General Appropriations Bill H. 4700 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998
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SECTION 54 - A99 - LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT PAGE 463
6 54.1. (LEG: Legislative Employee Designations) The positions included in this section designated (P) shall denote a permanent
7 employee and the salary is an annual rate. The positions designated (T) shall denote a temporary employee and the salary is for a period
8 of six months to be paid at that rate only while the General Assembly is in session. The positions designated as (Interim) shall denote a
9 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
10 positions designated (PTT) shall denote part-time temporary employees on a twelve months basis. The positions designated (PPT) shall
11 denote permanent part-time employees retained for full-time work on a six months basis or the duration of the legislative session.
12 54.2. (LEG: House Employee Reimbursement) The Speaker of the House is authorized to reimburse travel and other expenses
13 incurred by employees of the House of Representatives for official business in accord with current rules and regulations.
14 54.3. (LEG: Approved Accounts Expenditure) The clerks of the two Houses and the Legislative Council are authorized to issue their
15 warrants on Approved Accounts for necessary extra clerical or other services upon approval of the Speaker of the House or Lieutenant
16 Governor, respectively.
17 54.4. (LEG: Legislative Employee BPI/Merit) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, legislative employees designated (P) or
18 (PPT) shall receive base pay and average merit pay in the same manner as such pay is granted to classified state employees. For purposes
19 of this proviso, "legislative employees" does not include employees of the House of Representatives.
20 54.5. (LEG: House Employees Salary Adjustments) Necessary temporary or permanent research assistants for the House of
21 Representatives shall be paid from Approved Accounts of the House upon approval of the Speaker with the advice and consent of the
22 Chairman of the standing committees. The Speaker may adjust salary levels of employees of the House, to be paid for from funds carried
23 forward from the Research Assistant Accounts.
24 54.6. (LEG: Interim Expenses Allowance) The Chairman of the Standing House and Senate Committees shall each be allowed the
25 sum of four hundred six hundred and fifty dollars for expenses during the interim, between sessions of the General Assembly, to be paid
26 from the House or Senate approved accounts, with each body paying the expense allowance of the chairman in its membership.
27 54.7. (LEG: Subsistence/Travel Regulations) Notwithstanding any other provision of law:
28 a. Members of the General Assembly shall receive subsistence expense equal to the maximum allowable by regulation of the Internal
29 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
30 member is allowed subsistence expense. No member of the General Assembly except those present are eligible for subsistence on that
31 day. Legislative day is defined as those days commencing on the regular annual convening day of the General Assembly and continuing
32 through the day of adjournment sine die, excluding Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
33 b. Standing Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives are authorized to continue work during the interim. When certified
34 by the Chairman, the members serving on such Committees shall receive a subsistence as provided in item "a." above, mileage at the rate
35 provided for by law, and the regular per diem established in this Act for members of boards, commissions, and committees while attending
36 scheduled meetings. Members may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence
37 expense. The funds for allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid to the members of the Senate or House of Representatives from
38 the Approved Accounts of the respective body except as otherwise may be provided.
39 c. Joint Study Committees created pursuant to Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly are authorized to continue work during
40 the interim to secure such information and complete such investigations as may be assigned to the respective Committees. When certified
SECTION 54 - A99 - LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT PAGE 464
1 by the Chairman, the members appointed to such Committees shall receive a subsistence as provided in item "a." above, mileage at the
2 rate provided for by law and the regular per diem established in this Act for members of boards, commissions, and committees while
3 attending scheduled meetings. Members may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable
4 subsistence expense. The allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid from funds appropriated to the respective Committees for such
5 purposes, or from Approved Accounts of the respective body of the General Assembly if no funds have been appropriated to such a
6 Committee for these purposes.
7 d. Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives when traveling on official State business shall be allowed a subsistence
8 as provided in item "a." above, transportation expenses as provided for by law and the regular per diem established in this Act for members
9 of boards, commissions, and committees upon approval of the appropriate Chairman. When traveling on official business of the Senate
10 or the House of Representatives not directly associated with a Committee of the General Assembly, members shall be paid the same
11 allowance upon approval of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In either instance,
12 the members may elect to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence expense. The funds
13 for the allowances specified in this proviso shall be paid from the Approved Accounts of the Senate or the House of Representatives or
14 from the appropriate account of the agency, board, commission, task force or committee upon which the member serves.
15 54.8. (LEG: Expense/Compensation Vouchers) All vouchers for the payment of the expenses and/or compensation of committees
16 of the General Assembly shall be prepared by the Clerks of the two Houses.
17 54.9. (LEG: Senate Voucher Approval) All payroll vouchers disbursement vouchers, and interdepartmental transfers of the Senate
18 shall only require the approval of the Clerk of the Senate.
19 54.10. (LEG: Supplies Approval) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all supplies for the Senate shall be purchased only upon
20 the authority of the Clerk of the Senate and all supplies for the House of Representatives shall be purchased only upon the authority of
21 the Clerk of the House.
22 54.11. (LEG: Telephone Service) The Clerks of the Senate and the House, with the approval of the Senate Operations and Management
23 Committee and the Speaker of the House, respectively, shall cause to be installed such telephone service as may be appropriate for use
24 of the membership and presiding officer of each legislative body.
25 54.12. (LEG: Research Directors Appointment) The Speaker of the House shall appoint the Executive Director of Research. The
26 Speaker, with the advice and consent of the individual committee chairman, shall appoint the Director of Research for each standing
27 committee.
28 54.13. (LEG: House Pages) One hundred forty-four Pages shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as
29 provided in the House Rules and they shall be available for any necessary service to the House of Representatives.
30 54.14. (LEG: Sergeant-At-Arms & Director of Security Duties) The duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the
31 respective Houses and/or Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms shall be those provided by the Code, the Rules of the respective Houses, those
32 designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House, the security of personnel and property of the respective
33 Houses, and in addition the Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the respective Houses and/or Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms shall
34 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
35 to be easily identified as Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security of the respective Houses.
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1 54.15. (LEG: Leg. Council Employment/Salary Adjustments) The Legislative Council is authorized to employ additional stenographic
2 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
3 Approved Accounts. Notwithstanding any limitation or other provision of law to the contrary, the Legislative Council may adjust salaries
4 for Legislative Council personnel. Any adjustments made must be paid from funds appropriated for the Council or from the funds
5 appropriated to the Council under Section 54C for this purpose, or both.
6 54.16. (LEG: Leg. Information Systems Management) The Legislative Information Systems shall be under the direction and
7 management of a council composed of the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chairman of Senate Finance Committee,
8 Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the House Judiciary
9 Committee.
10 54.17. (LEG: Legislative Printing Management) The Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Resources shall
11 operate under the supervision and administrative direction of the Clerks of the respective Houses.
12 54.18. (LEG: State House Renovation) Any improvements and additions to the State House must be recommended or approved by
13 the State House Committee of the General Assembly, and that bidding, executing, and carrying out of contracts shall be in accord with
14 standing regulations and procedures for any other work of the same type applicable to agencies and institutions of State government.
15 54.19. (LEG: Senate Research Personnel Compensation) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Senate Research personnel other
16 than Directors of Research and the committee research staff shall be paid from funds appropriated for Senate Research at the direction of
17 the Clerk of the Senate.
18 54.20. (LEG: Legislative Council Availability) Personnel employed under the provisions of Subsection 54C of this section for
19 Legislative Research shall be available upon request of the Committee Chairman to work with the standing or interim committees of the
20 Senate and the House of Representatives.
21 54.21. (LEG: Contract for Services) The Standing Committees of the Senate may, upon approval of the President Pro Tempore,
22 contract with state agencies and other entities for such projects, programs, and services as may be necessary to the work of the respective
23 committees. Any such projects, programs or services shall be paid from funds appropriated for contractual services.
24 54.22. (LEG: Jt. Leg. Committee Operational Authorization) Only the Joint Legislative Committees for which funding is provided
25 herein are authorized to continue operating during the current fiscal year under the same laws, resolutions, rules or regulations which
26 provided for their operations during the prior fiscal year.
27 54.23. (LEG: Legislative Carry Forward) In addition to the funds appropriated in this section, the funds appropriated under Sections
28 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
29 expended for the same purposes in the current fiscal year.
30 54.24. (LEG: Senate Expenditures/O&M Committee) Notwithstanding any limitation or other provisions of law to the contrary, funds
31 expended by the Senate for salary adjustments, professional fees and dues and necessary expenses, supplies, and equipment for Senate
32 employees, must be paid from funds appropriated to the Senate Operations and Management Committee and funds available in approved
33 accounts of the Senate, and shall be authorized and allocated in such manner as determined by the Senate Operations and Management
34 Committee.
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1 54.25. (LEG: Nurses) The State shall provide to the nurses under Subsection 54A of this section the same leave time and basic health
2 and accident insurance coverage as is provided other state employees pursuant to law. All of the amount provided in 54A for nurses shall
3 be utilized for the specified purpose.
4 54.26. (LEG: Dues) The funds provided herein for the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of State Legislatures
5 are appropriated to be paid as dues to the respective organizations and these funds shall not be transferred to any other program.
6 54.27. (LEG: Copy of Act to Counties) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Clerk of the House is required to send only
7 one copy of each Act to the Clerk of the Court of the various counties.
8 54.28. (LEG: In-District Compensation) All members of the General Assembly shall receive an in district compensation of $1,000 per
9 month effective January 1, 1995.
10 54.29. (LEG: Additional House Support Personnel) An amount of $150,000 is appropriated for the purpose of providing additional
11 support personnel to assist House members who are not already being furnished with direct legislative assistance in the conduct of their
12 Legislative responsibilities. This amount shall be used for staffing requirements where necessary for part time personnel. The additional
13 personnel shall be used only when the House is in regular, extended, or special session. At a member's request, the House Operations and
14 Management Committee may use any unexpended portion of a member's allotment to purchase equipment for a member's office. The
15 amount herein appropriated for additional support personnel to assist House members shall be allocated to each member on a pro-rata basis.
16 Each member may choose to expend his allocation for an individual legislative aide or may choose to combine his allocation with
17 allocations of other House members for a legislative aide to assist each of the members contributing to the expense of that aide.
18 54.30. (LEG: Per Diem) No per diem may be paid to any person from more than one source for any one calendar day.
19 54.31. (LEG: House Postage) The Speaker of the House is authorized to approve no more than $600 per member per fiscal year for
20 postage.
21 54.32. (LEG: Legislative Dual Employment) Each committee and joint legislative committee provide a list to the members of the
22 General Assembly of all employees who hold dual positions of state employment.
23 54.33. (LEG: Legislative Council Proofreaders) The Director of the Legislative Council is authorized to have the staff proofreaders
24 work one month before and one month after the session.
25 54.34. (LEG: Study Committee - Education) A joint study committee, consisting of three members of the House Ways and Means
26 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one member of the House Education and Public Works
27 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, three members of the Senate Finance
28 Committee appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one member of the Senate Education Committee appointed by
29 the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and three members appointed by the Governor, shall study formula funding in education
30 programs. The Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee shall convene the initial meeting of the study committee. The formulas to be
31 studied include those utilized in Education Finance Act programs, the determination of the Southeastern average teacher pay, and the
32 funding of institutions of post-secondary education. The State Board of Education, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive
33 Education, the Commission on Higher Education and any institution of post-secondary education or school district must provide the
34 committee such information as the committee requests. The first priority for committee study is the Education Finance Act including, but
35 not limited to, the base student cost, the index of taxpaying ability including specifically the impact of the emergence of totally self-reliant
SECTION 54 - A99 - LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT PAGE 467
1 school districts upon the formula and the annual inflation factor. The expenses of the legislative members of the study committee shall
2 be paid from the approved accounts of their respective bodies. The expenses of the gubernatorial appointees shall be absorbed within the
3 Governor's office.
4 54.35. (LEG: House/Senate Staff Outside Employment) Full-time employees of the House of Representatives and the Senate are
5 prohibited from outside employment during normal working hours, except with the permission of an employee's department head, and
6 annual leave must be taken for any approved outside employment.
7 54.36. (LEG: Guardian Ad Litem Pgm. Technology Equipment) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or agency regulation,
8 requirement or policy to the contrary, the Guardian Ad Litem Program is authorized to procure necessary technology equipment under
9 the provisions and procedures set forth in Chapter 35 of Title 11 of the 1976 Code as amended.
10 54.37. (LEG: Dialup Facility) Upon review and approval by the Council as provided in 54.16, Legislative Information Systems is
11 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
12 and maintenance for this Facility.
13 54.38. (LEG: Leg. Council Combined Position) The Director of the Legislative Council, with the approval of the Council, is authorized
14 to combine two or more stenographic, clerical, technical assistant, or administrative assistant positions into one with a job description for
15 the combined position to be approved by the Council, with a compensation level also approved by the Council. The appropriations or any
16 portion thereof for the positions combined into one may be used to fund the combined position.
17 54.39. (LEG: Reorganization Comm. Publications Carry Forward) The State Reorganization Commission shall provide a copy of all
18 publications to each member of the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Lieutenant Governor. The Commission may also provide
19 a copy of publications to state agency directors. The Commission may charge, for additional copies, and other requests for publications,
20 an amount to cover the cost of printing and expenses of postage and shipping of publications. Revenue generated may be retained and
21 expended by the Commission to reimburse it for the printing of its publications and to pay the expenses of postage and shipping. Any
22 remaining balance in the sale of publications account may be carried forward and expended for the same purpose.
23 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
24 or other informational documents provided to the general public or any other person by a legislative agency when a charge for these copies
25 is made reflecting the agency's cost thereof. Funds received as revenue from the sale of materials or as reimbursements for the cost of
26 providing certain supplies or services or refunds must be remitted to the State Treasurer as collected, but in no event later than twelve (12)
27 working days from the date of the receipt of any such funds.
28 54.41. (LEG: House Postage/Telephone Allocation) Any member of the House who has not used all of his annual allocation for postage
29 or all of his annual allocation for telephone expenses may use the remaining funds in one category in the other category during that year.
30 54.42. (LEG: House Personnel BPI/Merit/Bonus Compensation) Notwithstanding any limitation or other provisions of law to the
31 contrary, the Speaker shall authorize and allocate any base pay increase, merit pay or bonus among House staff in the manner that the
32 Speaker determines after consultation with the Operations and Management Committee and the Chairmen of the standing committees of
33 the House.
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1 54.43. (LEG: General Assembly Exemption) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, or any limitation or provision
2 contained in this act, each branch of the General Assembly is exempt from any provision which requires the approval of the Budget and
3 Control Board or any other executive branch agency for the expenditure, management or transfer of any authorized appropriations.
4 54.44. (LEG: State House Renovation Schedule) The State House Committee is authorized, beginning in July 1994 to establish
5 schedules for the completion of the State House Renovation project by January 1, 1997. General Services must submit to the State House
6 Committee, schedules that will accomplish these time frames. The General Assembly will relocate to the Carolina Plaza for the 1996 and
7 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
8 General Assembly. Upon the approval of these schedules by that Committee all current tenants of the State House will be relocated to
9 other space within the Capital Complex area. Reassignment of space by the State House Committee must be completed prior to the
10 completion of the State House Renovation project.
11 54.45. (LEG: House Ethics Committee) The House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee shall deposit revenues from
12 penalties assessed by the committee and copying of documents into the General Fund.
13 54.46. (LEG: Prohibit General Assembly Compensation - Felony Conviction) No member of the General Assembly who has been
14 convicted of a felony under state or federal law or who has pled guilty or nolo contendere to these offenses may receive compensation or
15 reimbursable expenses provided for members of the General Assembly in this act. However, this item does not apply to a person who has
16 been pardoned under state or federal law of the disqualifying felony.
17 54.47. (LEG: Reorganization Commission Carry Forward Transfer) Of the funds carried forward from FY 96-97, the State
18 Reorganization Commission shall transfer $43,750 to the Legislative Audit Council.
19 54.48. (LEG: Joint Legislative Committee on Aging) Members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging shall receive mileage, per
20 diem and subsistence as provided by law for members of boards, committees and commissions. Expenses of the committee, including
21 operating expenses, shall be paid by the annual appropriation in the Appropriation Act for the State Reorganization Commission and shall
22 not exceed $5,000.
23