Robert were moving all around and sticking their heads through the rails and the whole time during the ceremony all I could think about was if they fell would I have enough time to get back to try to break their fall. I was really relieved when I saw Susan stand up and drag two rambunctious little boys out of the balcony and down into the lobby. They've grown up with their dad in politics. Now they're 16 and 17. Susan and James and Robert allow me the privilege of serving with you and spending the time necessary to be Judiciary Committee Chairman and now your SPEAKER Pro Tem. I'm very grateful to them for that and I wanted them to be here to share in this moment. But I really brought James and Robert back here today to prove to those of you who were here in 1980 that my children are now well-behaved and are under control. They've promised me they will stay in their seats today. I want to give special thanks to my staff and the members of the Judiciary Committee. Serving as your Chairman has been a very special honor for me. I've never had a job -- and it is a job -- that I enjoyed more. I loved the challenge. I loved the work -- and we did work hard. I loved the responsibility, but most of all I loved the opportunity to work with the members of the Judiciary Committee. I'm very proud of our accomplishments. I can tell you that the members of the Judiciary Committee made me look good on many occasions, far better than I deserved to look. But it was a spirit of cooperation -- the bipartisan cooperation that we were able to establish on the Judiciary Committee -- that enabled us to be effective, enabled us to build bridges, to build coalitions to pass meaningful legislation. There was no gridlock in the House Judiciary Committee. We shared the credit and yes, sometimes, we shared the blame. Whatever success we enjoyed in Judiciary Committee belongs to the members, not to me. So to the members of Judiciary of the past 6 years, thank you for the privilege of being your Chairman. It's been one of the truly great honors of my life. When I was first elected I planned to serve a maximum 4 years in this body -- but something happened along the way. I grew to love this institution. And that has caused me to stay much longer than I ever thought I would. This institution has been far better to me than I have to it. I've shared with many of you the good times and the bad times. I've swelled with pride and I've hung my head in shame, but through it all I have grown to love this institution, to respect it, to really care about it, and to be very proud to be a part of it. While I am very proud of the accomplishments of this house during my 12 years here, I am also painfully aware of the many problems facing our State today -- whether it's the problem of a tight budget or the lack of accountability and the duplication and fragmentation of services found in our system of government, or the ever rising costs of health care, or the need to ensure that each child, my children, your children, is provided a quality education -- the problems are real -- they beg our attention. How we go about addressing them will set an example throughout state government and indeed throughout this State. In the paper recently, we read about the possibility of gridlock in the upcoming legislative session. And it doesn't take much imagination to understand how this could happen. We now have a situation in which party strength in the legislature is approaching parity. We have a Republican Governor and a Democratic Lieutenant Governor. A Democratic Speaker and a Republican SPEAKER Pro Tem. Republican Constitutional Officers and Democratic Constitutional Officers. And we are painfully familiar with the dismal stories of gridlock in our nation's Capitol. Although the potential for gridlock exists, I know we all realize that South Carolina has much to lose and nothing to gain from partisan bickering and stalemate. Under the worse case scenario of gridlock, each party could claim victory when it stops legislation sponsored by the other. But the biggest loser as our problems go unresolved would be the State of South Carolina and its people. No one gains from gridlock of a partisan stalemate and everyone loses. That's not to say we won't have our differences. Certainly we will. If we didn't there wouldn't be a need for a two-party system. And each of us shares a sense of pride in our respective party. I know that I am proud to be a Republican. But we must remember that the people of this State didn't send us to Columbia to bicker or score political points. And just as neither party has a monopoly on the voters of this State, neither has a monopoly on all the solutions for the State's problems. Our first responsibility is to the people of South Carolina and not to the parties to which they belong. Only by putting aside partisan bickering are we going to be able to solve the multitude of problems facing us. The issues that confront us cross party lines. So if we're going to be successful in addressing our State's problems, we need to be more concerned about the next generation and less concerned about the next election. The voters of this State have made it abundantly clear that they are ready for us to stop fixing the blame and start fixing the problems. Let's keep in mind we represent all the people. Our office is one of public trust bestowed on us by the people for the good of the people and not for the benefit of an individual or a political party. I lay this challenge before each of us -let's concern ourselves more with people and their problems and less with power. Let's concern ourselves more with statesmanship and less with partisanship. If we can do that, the 1993 Session will be the most productive one we've ever had. If we are to be the motivators in creating a better quality of life for all South Carolinians, we must begin today in this chamber by building a strong, sturdy, lasting bridge of cooperation which will support and serve all South Carolinians, not just our own agendas. Can we solve these problems confronting us? The answer is unequivocally yes. We've got our work cut out for us. But if we 'catch this new spirit of cooperation' there's nothing that can't be accomplished. And this spirit of cooperation all starts here with you and me. The people of this State are looking to us for leadership. We must show them that with a new spirit of cooperation we can lead South Carolina into the next century with dignity and confidence. Being elected your SPEAKER Pro Tem is a great privilege and also a great responsibility, and I promise to give you my very best. I look forward to working with each of you in building this new spirit of cooperation to ensure a brighter future for all South Carolinians. Again, to this body, thank you so very much for your support."
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for Clerk of the House.
Rep. P. HARRIS nominated Mrs. Sandra K. McKinney of Columbia as follows:
"The privilege that I have today is one that rarely comes along to anyone and I have done this on three occasions and it is just a great time to be here and speaking of time, I have been here for quite sometime and one of the media people asked me what the biggest change had been since I had been here and I think he was expecting some profound statement about the expiration of space or the plunging into the depths of the ocean, but I told him the biggest change that I had noticed was my age, he seemed a little bit dumbfounded. But, the lady whose name I will place in nomination, Mrs. Sandra McKinney, has so many accomplishments that to try to enumerate them, I fear I would be a little bit like the mosquito that flew over the nudist camp, I wouldn't know where to begin. So, I have enumerated some of them. To give you a little background, Sandy is a native of Columbia. She received her Bachelor of Science in Office Administration from the University of South Carolina in 1986. In 1987, she was named Alumna of the Year in the Office Administration, University of South Carolina. Sandy has worked in state government since 1971. She was first employed as Committee Secretary for Rules and Ethics Committee, and I was serving on the Committee at that time. She also worked for the Speaker Pro Tempore for the House. In 1973, she accepted the position as Executive Secretary to the Speaker of the House and has served in that capacity until 1988. She has worked as Executive Secretary for Speaker Solomon Blatt, Rex Carter, Ramon Schwartz and Speaker Sheheen. Sandy was married to Edward Benjamin Kelly, Jr. of Cayce and they have three sons, Benjamin Edward, III, Gregory Todd and William Rhett Kelly. Her first husband was killed in Vietnam in 1967. She is presently married to Charles T. McKinney. All of us know him as Chuck McKinney, who runs Legislative Information Systems. He and Sandy have a lovely family. Sandy was elected Clerk in 1988 when Lois Shealy retired and she assumed office on June 29, 1988 and was reelected December 6, 1988 and December 1990. Again, it is my great pleasure and honor to place in nomination for Clerk of the House, the name of Mrs. Sandra McKinney. Thank You."
On motion of Rep. WHITE, nominations were closed and, with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The oath of office was administered unto her by the SPEAKER.
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for Sergeant at Arms.
Rep. BOAN nominated Mr. Mitchell Dorman of Kershaw as follows:
"I come before you today to nominate Mitchell G. Dorman for his reelection as Sergeant at Arms of the South Carolina House. Mitch Dorman and the Sergeant at Arms position has the primary function of security and if you want security, I think you want to start with somebody about 6'3" and 250 pounds like Mitch weighs in. But, all of you who have been here know that the duties of the Sergeant at Arms and his office go well beyond that of security and those of you who are new will soon learn that they are there for you when you need anything. Mitch Dorman's staff of Ronald Benjamin, Jimmy Walters, Benny DeBruhl, Kelly Ward, Johnny Robinson and Tim Hinson provide the security not just for us, but for our guests in the balcony and it is with a great deal of pleasure that I nominate for reelection a young man who has distinguished himself now in his eleventh year as an employee of the House, Mitch Dorman."
On motion of Rep. HODGES, nominations were closed and, with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for Chaplain.
Rep. WALDROP nominated the Rev. Dr. Alton C. Clark of Little Mountain as follows:
"I think everybody knows that I am going to nominate Dr. Alton C. Clark. He has been in here with us since 1965, way before I was here. But, he has served 24 years as Chaplain of the South Carolina National Guard and is retired as a Colonel. He was born in Little Mountain on November 14, 1911. He is married to the former Alice Margorie Warner and has two sons. He has served churches in Anderson, Columbia and West Columbia. He is very active in Newberry County and I will vouch for that since I chair the Council on Aging in Newberry and he is on the Board. He is very active there. I place him in nomination, the name of Dr. Alton C. Clark."
On motion of Rep. CHAMBLEE, nominations were closed and, with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for Reading Clerk.
Rep. LITTLEJOHN nominated Mr. Danny Bruce as follows:
"Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege and honor for me to be here today to recommend to you someone who most of you already know. The Reading Clerk is a very important job. It is going to replace a man that served the State for 40 years, Sidney Varn. I place in nomination today the name of Mr. Danny Bruce who has served his State well for the last 20 years. For the ones that don't know him, he graduated from Western Carolina University which is a great school, in 1972. He became a public school teacher at Dorman High School. At the age of 24 he was elected to the House of Representatives. He served in that capacity for approximately 14 years when he went out of office last month. From 1975-84, Danny served in the House and you just don't rise to that type of position to serve the people in a haphazard way, you have to have good things about you. Danny Bruce comes from a family that has a good name in his area. He has served the Campobello-Chesnee area for the last four years. As a seatmate of Danny for the last four years, I have observed in him things that a Reading Clerk or any other type of person has to have and that is trust, the number one thing, a value that is brought about in friendship and most of you realize that. Danny has the character to be in this position. He has the dependability. When Danny gave you his word over the last few years, you trusted that he would stick to that and he does. If you are looking for a Southern gentlemen, you will find that in Danny Bruce. Many of you have been to his farms in the Campobello area and you were greeted with great hospitality. Anything that I wanted to say to characterize Danny Bruce would be fairness by him of all situations and that is so important to him in this job. Danny is very fair. If you shook all these things up and put them together and brought about one thing, it would be the fairness that Danny Bruce exemplifies. It has propelled him to where he is today. He has served his community well and he is asking you for the opportunity to serve the State for maybe 20 more years and break Sidney Varn's record. It is a pleasure for me to place in nomination the name of Danny Bruce. We appreciate your support. His wife, Lazetta English Bruce, is here today and will she stand and be recognized. She is outside. Thank you very much."
Rep. CROMER withdrew Ms. Lisa Addison as a candidate.
Rep. ROGERS nominated Mr. James D'Alessio as follows:
"Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House...I proudly rise to place into nomination for the position of Reading Clerk the name of James Andrew D'Alessio. You all know that James has served as a page in the House since January of 1990. Since August of 1991, he has been the Chief Page. I think you all will agree with me that James has done an excellent job in this position of responsibility and has demonstrated his intelligence, his diligence and his ability to get along with each and every one of us and to express himself very well. Let me tell you briefly about James. He is a Valedictorian graduate of North Central High in Kershaw County. He currently attends the University of South Carolina where he is a student in the USC Honors College majoring in political science with a 3.56 GPA on a 4.0 scale, which is considerably higher than I ever scaled. He has many honors and awards that he has accumulated. In 1989, he was the VFW Voice of Democracy State Champion, an oratorical contest which measured the ability to speak and enunciate clearly. He is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, an American Academy Achievement Golden Schroll Award Winner, a Youth Achievement Award Winner for the Ray A. Crock, McDonald's Youth Achievement Award. He has been on the USC Dean's List in 1989, 1990 and 1991. From 1986-89, he was listed among Who's Who in American High School Students. In 1989-90, he was the South Carolina College Association Of Honors Student Freshman Representative, a State Student Legislature member and a Reserve Police Officer with the Camden Police Department. This is a very important position that has a great deal of significance for the orderly process and conduct of business in the House. The ability of James to speak clearly and enunciate clearly and to handle the responsibility, and you have already had an opportunity to briefly observe him executing those duties and last year. I urge you to give favorable support to James, a young man who has proven himself and I know would do a superior job in this responsibility, Mr. James D'Alessio. Thank You, Mr. Speaker."
On motion of Rep. ROGERS, nominations were closed.
The Temporary Reading Clerk called the roll of the House and the Members voted viva voce as their names were called.
The following named Representatives voted for Mr. Bruce:
Alexander, T.C. Allison Baker Beatty Brown, G. Brown, H. Canty Carnell Cato Chamblee Clyborne Cooper Corning Davenport Delleney Elliott Felder Fulmer Gamble Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Harris, P. Harrison Harvin Harwell Haskins Hines Hodges Houck Huff Hutson Jaskwhich Keegan Kelley Kinon Kirsh Klauber Koon Lanford Law Littlejohn Marchbanks Martin McAbee McCraw McKay McLeod McTeer Meacham Moody-Lawrence Neilson Phillips Quinn Rhoad Richardson Riser Robinson Sharpe Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Smith, R. Snow Spearman Stoddard Stone Stuart Sturkie Thomas Townsend Trotter Tucker Vaughn Waldrop Walker Wells Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkins Williams Witherspoon Wofford Worley Wright Young, A. Young, R.
The following named Representatives voted for Mr. D'Alessio:
Alexander, M.O. Anderson Askins Bailey, J. Barber Baxley Breeland Brown, J. Byrd Cobb-Hunter Cromer Farr Govan Harrelson Harris, J. Holt Inabinett Jennings Kennedy Keyserling McElveen McMahand Neal Rogers Rudnick Scott Sheheen Stille Waites Whipper White Wilkes
Mr. Bruce received 88
Mr. D'Alessio received 32
Whereupon, the SPEAKER announced that Mr. Danny Bruce having received a majority of the votes cast was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
I was out of the Chamber at the time of the vote on Reading Clerk. I wish to be recorded as voting for Mr. Danny Bruce for Reading Clerk.
Rep. G. BAILEY
The SPEAKER administered the oath of office unto the Sergeant at Arms, Mitchell Dorman; the Chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Alton C. Clark; and the Reading Clerk, Mr. Danny Bruce.
The following was introduced:
H. 3000 -- Reps. Sheheen, T.C. Alexander, Boan, McTeer, Phillips, Waldrop and Wilkins: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE A PROCEDURE FOR ALLOTTING SEATS TO MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 1993 AND 1994 SESSIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That for the purposes of allotting seats to members of the House of Representatives for the 1993 and 1994 sessions of the General Assembly the following procedure be adopted:
"As soon as practicable, after the House has been organized, the seats of the members must be allotted as follows:
The Clerk shall prepare a ballot for each county with only its name printed on it. These must be put in a closed box. The Speaker shall then direct a person or persons to draw them out, one by one. As each ballot is drawn, the delegation from that county shall select their seats, in accordance with the county in which the member resides. In the event a member's district consists of more than one county, the member may elect to be seated with the delegation the member desires, provided the member indicates the preference to the Clerk of the House prior to balloting. No delegation may select more than one seat on the main aisle."
Be it further resolved that when the House adopts its rules for the 1993 and 1994 sessions, they shall incorporate the above provision as part of the House rules with an appropriate numerical designation.
The Resolution was then adopted.
The SPEAKER then announced that the House would proceed to the allotment of seats, the names of the counties being drawn from a container by Rep. P. HARRIS.
Alexander, M.O. 39 Koon 114
Alexander, T.C. 47 Lanford 61
Allison 51 Law 81
Anderson 41 Littlejohn 53
Askins 9 Marchbanks 32
Bailey, G. 10 Martin 113
Bailey, J. 86 Mattos 40
Baker 34 McAbee 65
Barber 101 McCraw 55
Baxley 95 McElveen 106
Beatty 59 McKay 8
Boan 23 McLeod 42
Breeland 89 McMahand 38
Brown, G. 43 McTeer 96
Brown, H. 77 Meacham 2
Brown, J. 68 Moody-Lawrence 12
Byrd 69 Neal 70
Canty 99 Neilson 24
Carnell 64 Phillips 56
Cato 28 Quinn 116
Chamblee 36 Rhoad 49
Clyborne 35 Richardson 97
Cobb-Hunter 91 Riser 121
Cooper 37 Robinson 45
Corning 119 Rogers 84
Cromer 1 Rudnick 44
Davenport 58 Scott 71
Delleney 107 Sharpe 123
Elliott 6 Sheheen 118
Fair 16 Shissias 120
Farr 57 Simrill 3
Felder 62 Smith, D. 60
Fulmer 102 Smith, R. 21
Gamble 15 Snow 110
Gonzales 105 Spearman 93
Govan 90 Stille 72
Graham 46 Stoddard 31
Hallman 103 Stone 26
Harrell 100 Stuart 14
Harrelson 92 Sturkie 115
Harris, J. 54 Thomas 111
Harris, P. 66 Townsend 73
Harrison 117 Trotter 33
Harvin 75 Tucker 67
Harwell 5 Vaughn 19
Haskins 18 Waites 85
Hines 25 Waldrop 78
Hodges 22 Walker 52
Holt 87 Wells 50
Houck 7 Whipper 88
Huff 27 White 79
Hutson 20 Wilder, D. 30
Inabinett 82 Wilder, J. 48
Jaskwhich 29 Wilkes 83
Jennings 94 Wilkins 17
Keegan 109 Williams 80
Kelley 108 Witherspoon 124
Kennedy 74 Wofford 76
Keyserling 98 Worley 112
Kinon 4 Wright 122
Kirsh 13 Young, A. 11
Klauber 63 Young, R. 104
Rep. WILKINS moved that the House recede until 4:00 P.M., which was adopted.
At 4:00 P.M. the House resumed, the SPEAKER in the Chair.
The question of a quorum was raised.
A quorum was later present.
The following was introduced:
H. 3001 -- Reps. Sheheen, T.C. Alexander, Boan, McTeer, Phillips, Waldrop and Wilkins: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 1993 AND 1994 SESSIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the following rules are adopted as the Rules of the House of Representatives for the 1993 and 1994 Sessions of the General Assembly:
1.1 The Speaker shall take the chair on every legislative day precisely at the hour to which the House adjourned at the last sitting, immediately call the members to order, cause prayer to be said, the Journal of the previous proceedings to be corrected, and if a quorum be present, proceed to other business.
1.2 The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum, and, in case of disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries, or in the lobby, may cause the same to be cleared. Any person guilty of contempt of the House may be ordered into custody by the House and dealt with as it deems proper.
1.3 If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the Rules of the House, the Speaker shall call him to order, or any member may call such transgressions to the attention of the Speaker who shall call the transgressor to order. If repeated cries of order are ineffective, the Speaker may call a member by name, and if the Speaker deems it necessary, he shall state the offense committed. The member may be heard in his exculpation and shall withdraw, and the House shall consider his punishment or any further proceedings to be had.
1.4 The Speaker shall sign all acts, joint resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants, and authorizations for payment or other papers authorized by the House.
1.5 The Speaker shall decide all points of order, subject to an appeal by any member. He may require the member raising a point of order to cite the Rule or other authority in support of the question. Upon appeal, no member shall speak more than once and for no longer than twenty minutes each, except by permission of the House.
1.6 The Speaker shall vote in all cases (except when he may be personally or pecuniarily interested or shall be excused). If with his vote the House be equally divided, the question shall be decided in the negative. The presiding officer may give information or explain any matter before the House; he may speak on points of order in preference to other members, and as often as he may deem necessary, but he shall not enter into any debate or endeavor to influence any question before the House while presiding.
1.7 The Speaker shall be elected on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical by the membership of the House.
1.8 The Speaker Pro Tempore shall be elected either on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical. The Speaker Pro Tempore shall preside in the absence of the Speaker. Provided, the Speaker or the Speaker Pro Tempore, whoever may be presiding at the time, may name a member to preside, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment. In the absence of the Speaker and the Speaker Pro Tempore for more than one day, the House may elect a Speaker Pro Tempore to serve until the return of the Speaker or Speaker Pro Tempore. When the Speaker Pro Tempore is absent for more than three consecutive statewide legislative days, the House of Representatives may elect an acting Speaker Pro Tempore who shall serve until the return of the Speaker Pro Tempore. The acting Speaker Pro Tempore may continue to serve on any committee to which he has been appointed.
1.9 All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise provided for by law, except Senatorial and Gubernatorial appointees and ex officio members of the House. The Speaker shall name the members constituting each committee in alphabetical order, and the Chairman shall be elected by the several committees. The committee may at its discretion elect a Vice-Chairman and such other officers as it may choose.
1.10 The Speaker is responsible that all amendments ordered by the House be correctly made and that the attention of the House be called to all amendments made by the Senate since the matter was before the House. All Senate amendments to matters previously considered by the House and all House amendments to matters previously considered by the Senate shall, after adoption, be printed by use of distinctive type interlineation in such a manner as to reflect in one text the original version and the language of the amendment.
1.11 If the Speaker or Speaker Pro Tempore resigns from such position, he shall submit his resignation to the Clerk of the House in writing. The question of acceptance of the resignation shall be immediately considered by the House or if the House is not in statewide session at its next statewide day of session. The question of acceptance shall not be debatable and shall be decided by majority vote of the members present and voting, a quorum being present. This procedure shall be followed in the case of the resignation of any elected officer of the House.
2.1 The Clerk shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical.
2.2 The Clerk of the preceding session shall, at the beginning of the organizational session of the Legislature, call the members to order, proceed to call the roll of members in alphabetical order, and pending election of a Speaker, Speaker Pro Tempore or temporary officers, preserve order and decorum, and decide all questions of order subject to appeal by any member. The duties of this section may be delegated by the Clerk to any member of the House.
2.3 The Clerk shall cause to be kept a correct Journal of the proceedings of the House, and this Journal shall be numbered serially from the first day of each session of the Legislature. He shall not permit any books or papers belonging to the House to be taken out of his custody other than in the regular course of business and then upon receipt when he deems necessary. He shall report any missing papers to the Speakers.
2.4 The Clerk of the House shall cause to be prepared and laid on the desks of the members, every morning, an itinerary of the day's business, to be called the Calendar. This Calendar shall include the orders of the preceding day and all continued matters arranged according to priority, and numbered from the commencement of the session, every matter being introduced and newly numbered after every new order upon it.
2.5 The Clerk shall assist, under the direction of the Speaker, in taking roll call or division votes.
2.6 The Clerk shall issue all pay certificates for per diem and mileage and incidental expenses upon the order of the House or of the Speaker, the signature of the Speaker being attested by the Clerk. He shall also attest to all writs and warrants issued by order of the House, and to the passage of all bills, resolutions and memorials.
2.7 The Clerk shall prepare in writing, present to the Speaker for his signature, and send all messages to the Senate and elsewhere as ordered by the House.
2.8 The Clerk shall also be charged with the duty of having executed, in a prompt and accurate manner, all the printing required by the Rules or orders of the House.
2.9 The Reading Clerk shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical.
2.10 The Reading Clerk shall read all papers to be read at the desk, which the Speaker may direct him to read and shall assist in taking any roll call votes at the Speaker's direction. Upon ordering of a roll call vote, or upon a quorum call, the electronic roll call system is to be used following the procedure of Rule 7.3. When the electronic roll call system is not operating in any manner, the Reading Clerk shall call the roll and take the names of all who vote "aye" and all who vote "nay" which shall be entered in the Journal and the provisions of Rule 7.3 shall not apply. If, during the course of an ordered electronic roll call, the electronic roll system malfunctions, in such a manner that the number of aye votes and the number of nay votes are recorded but the names of the members so voting are not recorded, the vote shall stand, and any member desiring to publish a record of his individual vote may submit a statement which shall be printed in the House Journal. If, during the course of an ordered electronic roll call, the electronic roll call system malfunctions in such a manner as to record no accurate information as to the vote totals, the Question shall be resubmitted and the Reading Clerk shall call the roll of the members as hereinabove specified.
Provided, however, in the case of a malfunction in the electronic roll call where the roll call to be taken is mandated by the Constitution or Statutes, any malfunction will void the roll call and it will be retaken.
Provided, that whether the ayes and nays are taken by electronic roll or otherwise, they shall be recorded by the Clerk in the Journal.
2.11 The Chaplain shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical.
2.12 The Chaplain shall provide spiritual guidance for the membership of the House.
2.13 The Sergeant at Arms shall be elected by the membership of the House for a term of two years and shall be under the direct supervision of the Speaker of the House. This election will take place on the opening day of the organizational session or as soon thereafter as may be practical.
2.14 The Sergeant at Arms shall assist the Speaker in maintaining order and decorum.
2.15 The duties of the Sergeant at Arms, shall be as provided for in Chapter 3 of Title 2, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, as amended.
2.16 The Sergeant at Arms may designate, subject to the approval of the Speaker, other staff members of the House to assist the Speaker and the Sergeant in performing such duties as they may direct, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Title 2, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976.
3.1 Every member shall be within the House Chamber during its sittings unless excused or necessarily prevented, and may vote on each question put, except that no member shall be permitted to vote on any question immediately concerning his private rights as distinct from the public interest.
3.2 The Speaker may excuse any member from attendance on the House and its committees for any stated period upon reason shown, and such excused absence shall be transmitted to the member in writing and noted in the Journal.
3.3 Any member absenting himself from attendance on the House or its committees and having in his possession any original papers relating to the business before the House, shall leave such original papers with the Clerk before departing from the Capitol.
3.4 Any member who enters after the roll call at the opening of the daily session and notifies the Clerk in writing shall thereafter be shown as present for such day. Provided, that no person except those recorded present shall be eligible for subsistence for that day.
3.5 In cases of contest for a seat in the House, notice setting forth the grounds of such contest shall be given by the contestant to the House within three calendar days after the House first convenes, and in such case, the contest shall be determined by majority vote as speedily as reasonably possible.
3.6 When the House is called to order, every member shall take his seat and shall act with decorum. If a member shall be called to order while speaking, he shall immediately take his seat until the question of order be decided, unless allowed to proceed upon explanation. If the decision be in favor of the member, he shall proceed; if otherwise, he shall not proceed without leave of the House; and if the case requires it, he shall be liable to such other proceedings as the House may take. Every member, when about to speak, shall rise from his seat and respectfully address himself to "Mr. Speaker" and shall avoid disrespect to the House or the Senate, and all personalities; observe decency of speech; and he shall confine himself to the question under consideration, be such question an amendment, a Bill, or Resolution.
The Speaker, when duly addressed by a member, shall hear from the member who, in the Speaker's opinion, shall arise first, by identifying the member. The Reading Clerk shall not turn on any member's microphone until the Speaker has recognized that person.
3.7 No employee or attache of the House shall, directly or indirectly, interest or concern himself with the passage or consideration of any measure whatsoever. If any employee or attache so interests or concerns himself with any measure, it shall be grounds for summary dismissal.
3.8 No member shall speak more than twice on the same question without leave of the House, except merely to explain his meaning, even if the debate on the question should be continued for many days. In the case of a matter requiring more than one reading, this limitation applies separately to each reading, provided, however, notwithstanding that a matter may move from the uncontested to contested calendar or vice versa within the same reading, the limitation applies to the entire reading. If a member has the floor and is addressing the body, he shall not lose the floor by asking a question of any member of the body.
3.9 If any member shall be absent without leave and a quorum is not present, the Speaker shall instruct the Sergeant at Arms or appoint other authorized persons to send for such member or members and take them into custody. The outer doors to the Chamber shall be closed. The Speaker shall order that security personnel shall be posted at the outer doors of the Chamber and no member shall be permitted to leave the second floor of the State House without written leave of the Speaker. The Speaker may also order that security personnel be posted at all entrances to the State House to prevent members from leaving without authorization. An absent member who is taken into custody after the invocation of this rule shall pay for all reasonable expenses incurred, which shall include mileage at the prevailing rate for state employees and a ten dollar custody fee. In addition, such absent member who is taken into custody shall forfeit his entitlement to subsistence and mileage for that legislative day and shall be subject to any additional penalties the House deems necessary. Should a quorum be present and ten members request, such absent member or members shall be sent for as herein provided and subjected to the same penalties. The Speaker shall strictly enforce the provisions of this rule. Provided, however, in the case of a member not being present when Rule 3.9 is invoked and such member voluntarily returns without being taken into custody, he shall not be subject to the penalties of this section.
3.10 As soon as practicable, after the House has been organized, the seats of the members shall be allotted as follows:
The Clerk shall prepare a ballot for each county with only its name printed on it. These shall be put in a closed box. The Speaker shall then direct a person or persons to draw them out, one by one. As each ballot is drawn, the delegation from that county shall select their seats, in accordance with the county in which the member resides. In the event a member's district consists of more than one county, the member may elect to be seated with the delegation the member desires, provided the member indicates the preference to the Clerk of the House prior to balloting. No delegation may select more than one seat on the main aisle.
3.11 As soon as practicable, after the House has been organized, office space of members shall be allotted as follows:
The Clerk shall prepare a ballot for each county with only its name printed thereon. Ballots shall be placed in a closed box and the Speaker shall then direct a person or persons to draw them out one by one. After each ballot is drawn, the members from that county shall select their office space in accordance with the county in which the member resides based on a floor plan prepared by the House Operations and Management Committee. In the event a member's district consists of more than one county or parts of more than one county, or represents a county with only one district, the member concerned may select office space with or adjoining the delegation the member desires provided the member indicates his preference to the House Operations and Management Committee prior to balloting and, providing that space in the area selected by a particular county is available, provided, however, in order to contain the cost of office relocation, a member who has served in the immediately preceding session shall have first preference on retention of his previously assigned office. This preference must be stated before ballots for offices are drawn. If such reelected member does not express a preference for his old office, he must ballot by county for his office in the manner above specified. The House Operations and Management Committee is authorized to make necessary adjustments in the assignment of office space with the consent of the Speaker when available space cannot be reasonably adjusted to conform with the county selections made pursuant to this subsection.
The provisions of this rule shall not apply to office space for the Speaker, Speaker Pro Tempore, Chairman of the Rules Committee, Chairman of the Invitations and Memorial Resolutions Committee, Chairman of the Interstate Cooperation Committee and Chairmen of any other standing study committees or any other caucus having assigned space in the Blatt Building.
4.1 Committee appointments: see Rule 1.9.
4.2 As soon as practicable after the members have been sworn in and have taken their seats, the following Standing Committees, except the House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee, shall be appointed to serve until the next general election with the indicated number of members appointed thereto:
1. Committee on Ways and Means - 25.
2. Committee on the Judiciary (Privileges and Elections) - 25.
3. Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs (Fish, Game, Forestry, State Parks, Rural Development, Environmental Affairs) - 18.
4. Committee on Education and Public Works (Education, Highways, State House and Grounds, Railroads, Aviation) - 18.
5. Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (Medical Affairs, Social Security, Penitentiary, State Hospital, Police Regulations, Military Affairs, Veteran's Affairs) - 18.
6. Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry (Labor, Commerce and Manufacturing, Banking and Insurance, Merchants and Mercantile Affairs) - 18.
7. Committee on Rules - 15.
8. Committee on Interstate Cooperation (membership limited to 5, under 1976 Code, Sec. 1-17-30) - 5.
9. House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee - 6.
10. Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions (Invitations, Resolutions memorializing the Federal or State Government or any official or agency thereof, sympathy, and congratulatory Resolutions) - 5.
11. Committee on Operations and Management of the House of Representatives (Advisory to the Speaker on personnel, administration and management of facilities, including management of the Blatt Building) - 7.
Each member shall serve on one and only one of the first six Standing Committees listed above. However, a member of these Committees may also serve on one of the following Committees: Committee on Rules, Committee on Interstate Cooperation, Committee on Ethics, Committee on Invitations, or Committee on Operations and Management of the House of Representatives. The Speaker, Speaker Pro Tempore and Clerk shall serve as ex officio members of the Committee on Operations and Management of the House of Representatives but no chairman of any other standing committee shall serve as a member of such committee.
Provided, that the members of the Standing Committee 11, entitled Committee on Operations and Management of the House of Representatives (advisory to the Speaker on personnel, administration and management of facilities) - 7, shall be elected by the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, their terms to be coterminous with their respective term of office.
Provided, that the Committee on Education and Public Works shall be deemed to be the Committee on Education, and the Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs shall be deemed to be the Committee on Military Affairs and the Committee on Medical Affairs, in all cases where the statutes provide for the Chairman of these committees to perform ex officio duties.
Provided, that the Committee on Operations and Management of the House of Representatives may formulate such policies as it deems advisable relating to House personnel. Such policies shall be distributed to the members and must be adopted by majority vote of the House by House Resolution.
No member shall be appointed on a committee before he has been sworn in and has taken his seat. Any member who is sworn in after the general announcement of the committee shall, within a few days afterward, be placed by the Speaker on a Standing Committee whose number of members will not thereby be extended beyond the number provided in these Rules.
After a committee has been appointed, no addition to it or change shall be made, except to fill a vacancy or to excuse a member.
Provided, that in filling a vacancy, the assignment of any member may be changed from another committee to fill such vacancy.
Provided, further, that except as herein provided neither the Speaker nor Speaker Pro Tempore shall be a member of any of the foregoing Standing Committees.
4.3 Unless otherwise ordered, committees shall have jurisdiction only over matters pertaining to the subjects indicated by the names of the respective committees, and to the subject matter indicated in parenthesis following the names.
4.4 Committees shall meet regularly to consider pending legislation in the room assigned for their use by the Speaker. Notice of date, time and place of such meetings shall be posted on a bulletin board provided for this purpose in the lobby. Whenever feasible twenty-four hour advance notice shall be given for all committee meetings. Such notice shall be mailed to the members by the committee chairmen when the House is not in session. Notice of regular and special meetings shall also be given by the administrative assistants to each member of the committees and to the Sergeant at Arms in the manner the committee deems proper. Information as to subcommittee meetings shall be provided by the administrative assistants to the Sergeant at Arms and shall be available at the Sergeant at Arms' desk. Failure of notice of any meeting shall not invalidate committee action unless bad faith is shown. No committee shall meet while the House is in session without special leave. If a Committee or a Subcommittee thereof requests such special leave, the request shall be considered by the House immediately, is not debatable and may be granted by a majority vote of those members present and voting, provided, however, that the Committee on Rules and any committee of conference or free conference, may sit at any time and may report at any time when a message might be received.
No committee shall sit unless a quorum be present and all bills introduced by committees must carry the statement of the Chairman that the bill has the approval of two-thirds of the membership of the committee, except that the State Appropriations Bill and the Deficiency Appropriations Bill may be introduced by a majority vote of the Ways and Means Committee.
No committee shall introduce a bill pertaining to subject matter over which it has no jurisdiction.
No bill, except a committee bill, shall be considered by the House until one week after the date of its first reference to a committee except those bills which have been prefiled in accordance with Rule 5.1 and any bill which has been recalled by the House. Notice in writing of all public hearings shall be given by Committee Chairmen to the Clerk of the House at least five calendar days prior to the date fixed for the hearing, such notice to be published in the House Calendar. Notice in writing of all committee action taken on a bill or resolution shall be given to the principal author thereof.
No statewide bill directly appropriating money shall be considered by the House until after such bill has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee, provided, however, a statewide bill which directly or by implication provides for per diem, subsistence or mileage in connection with the subject matter of the bill, but does not otherwise directly appropriate money, shall not be required to be referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
After the House sets a bill for Special Order pursuant to Rule 6.3, no point of order may be raised regarding its reference to committee, however, the House by majority vote may commit or recommit a bill or other matter under debate.
No committee action may be taken on a bill or resolution except at a regular or called meeting, but this shall not apply to resolutions referred to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions.
When any standing committee or subcommittee schedules a public hearing on a bill or resolution, the principal sponsor of such bill or resolution shall be notified of the time and place of such hearing not less than five days prior to the hearing date.
4.5 All meetings of all committees shall be open to the public at all times, subject always to the power and authority of the Chairman to maintain order and decorum with the right to go into Executive Session as provided for in the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, Title 30, Chapter 4 of the 1976 Code of Laws of South Carolina, as amended.
No committee shall file a report unless the committee has met formally at an authorized time and place, with a quorum present. All standing committees of the House shall prepare and make available for public inspection, in compliance with Section 30-4-90 of the 1976 Code of Laws of South Carolina, as amended, the minutes of full committee meetings. Such minutes need not be verbatim accounts of such meetings but shall include those matters required by the above mentioned Freedom of Information Act.
4.6 After twenty days from the date of reference, the Chairman of the Committee in possession of a measure shall, upon written request of an introducer or, in the case of a Senate measure, a House member, set a time for consideration of the measure by the full committee which shall be no later than seven legislative working days thereafter.
4.7 Each report of a committee shall contain the action of the committee on the bill or other measure being transmitted. Such report shall certify the action by the committee and shall be signed by an officer of the committee.
4.8 Any bill, report, petition or other paper except an amendment which may come before the House, may be committed or recommitted before a final decision thereon.
4.9 In all cases the House may resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House, and in such event the Speaker shall leave the Chair after appointing a Chairman to preside, who shall, in case of disturbance or disorderly conduct, have the power to cause same to be cleared. No bill or resolution may be considered by the Committee of the Whole House, except by a two-thirds vote, unless same has first been considered by the appropriate Standing Committee of the House.
4.10 The Committee of the Whole shall consist of the entire body of members in attendance at the particular meeting of the House. Such committee is a real committee in the parliamentary sense. During the time that a meeting of the Committee of the Whole is held, it is technically not "the assembly." The parliamentary steps in making use of a Committee of the Whole are essentially the same as those involved in referring a subject to an ordinary committee.
4.11 The Rules of the House so far as they are applicable, shall be observed in a Committee of the Whole, the Chairman being substituted for the Speaker.
4.12 No Committee of the Whole or other committee shall deface or interline a bill or other paper, referred to it, but shall report any amendments recommended on a separate paper, noting the page and line.
4.13 No person shall be permitted to address the House, or the Joint Assembly, except by written resolution, and such resolution shall be referred to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions before being considered by the House. The Committee shall not extend an invitation: (1) to any person or group to address the House or the Joint Assembly or to appear unless such person or group is of significant national or state prominence at the time the invitation is extended and will bring a message of major importance to the State or (2) to any individual or group for any artistic performance during the established hours of meeting.
Any invitations extended to the House as a whole to attend any functions shall be submitted to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions at least 10 days in advance in order that it may determine what legislation or other pertinent matters may be pending before the House and its Committees before the invitation is accepted. The House shall accept no invitations to any functions other than a breakfast or luncheon prior to 6:00 p.m. Pages are not permitted to attend such functions. No invitations to functions for the House as a whole will be accepted after the third Thursday in May.
4.14 No member of a committee shall be allowed under any circumstances to vote by proxy; however, pairing shall be allowed.
4.15 None of the House Rules shall be rescinded, suspended or altered, except by written resolution which has been referred to the Rules Committee, and agreed to by two-thirds of the members present, after the committee has made its report. Provided, that any rule may be amended by a simple majority until the last Thursday in January, 1993.
4.16 a. The House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee has the following duties in addition to those provided for by statutory law:
(1) upon request of any member, officer or employee of the House of Representatives, to render advisory opinions with regard to legislative ethics when in its judgment such opinions would serve the public interest;
(2) to make available annually to the House of Representatives a compilation of the principles set forth in advisory opinions rendered;
(3) upon the filing of a complaint with the Ethics Committee alleging a violation of the ethics law or House Rules or upon the referral by the Speaker of a matter in which there is an allegation of conduct in contempt of the House or which otherwise violates House Rules, the Committee shall conduct a hearing and/or render an advisory opinion and report its findings, with any order of punishment, to the Speaker.
b. All papers, documents and proceedings relating to conduct or disciplinary action against members are confidential and must be handled in the manner prescribed for the disciplinary procedure for attorneys in Rule 413, Section 20 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules unless made public by the committee in a report to the House of Representatives.
4.17 The Standing Committees may order to be printed for their use, such papers as shall be referred to them.
4.18 The House shall not resolve itself into Executive Session except under those circumstances permitted by the laws of this State, and then only upon a vote of two-thirds of the membership present and voting, a quorum being present. Upon resolving itself into Executive Session the Halls of the House shall be cleared of all persons except the members of the House, the Clerk of the House and the Sergeant at Arms.
No action shall be taken which violates the Statutory Law of this State and when such action is permissible it shall only be taken upon a two-thirds vote of the membership present and voting, a quorum being present.
5.1 No notice shall be required of a member of his intention to introduce a bill or resolution. Any member may introduce bills or resolutions which shall be received by the House staff whether or not the House is in session. Bills and resolutions so received shall be periodically referred by the Speaker of the House to the appropriate committee or committees which may then consider them at such times as the committee meets. Any matter acted upon favorably by any committee may be reported out by the committee when the House reconvenes and need not thereafter be sent to any committee but shall then be ready, upon compliance with other Rules of the House, for second reading consideration; provided, however, that bills appropriating revenue shall be referred to the Ways and Means Committee. Provided, further, that bills and resolutions creating study committees shall first be referred to the appropriate standing committee having jurisdiction of the subject matter of the bill or resolution. The Clerk of the House shall establish procedures to notify the House membership on a monthly basis of bills and resolutions introduced during periods when the journal is not printed.
All bills received prior to the first day of the convening or reconvening of the General Assembly shall receive first reading on the first day of the session.
In those years in which all seats of the House are up for election, no bill shall be received for prefiling between the dates of adjournment sine die and the date of completion of the Organizational Session of the House.
When the House of Representatives is not in session and bills are being prefiled and assigned to committees, any member who wishes to have their name added as a sponsor of a bill may do so by notifying the Clerk of the House in writing. The Clerk shall then notify the Chairman of the committee to which the bill has been assigned and their name shall be added. If a member wishes to sponsor a bill individually then they shall so indicate on the face of the bill and no additional sponsors shall be allowed.
5.2 Every bill, before presentation, shall have its title endorsed; every report, its title at length, every petition, memorial, or other paper, its prayer or substance; and, in every instance, the name of the member presenting any paper shall be endorsed, and the papers shall be presented by the member to the Speaker at the desk. After a bill or resolution has been presented and given first reading, no further names of co-sponsors may be added.
And every bill or joint resolution which shall propose the amendment or repeal of any Section, Chapter or Title of the General Statutes or of any Act of Assembly or Joint Resolution, shall, in its title express the subject matter of such Section, Chapter, Title, Act or Joint Resolution, so sought to be amended or repealed. If this be not complied with, the paper shall not be received by the Speaker and objection may be raised by any member to such improper introduction at any time prior to third reading that the bill or resolution is being considered by the House.
Every bill or joint resolution proposing to amend any section or clearly identifiable subdivision or portion of a section of any chapter of the General Statutes, or of any Act of Assembly or joint resolution, shall give the full text of the Section or clearly identifiable subdivision or portion of a Section as it would read with such amendment inserted therein. And if this latter clause of this Rule be not complied with, the bill or Joint Resolution shall be amended so as to conform to this Rule before it be considered by the House. Any member may require such amendment at any time a bill or resolution not in conformance herewith is being considered by the House.
5.3 Every General Appropriations Bill and Supplemental Appropriations Bill for the ordinary expenses of State Government before presentation shall have attached thereto a certificate from the Comptroller General stating that the total of the appropriations therein provided for is not in excess of the estimated total revenue of the State for such purposes, including that revenue which may be provided for in the bill, or in any other bill previously passed by the House for the fiscal year to which the bill is applicable, and an Appropriations Bill without such certificate shall not be read the first time in the House, but shall be returned to the Committee on Ways and Means by the Speaker. The General Appropriations Bill and Supplemental Appropriations Bills shall include only provisions for appropriating funds, provisions affecting revenue, and rules, regulations, directives and procedures relative thereto; and no provision of an Appropriations Bill, and no amendment thereto, shall be in order unless its substantial effect is directly germane to these purposes. No provision shall be put in a permanent part of any such bill unless it relates directly with an appropriation being made or revenue provided therein for the fiscal year referred to in the bill. The provisions of this paragraph shall be narrowly and strictly construed with regard to all provisions of and amendments to the General Appropriations Bill and Supplemental Appropriations Bills.
After passage on second reading and before its consideration on third reading, every General Appropriations Bill, and every Supplemental Appropriations Bill shall have attached thereto a certificate from the Comptroller General that the total of the appropriations therein provided is not in excess of the estimated total revenue of the State for such purposes, including that revenue which may be provided in the Bill, or in any other Bill previously passed by the House for the fiscal year to which the bill is applicable, and if the Comptroller General cannot give such certificate, the Speaker shall order the Bill recommitted to the Ways and Means Committee. After the report of the Committee, any amendment which it shall recommend may be adopted.
All State Appropriations Bills must be printed at each stage in their passage so that:
a. The House Ways and Means Committee version of the Appropriations Bill must include the amounts appropriated for the current year, the amounts recommended by the Budget and Control Board, and the amounts recommended by the Ways and Means Committee.
b. The House version of the Appropriations Bill must include the amounts appropriated for the current year, the amounts recommended by the Ways and Means Committee, and the amounts passed by the House.
c. The Report of Conference or Free Conference Committee must include the amounts passed by the House, the amounts passed by the Senate, the amounts agreed upon by the Conference Committee, and the amounts appropriated for the current year.
d. The Appropriations Act must include total funds approved for the next fiscal year and a listing of appropriations from the General Fund.
Provided, further, that the full salary of the principal officer of each department, agency, or institution shall be set forth as an item distinct and apart.
Provided, further, that minor budget classifications or other descriptive terminology may be used when necessary to better express the purpose of the appropriation.
Provided, further, that where the major portion of the operating funds to any department, institution or principal operational division thereof is derived from Federal or other nonappropriated funds, the total appropriation for each major budget classification may be shown and the relative contributions of State and nonappropriated funds therefor shall be shown as completely as possible.
Provided, that the appropriations must be in conformity with the program budget format as adopted by the Ways and Means Committee.
Provided further, that any Bill or resolution considered by the House of Representatives, upon second reading, that raises revenue must conform to the provisions of Article III, Section 15 of the South Carolina Constitution.
5.4 No bill or amendment providing an appropriation to pay a private claim against this State or a department thereof shall be introduced or considered.
5.5 No bill or joint resolution shall be introduced as a delegation bill or resolution unless such bill or resolution related only to local matters concerning the county which such delegation represents.
5.6 Except as provided in subsection 5.1, the first reading of the bill shall be by title only. No amendments shall then be in order and the bill shall be referred to some committee, unless the House unanimously agree, without debate, to dispense with reference.
5.7 Upon the second reading of a bill, after all amendments and privileged motions have been disposed of, the question shall be the passage of the bill. Upon a decision in the affirmative, the order shall be made accordingly and the bill shall take its place on the calendar for third reading.
5.8 At the third reading of a bill, the bill shall be read by its title only.
If the bill originated in the House, the question then shall be the passage of the bill. On a bill which originated in the Senate, if no amendment has been made by the House, the question shall be the passage of the bill and in the case of an affirmative vote the title "Bill" shall be changed to an "Act" and the Act shall be enrolled for ratification.
If the bill has been amended in the House the question shall be the passage of the bill as amended and in the event of an affirmative vote the bill as amended shall be returned to the Senate.
5.9 All bills and resolutions reported by a committee shall as a matter of course, be printed, together with the report of a committee. A bill or joint resolution shall be reprinted following its second reading, if amended by the House, reflecting the substance of the bill in its amended form. Every committee report which amends the provisions of legislation referred to such committee shall give the full text of the section or clearly identifiable subdivision or portion of a section as it would read with such amendment inserted therein. If this rule is not complied with, the bill or joint resolution shall be amended so as to conform to this Rule before it is considered by the House. This shall be the responsibility of the committee chairman.
5.10 No bill or joint resolution shall receive a second reading unless printed copies of the same shall have been laid on the desks of members at least one day prior to such reading. Provided, no General Appropriations Bill or Supplemental Appropriations Bill for the ordinary expenses of the State Government shall receive a second reading unless printed copies of such Appropriations Bill shall have been laid on the desks of members at least three legislative days prior to each reading. Provided, further, that no statewide bill or joint resolution shall receive a second reading unless printed copies of the same shall have been laid on the desks of members at least one statewide legislative day prior to such reading.
5.11 Any bill, resolution, report or other paper which has been under consideration, may, at the Speaker's discretion, be ordered to be printed for distribution to the members.
5.12 That no statewide bill or resolution, except an appropriations bill, general or deficiency, or a joint resolution approving or disapproving regulations of a state agency shall be considered unless (1) such legislation is introduced in the House prior to April fifteenth of the year in which it is to be considered or (2) such legislation shall have been introduced in the Senate and received prior to May first in the House, unless in either event it was introduced in the previous year and was carried over to the year in which it is to be considered; provided, however, that nothing herein shall prevent a statewide bill or resolution from being received, given first reading and referred to the appropriate committee. No such bill or resolution shall be placed on the calendar for further consideration unless two-thirds of those members present and voting agree to waive the rule. Once voted on and rejected, no further vote shall be allowed to waive this rule.
The motion to waive this rule shall not be debatable except that the mover shall have the right to make a three minute explanation of his motion.
The provisions of this rule shall apply only to regular sessions of the General Assembly as opposed to special sessions of the General Assembly.
The Speaker or presiding officer shall enforce the deadlines provided by this rule and shall not allow consideration without putting the question of waiver before the House.
5.13 Each bill effecting the expenditures of money by the State shall, prior to receiving second reading, have attached to it in writing such comment of the State Auditor as may appear appropriate regarding its effect on the finances of the State. Provided, however, this rule shall not be invoked where the amount is shown in the bill.
Committee chairmen shall satisfy this requirement prior to reporting a bill out of committee.
5.14 The printing of any document required to be printed under the Rules of the House may specifically be dispensed with by two-thirds vote of the membership present and voting of the House, a quorum being present; provided, such vote shall be by roll call vote; provided, however, the printing of any bill which has not been referred to committee shall not be waived.
5.15 No report of a Committee on Conference or Free Conference except on local matters shall be considered until such report has been printed in the Journal and explained by the conferees on the floor of the House.
5.16 Should any member seek immediate consideration of any House or Concurrent Resolution, the resolution shall receive immediate consideration unless five members object. If immediate consideration of such resolution is not sought, or in the event five members do object where immediate consideration is sought, the resolution shall be referred to an appropriate committee and shall not be considered by the House until after the committee has made its report and at that time shall take its place on the calendar.
A House or Concurrent Resolution sponsored by a committee shall receive immediate consideration if so requested by a member unless five members object in which case it shall take its place on the calendar without the necessity of being referred to a committee. Such resolution shall be printed in the same manner as is prescribed in Rule 5.9 for the printing of bills.
Provided, however, the Clerk shall prepare forms for House Resolutions expressing the sympathy or congratulations of the members of the House. Any member wishing to sponsor such a resolution shall forward in writing on a form prepared by the Clerk information sufficient to prepare the resolution. The Clerk shall prepare the resolution. The Speaker shall sign the resolution on behalf of the membership. Such resolutions shall not be read to the House or printed in the Journal except upon the request of ten members. The Speaker may refer any such resolution to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions and, in such event, the resolutions must be approved by the committee or if the committee recommends, by the House.
5.17 (A) Upon the consideration of any statewide uncontested bill or joint resolution an objection by five (5) members at any time prevents the consideration of the statewide bill or resolution and it then must be placed upon the statewide contested calendar and remain on it until one (1) or more objections are formally withdrawn from the floor, and if there are not further objections entered at that time bringing the total number of outstanding objections to five (5) or more, the statewide bill or resolution shall then receive immediate consideration if there is any time remaining in the applicable period for that statewide day for that bill or resolution.
(B) Upon the consideration of any local uncontested bill or joint resolution an objection by three (3) members at any time prevents the consideration of the local bill or resolution and it then must be placed upon the local contested calendar and remain on it until one (1) or more objections are formally withdrawn from the floor, and if there are not further objections entered at that time bringing the total number of outstanding objections to three (3) or more, the local bill or resolution shall then receive immediate consideration if there is any time remaining in the applicable period for that day for that local bill or resolution.
5.18 If any bill or resolution shall be recommitted or referred to the same committee or another committee retaining its place on the calendar, the same may be listed on the calendar by number only until it is returned to the floor for debate or such action as may be appropriate.
Any bill, resolution or report upon which debate has been adjourned may be listed on the calendar by number only until the date for consideration has been reached.
5.19 a. No member shall speak more than twice on the main question of a bill or resolution being considered for any reading and not longer than sixty minutes for the first speech nor longer than thirty minutes for the second speech, unless allowed to do so by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present and voting; nor shall he speak more than twice upon an amendment or a motion to reconsider, and then not longer than ten minutes each time. The House may, however, by consent of a majority of the members present and voting suspend the operation of this rule during any debate on any particular question before the House.
b. Subsection (a) of this rule shall be applicable on a section by section basis on debate upon the General Appropriations Bill, the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, or the bond bills but shall not apply to bills on reapportionment.
5.20 Notwithstanding the provisions of any other House rule, no House or Concurrent Resolution memorializing the Congress of the United States, the President of the United States, or any state or federal department, agency, or official shall receive immediate consideration but shall be referred to the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions and shall remain in such committee unless three members of the committee vote to report the resolution out of committee. No such resolution may be recalled from committee.
6.1 The House shall meet each legislative day at 12:00 Noon every Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday, and 10:00 a.m. every Thursday and Friday unless otherwise ordered by the House. Provided, that by motion made at any time the House by majority vote may fix the day and hour at which time the House shall next meet (not to exceed constitutional limitations) and this shall be decided without debate.
Provided, further, that during the first six weeks of the legislative sessions, unless a majority of the House members present object the House shall adjourn at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesdays for the purpose of insuring a time for committees to meet and hearings to be held. This 2:15 p.m. adjournment on Tuesdays shall not apply when the General Appropriations Bill is under consideration by the House.
Provided, further, that during the first six weeks of legislative sessions, unless a majority of the House members present object, on Wednesdays the House shall meet at 2:00 p.m. to provide time in the morning hours for committees to meet and hearings to be held. On Thursdays during the first six weeks the House shall meet at 10:00 a.m.
Provided, further, that unless a majority of the House members object, the House shall recede at 1:00 p.m. for luncheon and reconvene at 2:15 p.m. This proviso shall not apply when the House is debating on Special Orders.
Provided, further, that unless ordered otherwise the House shall consider only local uncontested matters on Friday of each week.
6.2 All questions as to priority of business, or as to the time when any matters shall be considered or ordered for consideration and as to a departure from the regular order of business shall be decided without debate.
6.3 When the House shall not direct a different course, which, at any time, in any particular not forbidden by these Rules, it may do, the following order of business shall be enforced every day by the Speaker, except that Special Orders as defined in subsection 14a of this rule shall be considered at the time and place set.
1. a. Prayer;
b. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America;
2. corrections to the Journal;
3. receipt of communications including messages from the Senate;
4. reports of committees including Conference and Free Conference;
5. First reading of House Resolutions, Concurrent Resolutions, Committee Reports on Resolutions, Joint Resolutions, and Bills upon the desk;
6. call of the roll of the House;
7. a. consideration of local uncontested bills and joint resolutions on third reading;
b. consideration of local uncontested bills and joint resolutions on second reading.
8. a. consideration of statewide uncontested bills and joint resolutions on third reading;
b. consideration of statewide uncontested bills and joint resolutions on second reading;
9. withdrawal of objections;
10. consideration of pending motions to reconsider;
11. a. consideration of unanimous consent requests;
b. consideration of local contested bills and joint resolutions on third reading;
12. consideration of statewide contested bills and joint resolutions on third reading in the order in which they appear on the Calendar;
13. a. motion period;
b. consideration of local contested bills and joint resolutions on second reading;
14. consideration of statewide contested bills and joint resolutions on second reading in the order in which they appear on the Calendar;
a. Notwithstanding the order of business set forth in Rule 6.3 a matter may be set for Special Order for consideration on a particular day at a particular hour or at a particular place on the Calendar.
b. Special orders may be set for appropriations bills and local bills by majority vote of the House. Special order on all other bills on the Calendar shall be set only by written resolution, which has been referred to the Rules Committee or originates therein, and agreed to by two-thirds of the members of that committee and agreed to by majority of the members of the House present after the committee has made its report; provided, however, that notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 9 governing the amendability of bills and resolutions, no amendments may be offered to any special order resolution which amendments do not pertain to the bill which is the subject of the special order resolution, except as to the time and date called for in such resolution.
Provided, that for the purpose of explaining any special order resolution the time limit for opponents shall not exceed five minutes and the time limit for proponents shall not exceed five minutes.
c. A Special Order set for a certain day and hour, not being considered by the House at the hour named shall be transferred by the Clerk of the House to the Special Orders of the following day until disposed of, in the chronological order of original appointment.
Any member may insist upon a Special Order of the Day, or other Special Orders, until it be discharged.
d. The motion period provided for the daily order of business under Rule 6.3 shall be limited to ten minutes only.
Provided, however, that time consumed by roll call votes shall not be construed as part of time allotted to said motions.
Provided, further, that during a motion period no motion shall be withdrawn after a substitute has been offered therefor.
e. Consideration of uncontested local bills and joint resolutions on third and second readings as provided in subsection 7a and b of this rule shall be limited to a total of ten minutes only. Consideration of contested local bills and joint resolutions on second and third readings as provided in subsections 11b and 13b of this rule is limited to a total of ten minutes for second reading bills and joint resolutions and ten minutes for third reading bills and joint resolutions.
f. Consideration of uncontested statewide bills and joint resolutions on third and second readings as provided in subsection 8a and b of this rule shall be limited to a total of thirty minutes only.
g. No debate shall be allowed in the uncontested period, provided, however, the Speaker may recognize a proponent and opponent of any uncontested bill or joint resolution for a brief explanation of their position.
h. Consideration of unanimous consent requests as provided for in subsection 11 of this rule shall be limited to five minutes only. No unanimous consent requests except those unanimous consent requests dealing with the pending matter may be considered at any time other than during the time provided for in subsection 11 of this rule.
6.4 A debate interrupted by a simple adjournment shall afterwards be resumed at the point of interruption as if debate had been formally adjourned. A matter interrupted by a call for the Orders of the Day shall, after the Orders have been disposed of, be resumed at the point of interruption before any other question.
6.5 Messages may be received at any time while the door is open, except while a question is being put, or a ballot, or a viva voce vote is taken. A message shall be presented to the House by the Speaker when received, or afterwards, according to its nature, and the business in which the House is engaged; or its consideration may, on motion, be ordered by the House.
6.6 In all particulars not determined by these Rules, or by the laws of the Constitution of this State, or of the United States, the practice of this House shall conform to its previous usage, or be guided by parliamentary law as it may be collected from the best authorities, Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure being the preferred parliamentary authority.
7.1 If, upon a question by acclamation, the Speaker doubts, or a division be called for, the House shall divide by those in the affirmative first rising from their seats, then those in the negative. If the Speaker still doubts, or a count be required, the Speaker shall name one member from each side to tell the numbers in the affirmative and those in the negative, and from their report shall state the decision. Provided, that division votes shall be made by use of the electronic roll call equipment, but no individual votes shall be recorded. The Speaker shall state: "The pending question for division vote is ........ (designating the matter to be voted upon)." The Speaker shall then unlock the voting machine and announce: "The members shall now proceed to vote." He shall then sound the bell. Thirty seconds after the bell has been sounded, the Speaker shall then announce that the voting is closed, shall lock the machine, and instruct the Clerk to report the totals. Thirty seconds after the announcement of the commencement of the vote on the board, the Speaker shall then announce that voting is closed and shall lock the machine and instruct the Clerk to report the totals.
7.2 Upon any question, at the request of any ten members who may signify their requests by rising, the yeas and nays shall be ordered; whereupon, at the decision, the electronic roll call system shall be used and the procedure provided for in Rule 7.3 shall be followed.
7.3 a. When the House is ready to vote upon any question requiring the yeas and nays and the vote is to be taken by the electronic roll call system, the Speaker shall state: "The pending question is ...... (designating the matter to be voted upon)." The Speaker shall then unlock the voting machine and announce: "The members shall now proceed to vote." He shall then sound the bell. Once the voting has begun, it shall not be interrupted, except for the purpose of questioning the validity of a member's vote before the result is announced.
b. Two minutes after the bell has been sounded, the Speaker shall ask the question: "Have all members present voted?" After a pause, the Speaker shall lock the machine and instruct the Clerk to record the vote and the Speaker shall announce the result of the vote.
c. After the voting machine is locked, no member may change his vote and the votes of tardy members shall not be counted.
d. Subject to the provisions of Rule 2.10, the vote as electronically recorded on the roll of members shall not in any manner be altered or changed by any person.
e. No member shall vote for another member, nor shall any person not a member vote for a member. Any member who shall vote or attempt to vote for another member or a person not a member who shall vote or attempt to vote for a member may be punished in such manner as the House determines.
f. Any member or other person who wilfully tampers with or attempts to disarrange, deface, impair or destroy in any manner whatsoever the electronic voting equipment or who destroys or changes the record of votes thereon shall be punished in such manner as the House determines. Provided, however, the minimum penalty for violation of Rule 7.3 shall be a public reprimand.
g. A member who has been appointed by the Speaker to preside as Speaker Pro Tempore may designate another member to cast his vote on any question while he is presiding in accordance with his instructions from the Chair.
h. A member recorded as voting while absent from the chamber shall present to the presiding officer an affidavit attesting to this fact. Any member may also report to the presiding officer his knowledge that another member was recorded as voting while absent from the chamber. If the affidavit of the member whose vote is in question is presented within forty-eight hours of the vote, the presiding officer shall adjust the vote totals to reflect the affidavit and order action on the question in accordance with the adjusted vote total. If the member filing the affidavit or any other member has knowledge of the identity of the person who voted for him while absent, he shall present this information to the presiding officer who shall refer it to the Ethics Committee for consideration of any recommendation of punishment in accordance with this rule.
7.4 If the electronic roll call machine is declared by the Speaker of the House to be inoperative, the "Yeas" and "Nays" shall be taken by the Reading Clerk calling each member's name in alphabetical order and each member responding by answering simply: "Yea" or "Nay". Every member who may be in the House when called may give his vote.
Provided, further, that when the electronic roll call system is being used to record votes, the doors shall not be closed and members shall be permitted to vote as provided in Rule 7.3.
7.5 No member shall, under any circumstances, be permitted to vote after a decision shall have been announced by the Chair. After the decision of the question, a member absent may be permitted to record the vote he would have given if present, but such vote shall not affect the previous question.
7.6 No member shall be permitted to explain his vote during a roll call, but may reduce his explanation to writing, in not more than 200 words, and upon filing with the Clerk, this explanation shall be entered upon the Journal.
7.7 When the pending question is the passage of any bill or resolution on the contested Calendar on second reading, the ayes and nays shall always be taken by roll call and the votes thereon shall be recorded in the Journal.
7.8 Pairing shall be permitted only upon the absence of a member for good cause and shall be in writing and specifically state the bill or bills or questions upon which pairs are arranged. Pairs shall be filed with the Clerk and recorded in the Journal as an indication of how absent members would have voted. The present member need announce only that he is paired as an explanation of why he is not voting.
8.1 No motion shall be debated until it shall have been stated by the Speaker. Any motion shall, if desired by the Speaker or any other member, be reduced to writing and delivered at the desk and read, before it shall be debated.
8.2 The mover may withdraw any question or proposition before an amendment or decision, after the same has been ordered, except a demand for the ayes and nays and except after the previous question has been ordered.
8.3 No dilatory motion shall be entertained by the Speaker, prior precedents to the contrary notwithstanding.
8.4 A question before the House shall be suspended by:
1. A message;
2. a report or resolution of the Committee on Rules, Conference, Free Conference or Invitations;
3. a question of order;
4. a question of privilege;
5. a question of taking recess;
6. Any other incidental questions, such as of reading papers, dividing a question, withdrawing a motion, excusing a member from voting, or the like; of which the five first named may suspend even a speech; provided, that the fifth, if once negatived, be not received during the same speech without the assent of the member speaking.
8.5 When a question is under debate only those motions herein below shall be received and notwithstanding the provisions of any other Rule, none of such motions except the motion to adjourn or recede, a motion to continue, or a motion for the previous question shall be considered until the conclusion of such debate. Such motions shall require a simple majority vote unless otherwise specified:
1. To adjourn or recede;
2. to continue;
3. to lay on the table;
4. for the previous question (fifty percent of those present and voting, a quorum being present, plus five);
5. to postpone indefinitely, or to a day beyond the session;
6. to adjourn the debate to a certain day within the session;
7. to commit or recommit.
These motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are hereinabove arranged.
Provided, a motion to reconsider shall be received and noted while a speech is being made but notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 8.14, shall be considered immediately after disposal of the pending matter or pursuant to Rule 6.3, subparagraph 10, whichever shall come first.
8.6 The previous question upon any matter may be invoked as follows:
a. Immediate cloture. Upon an affirmative vote on a motion for the previous question (fifty percent of those present and voting, a quorum being present, plus five, being required to interrupt debate and a simple majority vote at all other times), the amendments then upon the desk shall be considered, but no further amendments shall be allowed to be offered. The sponsor of an amendment shall be allowed an opportunity to make a short explanation of his amendment for a period not to exceed three minutes, then opponents to the amendment shall be permitted not more than three minutes to oppose the proposed amendment. Then two hours of debate shall be allowed on the bill as and if amended, the time being equally divided between opponents and proponents with no person to speak more than ten minutes.
Provided, any member who has been recognized by the Speaker and is speaking from the podium, is considered to be debating the issue and a call for the previous question, whether by the member or any other member, requires the necessary fifty percent of those present and voting plus five.
b. Delayed cloture. Upon an affirmative vote upon a motion for the previous question to take effect in two hours (fifty percent of those present and voting, a quorum being present, plus five, being required to interrupt debate, and a simple majority vote at all other times), the previous question will be invoked to take effect two hours from the time such affirmative vote is made, provided that such two hour period may not be extended and may not be shortened if five (5) members object. After the previous question is in effect pursuant to this subsection, consideration of amendments and further debate shall proceed in the same manner and under the same limitations as those set forth in subsection (a) of this rule.
Provided, further, that during the two hour period immediately preceding delayed cloture, but after the vote for same, all actions otherwise possible, including putting amendments on the desk, may be accomplished.
8.7 A motion to recess may state the time for reconvening and in the absence of such time stated, reconvening shall be at the call of the Chair.
8.8 A motion to strike out the enacting words of a bill, or resolving words of a resolution shall have precedence of a motion to amend, and, if carried, shall be considered as equivalent to rejection.
8.9 When a motion is made during a motion period, the Speaker shall entertain but two substitute motions which shall be considered in their inverse order.
8.10 Any member may without debate, call for the division of a question, and the House may divide the question if it shall appear to comprehend the question so distinct that, one being taken away, the rest may stand entire for decision. A motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible, but a motion to strike out being lost shall not be deemed equivalent to agreement, nor shall it preclude either amendment or a motion to strike out and insert.
8.11 a. The following motions shall be decided by simple majority unless otherwise specified and without debate after such short remarks as the Speaker may permit:
To adjourn;
to take a recess;
to continue;
to commit or recommit;
to lay on the table;
for the previous question;
to take up any matters in the orders of the day not regularly reached;
to proceed to the orders of the day;
to postpone indefinitely, or to a day beyond the session;
to adjourn a debate;
to recur to the morning hour;
to fix the hour to which the House shall next meet;
b. The following motions shall be permitted at the same stage of the bill or proposition after one hour of time has elapsed since the same question was before negatived:
For the previous question;
to lay on the table;
to postpone or adjourn a debate;
to continue;
to commit or recommit.
8.12 Motions to adjourn, to recede, and to recede subject to the call of the Chair, shall always be in order, except while the House is actually engaged in deciding a question by ayes and nays, or in voting viva voce, or in balloting; but a motion to adjourn, or to take a recess, having been negatived, no new motion to adjourn or take a recess shall be in order until fifteen minutes shall have elapsed from the decision of the former motion, even though such motion to recede might be to recede to a different time.
8.13 Indefinite postponement shall dispose of the question.
8.14 When a question shall have been once decided in the affirmative or negative, any member who voted with the prevailing side may, on the same day or the next day of the sitting of the House, move for a reconsideration thereof, and the House if in session for Statewide matters, and at any time other than while Special Orders are being considered, shall immediately have the question of reconsideration before it. If the House is not in session for statewide matters or have before it a matter under Special Order, it shall have the question of reconsideration before it as provided in Rule 6.4. If the House shall refuse to reconsider, or, upon reconsideration, shall affirm its first decision, no further motion shall be in order except by unanimous consent, provided, that once a motion to reconsider is made it may not be withdrawn except in the same day in which it was made.
Provided, that the bill, resolution, message, report, amendment, motion, or the paper upon which the vote was taken shall not have gone out of the possession of the House.
A motion to reconsider may be laid on the table without affecting the question with reference to which the same is made; and if such motion be laid on the table, it shall be deemed a final disposition of the motion.
8.15 A member may move to continue a matter, when called on the calendar, to the next session; and if the House agree thereto, the matter shall be thereupon continued; and the Clerk of the House shall make up a Calendar of all the matters so continued, placing the same thereupon, in the order in which they have been continued, and at the ensuing session the continued matters shall be taken up and considered in the same stage in which they were when so continued and shall have priority according to the last order for consideration made upon them.
If a motion to continue, having received an affirmative vote, shall be reconsidered and thereupon such motion to continue shall receive a negative vote, the matter shall be immediately taken up and the member having the floor at the time the debate was interrupted shall resume.
9.1 A bill which originated in the House, or which, having originated in the Senate and having been amended by the House, shall be returned from the Senate with amendments, such bill as amended shall be printed, placed on the House Calendar, and shall not be read until such printed copy has been on the desks of the members for at least one day previous to such reading. Provided, however, that this requirement shall not apply to local bills.
The consideration of amendments shall have precedence over a motion to either concur or nonconcur in the Senate amendments.
If no amendments have been adopted by the House then the question shall be: "Will the House agree to the Senate amendment?" A decision in the negative shall be a rejection. Upon a decision in the affirmative, the title of the bill shall be changed to an Act, and ordered to be enrolled.
9.2 At the third reading of a bill, no amendment shall be permitted without unanimous consent, except that the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means may (if he shall have given notice at the second reading of his intention to offer amendments at the third) be permitted to offer amendments to any bill to raise supplies or to make appropriations, such as may be pertinent to the bill; and,
Provided, that the House may, in its discretion, commit or recommit any bill at its third reading; and after the report of the committee any amendment which it shall recommend may be adopted.
9.3 No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment unless it refers to the intent of the motion or proposition under consideration. Provided, that nothing shall prevent the adoption of an amendment which rewrites the bill in its entirety if the bill as rewritten remains germane to the original title of the bill. Provided, further, that in determining whether or not any amendment be germane, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be guided by precedents of the House of Representatives to the extent available.
9.4 A proposed amendment shall be in order regardless of the number of changes proposed therein to the matter under debate, provided such amendment is otherwise in order.
9.5 Proposed amendments to any matter before the House shall be initially considered in the order in which received.
10.1 A person not a member, officer, or attache of the House shall not be admitted in the outer doors of the Chamber without the special leave of the House. The following persons, and no others, shall be admitted within the Hall at any time unless otherwise authorized by House Resolution; namely,
The present and former members and officers of the House of Representatives; the members of the Press as designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Governor; the present members and officers of the Senate; the present members and employees of the Legislative Council; employees of the respective legislative delegations; and such persons as may be invited by order of the House; provided, no seat in the House shall be occupied by any one except the members thereof. No lobbyist, including former members while engaging in such activity nor former members, except for sitting Senators, seeking votes or other personal favors shall be admitted within the Hall without special leave of the House.
10.2 Whenever the pronoun "he" appears in any Rule, it shall be deemed to designate either masculine or feminine. The words "person" and "party" and any other word importing the singular number used in any bill or resolution shall be held to include the plural and to include firms, companies, associations, and corporations and all words in the plural shall apply also to the singular in all cases in which the spirit and intent of the bill or resolution may require it. All words in a bill or resolution importing the masculine gender shall apply to females also and words in the feminine gender shall apply to males. And all words importing the present tense shall apply to the future also.
10.3 Definitions of measures:
1. "Resolutions" This term includes:
a. "House Resolution" which affects only the action of the House and the members thereof. It requires only one reading for adoption, and shall not be submitted to the Senate.
b. "Concurrent Resolution" which affects only the action of the General Assembly and the members thereof. It requires only one reading in each House for adoption.
c. "Joint Resolution" which shall have the same force of law as an Act, but is a temporary measure, dying when its subject matter is completed. It requires the same treatment as a bill does in its passage through both Houses, but its title after passage shall not be changed to that of an Act; and when used to propose an amendment to the Constitution it does not require the approval of the Governor.
2. "Bill" A bill is the term applied to a measure introduced in either House designed to become a permanent law (or an "Act").
It must be read and adopted three times on three separate days in each House, following which its title is changed to that of an Act.
3. "Act" An Act is the term applied to a bill that has passed both Houses, been ratified by the presiding officer of each House and signed by the Governor or passed over his veto. It is a permanent measure, having the force of law until repealed.
4. "Veto" The term used for disapproval of a Bill or Joint Resolution by the Governor. It may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the members of each House.
10.4 The House shall not accept any invitations to attend functions (social or otherwise) which are to be held at a club or organization which does not admit as members persons of all races, religions, colors, sexes, or national origins. All such invitations so received shall be referred to the Committee on Invitations and the five House members on the Committee on Invitations shall have the duty of determining and reporting to the House whether or not the function is to be held at a club or organization which does not admit as members persons of all races, religions, colors, sexes, or national origins.
10.5 Each member of the House shall be entitled to recommend the names of any number of persons to the Speaker, with one to be appointed by the Speaker as a House page to perform such duties as determined by the Speaker. The provisions of this rule shall be contingent upon the General Assembly providing for at least one hundred twenty-four House pages in the annual general appropriations act for the fiscal year during which such session shall take place. Any additional House pages authorized shall be appointed by the Speaker in his sole discretion. Pages and guests of the House shall observe appropriate and dignified attire which means shirt and tie (with coats optional) for males and dignified dress (meaning dress, skirt or slacks and blouse, or pants suits) for females. This provision must be enforced by the Speaker.
10.6 Provided, notwithstanding any other rule, House Resolutions, Invitations and Memorials shall be accepted at the desk during the Organizational Session and shall be approved only by unanimous consent for passage.
10.7 No smoking is permitted in the Hall of the House of Representatives. Smoking for purposes of this rule includes carrying a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or any other lighted smoking equipment.
10.8 No member of the House shall incur more than one thousand eight hundred dollars in long distance telephone charges at State expense during any fiscal year. However, if a member accumulates more than one thousand eight hundred dollars in long distance telephone expenses during any fiscal year, he shall be billed and must reimburse the State on a monthly basis for the remaining balance.
Rep. McTEER explained the Resolution.
The Resolution was adopted.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 1 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18019DW.93), which was tabled.
Amend the resolution as and if amended by striking Rule 6.1 and inserting:
/a. The House shall meet during the times specified by the Constitution and laws of this State at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, the House shall consider only local uncontested matters on Friday of each week, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
b. In order to provide times for committees to consider and report bills and resolutions for consideration of the House, the House shall meet during the first three weeks of the session only on the first Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. and each Wednesday at 2:15 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by the House.
c. The House shall meet during the second three weeks of the session on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. to provide time in the morning for committees to meet, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
d. Unless otherwise ordered, the House shall recede at 1:00 p.m. for lunch and reconvene at 2:15 p.m., although this subsection does not apply when the house is debating special orders.
e. The House must remain in session on any statewide legislative day for at least two hours or until the completion of that portion of the calendar covered by Rule 6.3 1 through Rule 6.3 13, whichever is greater, unless the calendar is completed, or unless adjournment is voted by a majority of the members present and voting plus five members./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN explained the amendment.
Rep. SHARPE moved to table the amendment, which was agreed to by a division vote of 86 to 29.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 2 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18019DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution as and if amended by striking Rule 6.1 and inserting:
/a. The House shall meet during the times specified by the Constitution and laws of this State at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, the House shall consider only local uncontested matters on Friday of each week, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
b. In order to provide times for committees to consider and report bills and resolutions for consideration of the House, the House shall meet during the first three weeks of the session only on the first Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. and each Wednesday at 2:15 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by the House.
c. The House shall meet during the second three weeks of the session on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. to provide time in the morning for committees to meet, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
d. Unless otherwise ordered, the House shall recede at 1:00 p.m. for lunch and reconvene at 2:15 p.m., although this subsection does not apply when the house is debating special orders./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. KOON proposed the following Amendment No. 3 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18031DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by deleting Rule 5.19 in its entirety.
Renumber rules to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. KOON explained the amendment.
Rep. McTEER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee.
Rep. KOON moved to table the motion.
Rep. M.O. ALEXANDER demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander, T.C. Allison Anderson Bailey, J. Baker Beatty Breeland Brown, G. Brown, H. Brown, J. Byrd Canty Carnell Chamblee Clyborne Fair Felder Fulmer Gonzales Harrell Harris, P. Harrison Haskins Holt Inabinett Keegan Kelley Kennedy Klauber Koon Lanford Law Littlejohn Meacham Quinn Riser Robinson Scott Sharpe Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Snow Spearman Stille Sturkie Thomas Townsend Vaughn Walker Wells Whipper White Wilder, D. Wilkes Williams Witherspoon Wofford Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Alexander, M.O. Askins Bailey, G. Baxley Boan Cato Cobb-Hunter Cromer Delleney Elliott Farr Gamble Govan Graham Hallman Harrelson Harris, J. Harvin Harwell Hines Hodges Houck Huff Hutson Jaskwhich Jennings Keyserling Kinon Kirsh Marchbanks Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McKay McLeod McMahand McTeer Moody-Lawrence Neal Neilson Richardson Rogers Rudnick Sheheen Smith, R. Stoddard Stone Stuart Trotter Tucker Waites Waldrop Wilder, J. Wilkins Worley
So, the motion to table was agreed to.
Reps. McTEER and HUFF spoke against the amendment.
Rep. SHEHEEN spoke against the amendment.
Rep. ROGERS moved to refer the amendment to the Committee on Rules.
The question then recurred to the motion to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. SCOTT proposed the following Amendment No. 4 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\DKA\4106AL.93), which was tabled.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by striking Rule 1.9 and inserting:
/1.9 All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise provided for by law, except Senatorial and Gubernatorial appointees and ex officio members of the House. The Speaker shall name the members constituting each committee in alphabetical order and shall appoint the Chairman. The committee may at its discretion elect a Vice-Chairman and such other officers as it may choose./
Amend title to conform.
Rep. SCOTT explained the amendment.
Rep. BOAN moved to table the amendment.
Rep. SCOTT demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Allison Askins Bailey, G. Bailey, J. Baker Barber Baxley Boan Brown, H. Carnell Cato Chamblee Clyborne Cooper Corning Cromer Delleney Elliott Fair Felder Fulmer Gamble Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Harrelson Harris, J. Harris, P. Harrison Harvin Harwell Haskins Hodges Holt Houck Huff Hutson Jaskwhich Jennings Keegan Kelley Kennedy Kinon Kirsh Klauber Koon Lanford Law Littlejohn Marchbanks Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McKay McLeod McTeer Meacham Moody-Lawrence Neilson Phillips Richardson Riser Robinson Rudnick Sharpe Sheheen Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Smith, R. Spearman Stille Stoddard Stone Stuart Sturkie Thomas Townsend Trotter Tucker Vaughn Waites Waldrop Walker Wells Wilder, D Wilder, J. Wilkes Wilkins Witherspoon Wofford Worley Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Anderson Beatty Breeland Brown, G. Brown, J. Byrd Cobb-Hunter Govan Hines Inabinett Keyserling McMahand Neal Rogers Scott Whipper White Williams
So, the amendment was tabled.
Rep. HASKINS proposed the following Amendment No. 5, which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend Rule 6.3 (14)(b), as and if amended, on page 26 by deleting all language after the word /report/ on line 6 of the subjection.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. HASKINS explained the amendment.
Rep. McTEER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee.
Rep. HASKINS moved to table the motion.
Rep. HASKINS demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Allison Anderson Baker Baxley Cato Clyborne Fair Felder Fulmer Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Harrison Haskins Hutson Jaskwhich Keegan Kelley Klauber Koon Lanford Littlejohn Meacham Quinn Richardson Riser Robinson Rudnick Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Sturkie Thomas Walker Wells Wofford Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Askins Bailey, G. Bailey, J. Beatty Boan Breeland Brown, G. Brown, H. Brown, J. Byrd Canty Carnell Chamblee Cobb-Hunter Corning Cromer Delleney Elliott Farr Gamble Govan Harrelson Harris, J. Harris, P. Harvin Hines Hodges Holt Houck Huff Inabinett Jennings Kennedy Keyserling Kinon Kirsh Law Marchbanks Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McKay McLeod McMahand McTeer Moody-Lawrence Neal Neilson Phillips Rogers Scott Sharpe Sheheen Smith, R. Snow Spearman Stille Stoddard Stone Stuart Townsend Tucker Waites Waldrop Whipper White Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkes Wilkins Williams Witherspoon Worley
So, the House refused to table the motion.
The question then recurred to the motion to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. RUDNICK proposed the following Amendment No. 6 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\JIC\5049HC.93), which was tabled.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by adding an appropriately numbered rule at the end to read:
After a bill or resolution has been referred to committee for at least one week, a written petition to discharge the committee from further consideration of the bill or resolution signed by at least two-thirds of the total membership of the House may be filed with the clerk. After verification of the signatures by the clerk, the committee is discharged from further consideration of the bill or resolution and it is then considered to be without reference./
Renumber to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. RUDNICK explained the amendment.
Rep. KIRSH moved to table the amendment, which was agreed to by a division vote of 74 to 12.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 7 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18026DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by amending Rule 5.17 by adding:
/(C) If a member who objects to a bill or joint resolution cannot obtain sufficient objections to place the matter on the contested calendar, he may demand, only on the first occasion the matter is reached, that consideration of the matter be delayed for one statewide legislative day, exclusive of the date of first consideration./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 8 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18025DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by striking Rule 8.11 b. and inserting:
/b. The following motions must be permitted at the same stage of the bill or proposition after one hour of time has elapsed since the same question was before negatived:
For the previous question.
To lay on the table.
To postpone or adjourn a debate.
To continue.
To commit or recommit.
To recur to the morning hour./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 9 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18024DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by striking Rule 8.12 and inserting:
/8.12 Motions to adjourn, to recede, and to recede subject to the call of the Chair, are always in order, except while the House is actually engaged in deciding a question by ayes and nays, or in voting viva voce, or in balloting; but a motion to adjourn, or to take a recess, having been negatived, no new motion to adjourn or take a recess is in order until thirty minutes have elapsed from the decision of the former motion, even though the motion to recede might be to recede to a different time./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 10 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18027DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, by amending Rule 10 (Miscellaneous) by adding:
/10.___ The Clerk shall develop as soon as possible a plan for recycling, to the greatest extent practicable, of paper, aluminum, glass, and other materials used by the House. Such plan must be approved by the Speaker, and members must be encouraged to participate in the plan. Any funds generated by the sale of materials for recycling must be maintained by the clerk in a separate account and used to defray any costs of recycling. To the greatest extent possible, the House shall use recycled paper for its Journal, Calendar, and other publications./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. HASKINS proposed the following Amendment No. 12, which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend Rule 5.19, as and if amended, by deleting /sixty minutes/ and adding in its place /2 hours/ amend further by deleting /thirty minutes/ and adding in its place /one hour/.
Amend further by deleting /ten minutes/ and adding in its place /thirty minutes/.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. HASKINS explained the amendment.
Rep. McTEER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee.
Rep. HASKINS moved to table the motion and demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Allison Baker Beatty Cato Fair Felder Fulmer Gonzales Hallman Haskins Hutson Keegan Kelley Klauber Koon Lanford Littlejohn Marchbanks Meacham Neal Riser Robinson Sharpe Simrill Smith, D. Thomas Trotter Vaughn Walker Wells Witherspoon Wofford Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Anderson Askins Bailey, G. Barber Baxley Boan Breeland Brown, H. Brown, J. Byrd Carnell Chamblee Clyborne Cobb-Hunter Corning Cromer Delleney Elliott Farr Gamble Harrell Harrelson Harris, J. Harrison Harvin Harwell Hines Hodges Huff Inabinett Jaskwhich Jennings Kennedy Keyserling Kirsh Law Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McKay McLeod McMahand McTeer Moody-Lawrence Neilson Phillips Quinn Richardson Rogers Rudnick Scott Sheheen Shissias Smith, R. Snow Spearman Stille Stoddard Stone Townsend Tucker Waites Waldrop Whipper Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkes Wilkins Worley
So, the House refused to table the motion.
The question then recurred to the motion to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. BAKER proposed the following Amendment No. 13 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\JIC\5100HC.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution, as and if amended, in Rule 8.6a, by striking beginning on line two /plus five, being required to interrupt debate and a simple majority vote at all other times/ and inserting /plus ten, being required to interrupt debate and a simple majority plus five vote at all other times/.
Amend further, in Rule 8.6b, by striking beginning on line 3 /plus five, being required to interrupt debate, and a simple majority vote at all other times/ and inserting /plus ten, being required to interrupt debate and a simple majority plus five vote at all other times/.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. BAKER explained the amendment.
Rep. CLYBORNE spoke in favor of the amendment.
Rep. McTEER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee.
Rep. CLYBORNE moved to table the motion.
Rep. BAKER demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Allison Anderson Baker Beatty Brown, H. Canty Carnell Cato Chamblee Clyborne Cooper Corning Fair Felder Fulmer Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Harris, J. Harrison Haskins Hutson Jaskwhich Keegan Kelley Kinon Klauber Koon Lanford Littlejohn Marchbanks Mattos McAbee McCraw McMahand Meacham Quinn Richardson Riser Robinson Rudnick Sharpe Shissias Simrill Smith, D. Spearman Stone Sturkie Thomas Trotter Vaughn Walker Wells White Wilkins Wofford Wright Young, A. Young, R.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Askins Bailey, G. Bailey, J. Barber Baxley Boan Breeland Brown, G. Brown, J. Byrd Cobb-Hunter Cromer Delleney Elliott Farr Gamble Govan Harrelson Harris, P. Harvin Harwell Hines Hodges Holt Houck Inabinett Jennings Kennedy Keyserling Kirsh Law Martin McElveen McKay McLeod McTeer Moody-Lawrence Neal Neilson Phillips Rogers Scott Sheheen Smith, R. Snow Stille Stoddard Stuart Tucker Waites Waldrop Whipper Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkes Witherspoon Worley
So, the motion to table was agreed to.
Reps. McTEER and McELVEEN spoke against the amendment.
Rep. KOON spoke in favor of the amendment.
Rep. HARRELSON spoke against the amendment.
Rep. BAKER spoke in favor of the amendment.
Rep. SHEHEEN spoke against the amendment.
Rep. ROGERS moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee.
Rep. FELDER moved to table the motion.
Rep. BAKER demanded the yeas and nays, which were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Allison Baker Carnell Cato Clyborne Cooper Fair Felder Gonzales Graham Hallman Harrell Hutson Klauber Koon Littlejohn Marchbanks Meacham Riser Robinson Simrill Smith, D. Thomas Trotter Vaughn Walker Wells Witherspoon Wofford Wright Young, A.
Those who voted in the negative are:
Alexander, M.O. Alexander, T.C. Anderson Askins Bailey, G. Bailey, J. Barber Baxley Boan Breeland Brown, G. Byrd Canty Chamblee Cobb-Hunter Corning Cromer Delleney Farr Fulmer Gamble Govan Harrelson Harris, J. Harrison Harwell Haskins Hines Hodges Holt Houck Inabinett Jennings Keegan Kelley Kennedy Keyserling Kinon Kirsh Law Martin Mattos McAbee McCraw McElveen McLeod McMahand McTeer Neal Neilson Quinn Richardson Rogers Rudnick Scott Sheheen Shissias Smith, R. Snow Spearman Stille Stoddard Stone Stuart Townsend Tucker Waites Waldrop Whipper Wilder, D. Wilder, J. Wilkes Wilkins Williams Worley Young, R.
So, the House refused to table the motion.
The question then recurred to the motion to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. HASKINS proposed the following Amendment No. 14, which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the Rule 8.6(a), as and if amended, by adding after /minutes/ at the end of the first paragraph /At the conclusion of consideration of amendments, upon motion of a member, and upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting, the proponents of the bill shall be allowed to offer one amendment only which shall be limited to matters necessary for clarification, or elimination of conflicting terms in the bill, as amended./
Amend title to conform.
Rep. HASKINS explained the amendment and moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. McELVEEN proposed the following Amendment No. 15 (Doc Name L:\council\legis\amend\EGM\18019DW.93), which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the resolution as and if amended by striking Rule 6.1 and inserting:
/a. The House shall meet during the times specified by the Constitution and laws of this State at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, the House shall consider only local uncontested matters on Friday of each week, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
b. In order to provide times for committees to consider and report bills and resolutions for consideration of the House, the House shall meet during the first three weeks of the first annual session of the General Assembly only on the first Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. and each Wednesday at 2:15 p.m., unless otherwise ordered by the House.
c. The House shall meet during the second three weeks of the session on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. to provide time in the morning for committees to meet, unless otherwise ordered by the House.
d. Unless otherwise ordered, the House shall recede at 1:00 p.m. for lunch and reconvene at 2:15 p.m., although this subsection does not apply when the house is debating special orders./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. McELVEEN explained the amendment.
Rep. FELDER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
Rep. HASKINS proposed the following Amendment No. 16, which was referred to the Rules Committee.
Amend the Rules, as and if amended, at Rule 6.3, Subsection 14, by adding a new Section C as follows:
/C. Special orders may also be set by majority vote during the motion period./
Renumber, reletter, amend title to conform.
Rep. HASKINS explained the amendment.
Rep. TUCKER moved to refer the amendment to the Rules Committee, which was agreed to.
The following were taken up for immediate consideration and accepted.
January 21, 1992
Ms. Catherine G. Jeter
Executive Secretary
House Invitations Committee
Post Office Box 11867
Columbia, South Carolina 29211
Dear Catherine:
The South Carolina Bankers Association will host its annual reception for the General Assembly on Tuesday, January 12, 1993, from 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. at the Marriott Hotel, 1200 Hampton Street, Columbia, South Carolina. We would like to cordially invite the members of the House to attend this function.
I would appreciate your reserving this on the House calendar and notifying me upon confirmation of this date.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Steve L. Chryst
President-Elect
November 20, 1992
Honorable Robert J. Sheheen
House of Representatives
Post Office Box 11867
Columbia, South Carolina, 29211
Attention: Ms. Shirley Cockfield
Dear Mr. Sheheen:
This is to request that the South Carolina Association of Council on Aging Directors be placed on the schedule for a breakfast for all members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have scheduled this breakfast for Wednesday, January 13, 1992 from 8:00 A.M. until 8:45 A.M. at the Holiday Inn Coliseum on Assembly Street.
We appreciate all the courtesies that your office has shown in arranging this breakfast.
We will be sending invitations to all members of the House and Senate.
Sincerely,
James R. Griffith
Executive Director
November 13, 1992
To: Shirley Cockfield
From: Vicki Ido
Subject: Legislative Reception Invitation from the Consulting Engineers of South Carolina and SC Society of Professional Engineers
This is to confirm our telephone conversation regarding the Legislative Reception on January 13, 1993, sponsored by the Consulting Engineers of South Carolina and the SC Society of Professional Engineers. The reception will begin at 6:00 P.M. at the Columbia Museum of Art and last two hours.
Thank you for your phone call today and the reminder that the location would need to be confirmed. Can you send me a current list of the members of the SC General Assembly for our invitation list? We would also like to publish the names and addresses (Columbia office address and the home address) of the newly elected members of the House and the Senate in our November newsletters for both of these engineering organizations.
November 5, 1992
The Honorable Robert Sheheen
Attention: Shirley Cockfield
Post Office Box 11867
Columbia, S.C. 29211
Dear Representative Sheheen:
This letter is to provide the information which your office seeks with regard to the legislative reception which will be sponsored by the Student Government and the Student Alumni Association of the University of South Carolina. This reception will be on January 19, 1993, from 6:00 -8:00 P.M. It will be held at the Alumni House located on the corner of College and Barnwell Streets, directly across from the Capstone, on the University of South Carolina campus. All members of both Houses of the General Assembly are invited, as well as the constitutional officers of our state government.
Thank you for your time and assistance in this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 777-2654.
Sincerely,
Tom Young, Jr.
Student Body President
November 20, 1992
The Honorable Samuel R. Foster
Chairman, Invitations Committee
South Carolina House of Representatives
518 Blatt Building
Columbia, SC 29211
Dear Representative Foster:
As the year draws to a close, we felt it would be wise to reconfirm the date for the Annual Legislative Reception sponsored by the South Carolina Cable Television Association.
The association has scheduled the annual event for January 26, 1993 at 6:30 P.M. at the downtown Columbia Marriott Hotel. Invitations will be mailed to all members of the General Assembly sometime after the Christmas holiday.
As always, we appreciate the opportunity to "salute" your peers through the sponsorship of this event. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call.
Our best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!
Cordially,
Nancy Horne
Executive Director
October 19, 1992
Honorable Robert J. Sheheen
Post Office Box 11867
Columbia, South Carolina, 29211
Dear Representative Sheheen:
The Probate Judges' Association Mid-Year Convention will be held in Columbia January 26, 27, and 28, 1993. We will host a Continental Breakfast for all members of the S.C. Legislature on Wednesday, January 27, 1993 in Room 208 of the Blatt Building from 8:00 A.M. until 10:00 A.M. All Legislators are also invited to a Hospitality Room at the Holiday Inn Coliseum at USC on Wednesday, January 27, where we will be serving light hors d'oeuvres from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
In consideration of the ethics laws, you may wish to inform each Member of the Legislature that the Association will be spending $7 and $15 respectively per Legislator for the Continental Breakfast and Hospitality Room.
This written confirmation is being sent pursuant to my telephone conversation with Ms. Cockfield. Please do not hesitate to call on me if you need any further information.
Sincerely,
Frederick W. Robinson
Judge of Probate
December 7, 1992
The Honorable Samuel R. Foster
House Invitations Committee
518 Blatt Building
Columbia, S.C. 29211
Dear Representative Foster:
The House and Senate members are cordially invited to attend a legislative luncheon at 12:00 Noon, January 27, 1992, at the Marriott, given by the South Carolina Federation for Older Americans. The annual Seniors Legislative Day participants are looking forward to having lunch with their legislators.
The "1993 Legislator of the Year" will be announced and introduced at this time.
All members should respond to Karen Jacobs, Joint Legislative Committee on Aging, at 734-2996 before January 19, 1993.
You are encouraged to attend this annual event.
Sincerely,
Gloria Turner
President
Rep. WALDROP moved that when the House adjourns it adjourn to meet at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, which was agreed to.
Rep. CARNELL moved that the House do now adjourn, which was adopted.
At 6:10 P.M. the House in accordance with the motion of Rep. CARNELL adjourned to meet at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow.
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