General Appropriations Bill H. 4700 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998
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27 SECTION 54 - A99 - LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT
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29 54.1. (LEG: Legislative Employee Designations) The positions included in this section designated (P) shall denote a permanent
30 employee and the salary is an annual rate. The positions designated (T) shall denote a temporary employee and the salary is for a period of
31 six months to be paid at that rate only while the General Assembly is in session. The positions designated as (Interim) shall denote a
32 temporary employee and the salary is for a period of six months to be paid at that rate while the General Assembly is not in session. The
33 positions designated (PTT) shall denote part-time temporary employees on a twelve months basis. The positions designated (PPT) shall
34 denote permanent part-time employees retained for full-time work on a six months basis or the duration of the legislative session.
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1 54.2. (LEG: House Employee Reimbursement) The Speaker of the House is authorized to reimburse travel and other expenses
2 incurred by employees of the House of Representatives for official business in accord with current rules and regulations.
3 54.3. (LEG: Approved Accounts Expenditure) The clerks of the two Houses and the Legislative Council are authorized to issue their
4 warrants on Approved Accounts for necessary extra clerical or other services upon approval of the Speaker of the House or Lieutenant
5 Governor, respectively.
6 54.4. (LEG: Legislative Employee BPI/Merit) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, legislative employees designated (P) or
7 (PPT) shall receive base pay and average merit pay in the same manner as such pay is granted to classified state employees. For purposes
8 of this proviso, "legislative employees" does not include employees of the House of Representatives.
9 54.5. (LEG: House Employees Salary Adjustments) Necessary temporary or permanent research assistants for the House of
10 Representatives shall be paid from Approved Accounts of the House upon approval of the Speaker with the advice and consent of the
11 Chairman of the standing committees. The Speaker may adjust salary levels of employees of the House, to be paid for from funds carried
12 forward from the Research Assistant Accounts.
13 54.6. (LEG: Interim Expenses Allowance) The Chairman of the Standing House and Senate Committees shall each be allowed the
14 sum of four hundred six hundred and fifty dollars for expenses during the interim, between sessions of the General Assembly, to be paid
15 from the House or Senate approved accounts, with each body paying the expense allowance of the chairman in its membership.
16 54.7. (LEG: Subsistence/Travel Regulations) Notwithstanding any other provision of law:
17 a. Members of the General Assembly shall receive subsistence expense equal to the maximum allowable by regulation of the Internal
18 Revenue Code, for the Columbia area for each legislative day that the respective body is in session and in any other instance in which a
19 member is allowed subsistence expense. No member of the General Assembly except those present are eligible for subsistence on that day.
20 Legislative day is defined as those days commencing on the regular annual convening day of the General Assembly and continuing through
21 the day of adjournment sine die, excluding Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
22 b. Standing Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives are authorized to continue work during the interim. When certified
23 by the Chairman, the members serving on such Committees shall receive a subsistence as provided in item "a." above, mileage at the rate
24 provided for by law, and the regular per diem established in this Act for members of boards, commissions, and committees while attending
25 scheduled meetings. Members may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence
26 expense. The funds for allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid to the members of the Senate or House of Representatives from
27 the Approved Accounts of the respective body except as otherwise may be provided.
28 c. Joint Study Committees created pursuant to Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly are authorized to continue work during
29 the interim to secure such information and complete such investigations as may be assigned to the respective Committees. When certified
30 by the Chairman, the members appointed to such Committees shall receive a subsistence as provided in item "a." above, mileage at the rate
31 provided for by law and the regular per diem established in this Act for members of boards, commissions, and committees while attending
32 scheduled meetings. Members may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence
33 expense. The allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid from funds appropriated to the respective Committees for such purposes,
34 or from Approved Accounts of the respective body of the General Assembly if no funds have been appropriated to such a Committee for
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1 these purposes.
2 d. Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives when traveling on official State business shall be allowed a subsistence as
3 provided in item "a." above, transportation expenses as provided for by law and the regular per diem established in this Act for members of
4 boards, commissions, and committees upon approval of the appropriate Chairman. When traveling on official business of the Senate or the
5 House of Representatives not directly associated with a Committee of the General Assembly, members shall be paid the same allowance
6 upon approval of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In either instance, the members
7 may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence expense. The funds for the
8 allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid from the Approved Accounts of the Senate or the House of Representatives or from the
9 appropriate account of the agency, board, commission, task force or committee upon which the member serves.
10 54.8. (LEG: Expense/Compensation Vouchers) All vouchers for the payment of the expenses and/or compensation of committees of
11 the General Assembly shall be prepared by the Clerks of the two Houses.
12 54.9. (LEG: Senate Voucher Approval) All payroll vouchers disbursement vouchers, and interdepartmental transfers of the Senate
13 shall only require the approval of the Clerk of the Senate.
14 54.10. (LEG: Supplies Approval) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all supplies for the Senate shall be purchased only upon
15 the authority of the Clerk of the Senate and all supplies for the House of Representatives shall be purchased only upon the authority of the
16 Clerk of the House.
17 54.11. (LEG: Telephone Service) The Clerks of the Senate and the House, with the approval of the Senate Operations and
18 Management Committee and the Speaker of the House, respectively, shall cause to be installed such telephone service as may be
19 appropriate for use of the membership and presiding officer of each legislative body.
20 54.12. (LEG: Research Directors Appointment) The Speaker of the House shall appoint the Executive Director of Research. The
21 Speaker, with the advice and consent of the individual committee chairman, shall appoint the Director of Research for each standing
22 committee.
23 54.13. (LEG: House Pages) One hundred forty-four Pages shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as
24 provided in the House Rules and they shall be available for any necessary service to the House of Representatives.
25 54.14. (LEG: Sergeant-At-Arms & Director of Security Duties) The duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the
26 respective Houses and/or Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms shall be those provided by the Code, the Rules of the respective Houses, those
27 designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House, the security of personnel and property of the respective
28 Houses, and in addition the Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the respective Houses and/or Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms shall
29 meet and escort visitors in and about their respective bodies and shall, during the hours of duty, be dressed in a distinctive manner so as to
30 be easily identified as Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the respective Houses.
31 54.15. (LEG: Leg. Council Employment/Salary Adjustments) The Legislative Council is authorized to employ additional stenographic
32 or other help between sessions as the Council may deem necessary, at such salary or salaries as the Council may set, to be paid from
33 Approved Accounts. Notwithstanding any limitation or other provision of law to the contrary, the Legislative Council may adjust salaries
34 for Legislative Council personnel. Any adjustments made must be paid from funds appropriated for the Council or from the funds
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1 appropriated to the Council under Section 54C for this purpose, or both.
2 54.16. (LEG: Leg. Information Systems Management) The Legislative Information Systems shall be under the direction and
3 management of a council composed of the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chairman of Senate Finance Committee,
4 Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the House Judiciary
5 Committee.
6 54.17. (LEG: Legislative Printing Management) The Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Resources shall
7 operate under the supervision and administrative direction of the Clerks of the respective Houses.
8 54.18. (LEG: State House Renovation) Any improvements and additions to the State House must be recommended or approved by the
9 State House Committee of the General Assembly, and that bidding, executing, and carrying out of contracts shall be in accord with
10 standing regulations and procedures for any other work of the same type applicable to agencies and institutions of State government.
11 54.19. (LEG: Senate Research Personnel Compensation) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Senate Research personnel other
12 than Directors of Research and the committee research staff shall be paid from funds appropriated for Senate Research at the direction of
13 the Clerk of the Senate.
14 54.20. (LEG: Legislative Council Availability) Personnel employed under the provisions of Subsection 54C of this section for
15 Legislative Research shall be available upon request of the Committee Chairman to work with the standing or interim committees of the
16 Senate and the House of Representatives.
17 54.21. (LEG: Contract for Services) The Standing Committees of the Senate may, upon approval of the President Pro Tempore,
18 contract with state agencies and other entities for such projects, programs, and services as may be necessary to the work of the respective
19 committees. Any such projects, programs or services shall be paid from funds appropriated for contractual services.
20 54.22. (LEG: Jt. Leg. Committee Operational Authorization) Only the Joint Legislative Committees for which funding is provided
21 herein are authorized to continue operating during the current fiscal year under the same laws, resolutions, rules or regulations which
22 provided for their operations during the prior fiscal year.
23 54.23. (LEG: Legislative Carry Forward) In addition to the funds appropriated in this section, the funds appropriated under Sections
24 54A, 54B, 54C, 54D, and 54G for the prior fiscal year which are not expended during that fiscal year may be carried forward to be
25 expended for the same purposes in the current fiscal year.
26 54.24. (LEG: Senate Expenditures/O&M Committee) Notwithstanding any limitation or other provisions of law to the contrary, funds
27 expended by the Senate for salary adjustments, professional fees and dues and necessary expenses, supplies, and equipment for Senate
28 employees, must be paid from funds appropriated to the Senate Operations and Management Committee and funds available in approved
29 accounts of the Senate, and shall be authorized and allocated in such manner as determined by the Senate Operations and Management
30 Committee.
31 54.25. (LEG: Nurses) The State shall provide to the nurses under Subsection 54A of this section the same leave time and basic health
32 and accident insurance coverage as is provided other state employees pursuant to law. All of the amount provided in 54A for nurses shall
33 be utilized for the specified purpose.
34 54.26. (LEG: Dues) The funds provided herein for the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of State
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1 Legislatures are appropriated to be paid as dues to the respective organizations and these funds shall not be transferred to any other
2 program.
3 54.27. (LEG: Copy of Act to Counties) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Clerk of the House is required to send only
4 one copy of each Act to the Clerk of the Court of the various counties.
5 54.28. (LEG: In-District Compensation) All members of the General Assembly shall receive an in district compensation of $1,000 per
6 month effective January 1, 1995.
7 54.29. (LEG: Additional House Support Personnel) An amount of $150,000 is appropriated for the purpose of providing additional
8 support personnel to assist House members who are not already being furnished with direct legislative assistance in the conduct of their
9 Legislative responsibilities. This amount shall be used for staffing requirements where necessary for part time personnel. The additional
10 personnel shall be used only when the House is in regular, extended, or special session. At a member's request, the House Operations and
11 Management Committee may use any unexpended portion of a member's allotment to purchase equipment for a member's office. The
12 amount herein appropriated for additional support personnel to assist House members shall be allocated to each member on a pro-rata
13 basis. Each member may choose to expend his allocation for an individual legislative aide or may choose to combine his allocation with
14 allocations of other House members for a legislative aide to assist each of the members contributing to the expense of that aide.
15 54.30. (LEG: Per Diem) No per diem may be paid to any person from more than one source for any one calendar day.
16 54.31. (LEG: House Postage) The Speaker of the House is authorized to approve no more than $600 per member per fiscal year for
17 postage.
18 54.32. (LEG: Legislative Dual Employment) Each committee and joint legislative committee provide a list to the members of the
19 General Assembly of all employees who hold dual positions of state employment.
20 54.33. (LEG: Legislative Council Proofreaders) The Director of the Legislative Council is authorized to have the staff proofreaders
21 work one month before and one month after the session.
22 54.34. (LEG: Study Committee - Education) A joint study committee, consisting of three members of the House Ways and Means
23 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one member of the House Education and Public Works
24 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, three members of the Senate Finance
25 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one member of the Senate Education Committee appointed by the
26 Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and three members appointed by the Governor, shall study formula funding in education
27 programs. The Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee shall convene the initial meeting of the study committee. The formulas to be
28 studied include those utilized in Education Finance Act programs, the determination of the Southeastern average teacher pay, and the
29 funding of institutions of post-secondary education. The State Board of Education, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive
30 Education, the Commission on Higher Education and any institution of post-secondary education or school district must provide the
31 committee such information as the committee requests. The first priority for committee study is the Education Finance Act including, but
32 not limited to, the base student cost, the index of taxpaying ability including specifically the impact of the emergence of totally self-reliant
33 school districts upon the formula and the annual inflation factor. The expenses of the legislative members of the study committee shall be
34 paid from the approved accounts of their respective bodies. The expenses of the gubernatorial appointees shall be absorbed within the
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1 Governor's office.
2 54.35. (LEG: House/Senate Staff Outside Employment) Full-time employees of the House of Representatives and the Senate are
3 prohibited from outside employment during normal working hours, except with the permission of an employee's department head, and
4 annual leave must be taken for any approved outside employment.
5 54.36. (LEG: Guardian Ad Litem Pgm. Technology Equipment) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or agency regulation,
6 requirement or policy to the contrary, the Guardian Ad Litem Program is authorized to procure necessary technology equipment under the
7 provisions and procedures set forth in Chapter 35 of Title 11 of the 1976 Code as amended.
8 54.37. (LEG: Dialup Facility) Upon review and approval by the Council as provided in 54.16, Legislative Information Systems is
9 authorized to charge fees for the use of its Dialup Facility and to retain, use and carry forward these funds to be used only for equipment
10 and maintenance for this Facility.
11 54.38. (LEG: Leg. Council Combined Position) The Director of the Legislative Council, with the approval of the Council, is authorized
12 to combine two or more stenographic, clerical, technical assistant, or administrative assistant positions into one with a job description for
13 the combined position to be approved by the Council, with a compensation level also approved by the Council. The appropriations or any
14 portion thereof for the positions combined into one may be used to fund the combined position.
15 54.39. (LEG: Reorganization Comm. Publications Carry Forward) The State Reorganization Commission shall provide a copy of all
16 publications to each member of the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Lieutenant Governor. The Commission may also provide a
17 copy of publications to state agency directors. The Commission may charge, for additional copies, and other requests for publications, an
18 amount to cover the cost of printing and expenses of postage and shipping of publications. Revenue generated may be retained and
19 expended by the Commission to reimburse it for the printing of its publications and to pay the expenses of postage and shipping. Any
20 remaining balance in the sale of publications account may be carried forward and expended for the same purpose.
21 54.40. (LEG: Sales Tax on Copies of Legislation) No sales tax is required to be charged or paid on copies of or access to legislation or
22 other informational documents provided to the general public or any other person by a legislative agency when a charge for these copies is
23 made reflecting the agency's cost thereof. Funds received as revenue from the sale of materials or as reimbursements for the cost of
24 providing certain supplies or services or refunds must be remitted to the State Treasurer as collected, but in no event later than twelve (12)
25 working days from the date of the receipt of any such funds.
26 54.41. (LEG: House Postage/Telephone Allocation) Any member of the House who has not used all of his annual allocation for
27 postage or all of his annual allocation for telephone expenses may use the remaining funds in one category in the other category during that
28 year.
29 54.42. (LEG: House Personnel BPI/Merit/Bonus Compensation) Notwithstanding any limitation or other provisions of law to the
30 contrary, the Speaker shall authorize and allocate any base pay increase, merit pay or bonus among House staff in the manner that the
31 Speaker determines after consultation with the Operations and Management Committee and the Chairmen of the standing committees of
32 the House.
33 54.43. (LEG: General Assembly Exemption) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, or any limitation or provision
34 contained in this act, each branch of the General Assembly is exempt from any provision which requires the approval of the Budget and
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1 Control Board or any other executive branch agency for the expenditure, management or transfer of any authorized appropriations.
2 54.44. (LEG: State House Renovation Schedule) The State House Committee is authorized, beginning in July 1994 to establish
3 schedules for the completion of the State House Renovation project by January 1, 1997. General Services must submit to the State House
4 Committee, schedules that will accomplish these time frames. The General Assembly will relocate to the Carolina Plaza for the 1996 and
5 1997 sessions. Work should begin at such time so as to ensure the readiness of the Carolina Plaza for the 1996 and 1997 sessions of the
6 General Assembly. Upon the approval of these schedules by that Committee all current tenants of the State House will be relocated to
7 other space within the Capital Complex area. Reassignment of space by the State House Committee must be completed prior to the
8 completion of the State House Renovation project.
9 54.45. (LEG: House Ethics Committee) The House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee shall deposit revenues from
10 penalties assessed by the committee and copying of documents into the General Fund.
11 54.46. (LEG: Prohibit General Assembly Compensation - Felony Conviction) No member of the General Assembly who has been
12 convicted of a felony under state or federal law or who has pled guilty or nolo contendere to these offenses may receive compensation or
13 reimbursable expenses provided for members of the General Assembly in this act. However, this item does not apply to a person who has
14 been pardoned under state or federal law of the disqualifying felony.
15 54.47. (LEG: Reorganization Commission Carry Forward Transfer) Of the funds carried forward from FY 96-97, the State
16 Reorganization Commission shall transfer $43,750 to the Legislative Audit Council.
17 54.48. (LEG: Joint Legislative Committee on Aging Expenses) DELETED
18 54.49. (LEG: Transfer Reorganization Commission to Senate and House) DELETED
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