Journal of the House of Representatives
of the First Session of the 111th General Assembly
of the State of South Carolina
being the Regular Session Beginning Tuesday, January 10, 1995
Page Finder Index
| 
Printed Page 5, Dec. 6, 1994
| Printed Page 20, Dec. 6, 1994
|
Printed Page 10 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
District 36 Rita Allison (R)
District 37 Ralph Davenport (R)
District 38 Bob Walker (R)
District 39 Molly M. Spearman (D)
District 40 Dave C. Waldrop, Jr. (D)
District 41 Timothy C. Wilkes (D)
District 42 Ronald Fleming (R)
District 43 F.G. "Greg" Delleney, Jr. (D)
District 44 William "Bill" 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 Brown (D)
District 51 Ralph W. Canty (D)
District 52 Robert J. Sheheen (D)
District 53 Jean L. Harris (D)
District 54 Douglas Jennings, Jr. (D)
District 55 Marion H. "Son" Kinon (D)
District 56 Denny W. Neilson (D)
District 57 Larry Elliott (D)
District 58 Morgan Martin (D)
District 59 B. Hicks Harwell (D)
District 60 Woody McKay (D)
District 61 Harry A. Askins (D)
District 62 Jesse E. Hines (D)
District 63 Hunter Limbaugh (R)
District 64 Alex Harvin, III (D)
District 65 Mike Baxley (D)
District 66 Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D)
District 67 W. Jeffrey Young (R)
District 68 Joseph T. McElveen (D)
District 69 Bill Riser (R)
District 70 Joseph H. Neal (D)
District 71 Rick Quinn (R)
District 72 Timothy F. Rogers (D)
District 73 Joe E. Brown (D)
District 74 Alma Byrd (D)
District 75 Jim Harrison (R)
District 76 Leon Howard (D)
Printed Page 11 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
District 77 John Scott (D)
District 78 June S. Shissias (R)
District 79 Bill Cotty (R)
District 80 James L. Cromer (P)
District 81 Ruby Mason (R)
District 82 William Clyburn (D)
District 83 Tom Huff (R)
District 84 James L. Smith (R)
District 85 David A. Wright (R)
District 86 Charles Sharpe (R)
District 87 Larry L. Koon (R)
District 88 Jake Knotts (R)
District 89 Margaret J. Gamble (R)
District 90 Thomas N. Rhoad (D)
District 91 Wilbur L. Cave (D)
District 92 Sandi S. Wofford (R)
District 93 John Felder (D)
District 94 Heyward Hutson (R)
District 95 Jerry N. Govan, Jr. (D)
District 96 Elsie Rast Stuart (R)
District 97 George H. Bailey (D)
District 98 Annette Young (R)
District 99 Henry E. Brown (R)
District 100 James N. Law (R)
District 101 Kenneth Kennedy (D)
District 102 Dewitt Williams (D)
District 103 Theodore A. Brown (D)
District 104 Harold Worley (D)
District 105 W.D. Witherspoon (R)
District 106 Tom Keegan (R)
District 107 Mark S. Kelley (R)
District 108 Paula H. Thomas (R)
District 109 Lucille S. Whipper (D)
District 110 Chip Limehouse (R)
District 111 Floyd Breeland (D)
District 112 Harry M. Hallman, Jr. (R)
District 113 Mickey Whatley (R)
District 114 Bobby Harrell (R)
District 115 Lynn Seithel (R)
District 116 Curtis B. Inabinett (D)
District 117 Tom Dantzler (R)
Printed Page 12 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
District 118 Jackson "Seth" Whipper (D)
District 119 Ronald C. Fulmer (R)
District 120 Douglas E. McTeer (D)
District 121 Walter P. Lloyd (D)
District 122 Juanita White (D)
District 123 Scott Richardson (R)
District 124 William D. Keyserling (P)
MEMBERS-ELECT SWORN IN
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:
Allison Anderson Askins
Bailey Baxley Beatty
Boan Breeland Brown, G.
Brown, H. Brown, J. Brown, T.
Byrd Cain Canty
Carnell Cato Cave
Chamblee Clyburn Cobb-Hunter
Cooper Cotty Cromer
Dantzler Davenport Delleney
Easterday Elliott Fair
Felder Fleming Fulmer
Gamble Govan Hallman
Harrell Harris, J. Harris, P.
Harrison Harvin Harwell
Haskins Herdklotz Hines
Hodges Howard Huff
Hutson Inabinett Jaskwhich
Jennings Keegan Kelley
Kennedy Keyserling Kinon
Kirsh Klauber Knotts
Koon Lanford Law
Limbaugh Limehouse Littlejohn
Lloyd Marchbanks Martin
Mason McAbee McCraw
McElveen McKay McMahand
McTeer Meacham Moody-Lawrence
Neal Neilson Phillips
Quinn Rhoad Rice
Richardson Riser Robinson
Printed Page 13 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
Rogers Sandifer Scott
Seithel Sharpe Sheheen
Shissias Simrill Smith, D.
Smith, R. Spearman Stille
Stoddard Stuart Thomas
Townsend Tripp Trotter
Tucker Vaughn Waldrop
Walker Wells Whatley
Whipper, L. Whipper, S. White
Wilder Wilkes Wilkins
Williams Witherspoon Wofford
Worley Wright Young, A.
Young, J.
The foregoing were then sworn in by the Temporary CHAIRWOMAN.
ELECTION OF THE SPEAKER
The Temporary CHAIRWOMAN announced that nominations were in order for a
SPEAKER.
Rep. HARRELL nominated Rep. WILKINS of Greenville as follows:
"Madame Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the House, Governor Campbell,
Governor-Elect Beasley, Susan and Robert Wilkins, it is with a great deal of
pleasure that I rise today to place into nomination for the office of Speaker of
the House, my good friend, David Wilkins. History is being made today. As we
begin this new Session, the Republican Party is now the majority party in the
South Carolina House. With that majority comes responsibility. And, while it
may be expected that the new Speaker would be a Republican, the fact is that the
person we elect must be a leader who is up to the task. We need a Speaker who
will work with everyone in the House, and who can reach across party lines.
Throughout David's time as a member of this House the one thing that has
consistently been said about him has been his ability to get along with and to
work with everyone without regard to party, or race, or gender. He has the best
interest of this State at heart. He is committed to making South Carolina a
better place to live for all of our citizens. If he believes something is in
the best interest of this State, then he supports it and works for it. It's as
simple as that. That's the kind of person we need to elect as our Speaker, and
that's the kind of person David Wilkins is. Many of us this year ran on a very
clear agenda for change. David Wilkins was the leader of that movement. He was
instrumental in putting together the plan for passing term limits, welfare
reform, truth in
Printed Page 14 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
sentencing, and property tax reform. Under David's leadership,
those things will be at the top of our agenda. David was first elected to the
SC House in 1980. He was elected Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1986,
and continued to serve in that capacity until 1992, when he was elected Speaker
Pro Tempore of this House. He has worked his way up through the ranks of this
House. He understands what makes this Body work. He understands how to get
things done. When I came into this House as a Freshman, David was one of the
first people to welcome me. He went out of his way to help me to understand how
this place operates and how to be productive. I'll always remember that. I
deeply appreciate his friendship and his leadership. David Wilkins will make a
great Speaker, and now Madame Chairman it is my great honor and privilege to
place David Horton Wilkins into nomination for your consideration as the Speaker
of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Thank you."
On motion of Rep. SHARPE, nominations were closed and, with unanimous consent,
the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
The Temporary CHAIRWOMAN appointed Reps. ALLISON, ANDERSON, COOPER, FELDER,
McKAY and THOMAS to escort the SPEAKER-ELECT to the desk where the oath of
office was administered unto him by the Temporary CHAIRWOMAN.
SPEAKER WILKINS thereupon took the Chair and addressed the House as follows:
"Wow...This robe feels pretty good...I wonder if I could wear it to
lunch...I want to thank you for giving me this privilege as well as this
responsibility of being your Speaker. You honor me greatly with your support
and trust. I pledge to you to at all times give you my very best, to always
strive to justify your confidence and trust and to perform my duties in a fair,
even-handed and honorable manner. This is a very special moment in my life and
there are some very special people here today to share this moment with me.
Please indulge me as I introduce them to you. First and foremost is my wife,
Susan, and my son, Robert. I regret that our son, James, who is a freshman in
college, could not be with us, but he is just beginning his first year college
exams. I'm sure he is with us in spirit. I appreciate them being here to share
this moment. I have been in the House the majority of my married life, so Susan
and James and Robert have grown up in politics with me. Recently, I came across
our very first campaign picture taken in 1980. I had alot more hair and a few
less pounds. Susan looks just the same as she did then and James and Robert were
just so high being three and four. As I have watched
Printed Page 15 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
them grow into responsible young adults, they have watched me
grow in politics and in the legislative arena. I might also add that as I have
advanced in the legislative arena, I have gotten great advice from Susan - most
of it unsolicited but all of it good. I asked her about my speech over the
weekend and she said, `whatever you do, don't try to be intellectual, witty and
charming, instead, just try to be yourself.' All of you who serve in the House
know that the majority vote needed to get elected doesn't count for much without
that support from a smaller constituency, your family. As they did in our first
campaign in 1980, Susan and James and Robert have always given me their
unconditional love, support and understanding. I owe them so much and I am
truly grateful to them. So it's very special for them to be here with me, for
Robert and Susan, and I know James is thinking about us this very moment in
college in Virginia and I am delighted that they are here today to share this
moment with me. My mother, mother-in-law, brother and sister and their children
are seated up in the balcony. Please stand and be recognized by the House, if
you would. I very much appreciate them being here. I only regret that my
younger brother, who is a doctor in Denver, and my father, who is 88 and is not
in good health, were unable to be with us. My two law partners, Tim Madden and
Cathy Fairey, and the entire office staff are in the balcony. They're here to
see if I really do work in Columbia. I thank them for their hard work and
dedication which allows me to spend time in the Body. There are also many long-
time and special friends that took time away from their busy schedules to be
with us, many from District 24 in Greenville. It has been my privilege to
represent them and the citizens of District 24 now for 14 years. I have been
the benefactor of their support and friendship. There are also two former House
members, who all of you know, who honor us with their presence today. First is
our Governor, Carroll Campbell. He has provided tremendous leadership to our
State for the last eight years. He has left a legacy of economic opportunity
for South Carolina by focusing the eyes of the international business community
on our State and by creating jobs for our citizens. In addition to being one of
my constituents, certainly my best known most famous constituent, he has been my
political mentor and my friend over the past many years. Governor Campbell, I
want you to know that on behalf of the South Carolina House of Representatives
we appreciate your service, your devotion and your leadership. Governor, I will
miss you. We will all miss you. Please stand and be recognized by the House.
And to Governor-Elect Beasley, I want to welcome you back to the House which was
your second home for 14 years. You certainly know this Body and its members
well. We
Printed Page 16 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
look forward to working with you as together we move this State
forward into the 21st century. On behalf of the House, I pledge to you our
friendship, our cooperation and our support. Thank you for being with us.
Please stand and be recognized by the House. I would also like to pay tribute
to our Speaker of the last eight years. Bob Sheheen has led this House and
served the people of South Carolina with great integrity and distinction. He
has provided us tremendous leadership during his tenure as Speaker of the House.
Speaker Sheheen, I speak for the entire membership of this House in thanking you
for your leadership and your tireless work as Speaker. I appreciate all that
you have done. Members, please stand in tribute to Speaker Sheheen. These are
exciting times. These are changing times. The significance of this moment
should not be lost on us. It has been 116 years since a Republican has stood in
this very Chamber before this Body as its Speaker. Today, South Carolina
becomes the first state in the South to elect a Republican as its Speaker. Our
State finds itself in the midst of a transition. The voters here at home and
across this nation have mandated change. In the recent elections, the people of
South Carolina spoke loud and clear. Some of you heard them going door to door
this fall. Some of you heard them in the factories or in the churches or on the
playgrounds. We all heard them at the ballot box. Their words differed but
their message was the same. They have demanded change and have overwhelmingly
rejected business as usual. Their message was to address our concerns or be
held accountable for what you do or fail to do. That means meeting public needs
with ever limited resources. That means deciding what is fundamental and what
is superfluous. That means thinking in different terms and doing things not
only differently but better. As we face the problems of our State, we face
constituents who are wondering whether the justice system is truly designed to
punish the guilty and protect the innocent. Our citizens read of criminal
sentences where `life' really means `years' and `years' really mean `months' and
`months' mean `no time at all'. We must work together to make our criminal
justice system understandable and accountable to all our citizens. A sentence
should actually mean what it says, five years should mean five years, ten years
should mean ten years and life should mean just that. South Carolina should
abolish parole, establish truth in sentencing and get violent offenders off the
streets and out of our schools. We face constituents who are losing faith in
our ability to provide public assistance to the needy in an efficient and
effective manner. Too often, programs intended to be lifesavers turn out to be
millstones which drag both the participants and the taxpayers into the depths of
resentment and helplessness. We must have a welfare system
Printed Page 17 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
that leads to opportunity which ultimately leads to the goal of
independence. It's time to stop rewarding irresponsible behavior. We face
constituents who have grown restless with taxes and spending which have outgrown
their pocketbooks. All South Carolina citizens, individuals, corporations,
small businesses are asking for the same thing, a smaller, leaner, less
intrusive state government. We must pass property tax reform that is fair and
equitable to all South Carolinians. Let us not forget what the people have
said. They want their children in safe, well-funded schools. They want a
criminal justice system that makes sense. They want opportunity but insist that
with opportunity comes personal responsibility. They want fairness in the tax
code and they want government off their backs. In short, our task is to guide
South Carolina into the coming century, a century which will be very different
from the one in which we live. One thing is for certain, we won't stand a
chance of fulfilling our duties if we give into divisiveness and petty
partisanship. There is definitely change in the works for South Carolina.
While this election today means that new people will assume positions of
leadership in this Body, it does not mean that we should not work together for
the common good of all our citizens. We must never lose focus of the fact that
we, as members of the South Carolina House, serve one Body, one State, one
people and one future. Regardless of our party affiliation, regardless of our
geographical location, we represent all the people of South Carolina. We must
have a spirit of cooperation and unity. I want this Body to be a body of
inclusion and not a body of exclusion. The election is over. It is time for
the business of government to start. We have a choice to move forward in the
spirit of cooperation or remain stagnant because of partisan bickering and
stalemate. If we have gridlock because of our unwillingness to work together,
the biggest loser as our problems go unresolved will be the State of South
Carolina and her people. That is not to say that we will not have our
differences but we must remember that the people of this State did not send us
to Columbia to score political points. They sent us to Columbia to solve their
problems and be responsive to their needs. If we are 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. We need to stop fixing
the blame and start fixing the problems. We must begin today in this Chamber by
building a strong and lasting bridge of cooperation which will support and serve
all South Carolinians. I pledge to you to work with you on reforms that will
lower property taxes, reform an unworkable welfare system, abolish parole and
improve our schools. The citizens of South Carolina are looking to us to lead.
Leaders establish a
Printed Page 18 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
vision for the future and an agenda to be accomplished. Leaders
tackle problems not create them. This is our task and I am confident that we
will meet the challenge. We find ourselves at a defining moment in our history
in South Carolina. We are in a historic Chamber where this House has met to
conduct the business of this State since 1869. This place has a lively history
including a time in the 1870's when there were two separate groups of
legislators each claiming to be the legitimate membership. Each group elected
their own Speaker and met at the same time in this very Chamber with both
Speakers presiding simultaneously. Each group being afraid to leave for fear
that the other group would not let them back in the Chamber. There can be no
such divisions today. We must be united, united in reverence for tradition,
united in love of our State and her people, united in our collective
determination to make a positive contribution and move this State forward into
the 21st century. In ancient Athens, each adult was required to pledge an oath,
part of which was to work for a greater and more beautiful city than they
inherited. I suggest that this be not only our oath, but our goal, to work for
a greater and more beautiful State than we inherited. May God grant us the
wisdom to know which is greater and more beautiful and the courage to produce
it. Again, thank you for this great honor that you have given me. I will give
you my very best. I will provide this Body with the leadership you deserve. I
look forward to working with each one of you in building a spirit of cooperation
to insure a brighter future for all South Carolinians. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart."
ELECTION OF THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE
The SPEAKER announced that nominations were in order for SPEAKER Pro Tempore.
Rep. BOAN nominated JAMES H. HODGES of Lancaster as follows:
"Mr. Speaker...It is my pleasure to nominate Jim Hodges for the position of
Speaker Pro Tempore. Jim was elected to the SC House of Representatives on
December 2, 1986 representing District 43 in Lancaster County. And for the past
two years, he has served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee for this House
of Representatives. Jim is a native of Lancaster, a former Lancaster County
attorney. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of South Carolina where he
was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He finished the University of South Carolina
Law School in 1980 and he went back home to practice law and he practiced in
private practice until 1990 when he became General Counsel and Secretary of the
Springs Company. Jim is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina. He is a
Rotarian and he is active in the First Methodist Church. Jim and his wife,
Printed Page 19 . . . . . Tuesday, December 6,
1994
Rachel, have one son, Luke, who will be two years old next
month. Jim's characteristics for this position make him a leader in this State.
His practical approach in dealing with issues, his ability to work with all
members of the Legislature have been evident in his participation in this
process. He has been a leader as a member of the Judiciary Committee and
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a leader on the complex crime bills and
the restructuring of state government. It is my pleasure to nominate for the
job of Speaker Pro Tempore, Jim Hodges."
Rep. FULMER nominated TERRY E. HASKINS of Greenville as follows:
"Governor Campbell, Governor-Elect Beasley, members of the House...It is my
pleasure today to put in nomination Terry Haskins for Speaker Pro Tempore.
Terry has served eight years in the House. Most of you all know him. He has
been very active on the floor. Terry knows the Rules and Terry will be
excellent working with the new Speaker, David Wilkins. Terry has been a good
friend and I think Terry will make an outstanding Speaker Pro Tempore and it is
my pleasure to nominate Terry Haskins."
Rep. JOSEPH T. McELVEEN, JR. of Sumter nominated himself as follows:
"Members of the House...I guess this is quite unusual. I would hope that I
had a friend in here that could nominate me but I didn't want to embarrass
anyone. So, I would like to place the name of Joe McElveen in nomination for
Speaker Pro Tempore. I want to talk to you very briefly about why and why I
hope that you will reconsider any commitments that you have made for this
office. I sent each of you a couple of letters last week in which I outlined
what I think should be the vision for this General Assembly. I think that I can
work, I know I can work with David Wilkins, David Beasley or anyone else in this
House, because I think that I have done it during the eight years that I have
been here. I wish that you had time to talk with folks that I worked with on
the Welfare Reform Task Force where we came out with a good bill that really
ought to be the foundation for where we start this year. I worked with Jim
Hodges on Judiciary to come out with a crime bill that we passed last year. I
worked on all of the issues. Last year, I worked with the entire House and
Senate as we got through the School to Work Transition Act, not me, but
together. Just as our new Speaker said, our commitment should be for the State
of South Carolina and as I heard Governor Campbell say just a week ago, leaders
don't make things happen, we just happen to be there when
| Printed Page 5, Dec. 6, 1994
| Printed Page 20, Dec. 6, 1994
|
Page Finder Index