South Carolina General Assembly
124th Session, 2021-2022

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Bill 956

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

COMMITTEE REPORT

February 9, 2022

S. 956

Introduced by Senators Peeler, Alexander, Hutto, Young and Setzler

S. Printed 2/9/22--S.

Read the first time January 11, 2022.

            

THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

To whom was referred a Joint Resolution (S. 956) to appropriate settlement funds paid to this State by the federal government for storing plutonium at the Savannah River Site., etc., respectfully

REPORT:

That they have duly and carefully considered the same and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:

Amend the Joint Resolution, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting:

/Part I

Appropriation of SRS Settlement Funds

SECTION    1.    The source of revenue appropriated in this Section is the August 31, 2020 settlement of the lawsuit between the State of South Carolina and the United States Department of Energy ("DOE") concerning the termination of the Mixed Dioxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site ("SRS") and the DOE's failure to remove the plutonium stored at the SRS which is located in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale Counties ("SRS Settlement"). The expenditure authorizations contained in this Section are for the maximum amounts that may be disbursed or expended by the receiving government entity. All disbursals and expenditures must be made in compliance with the provisions contained in this act. The receiving entities are:

(1)    Department of Administration

Savannah River Site Primary and Perimeter

Counties.........................................$393,698,276

(2)    County Transportation Committees...........$131,301,724

Part II

Directives to State Agencies Concerning the Appropriation of SRS Settlement Funds

    Department of Administration

SECTION    2.    (A)    There is established in the State Treasury an account to be known as the SRS Settlement Account. The account is separate from the general fund of the State and all other funds and accounts. The account shall consist of the settlement funds appropriated to the Department of Administration pursuant to SECTION 1(1) of this act. The funds in the SRS Settlement Account shall be used to fund the projects identified in subsections (C) and (D).

(B)    Counties in which projects identified in subsections (C) and (D) are located must submit a written request for funds appropriated in the county to the Executive Budget Office. Funds in the SRS Settlement Account may be released to fund an eligible project at the direction of the Executive Budget Office upon the Executive Budget Office's receipt of a written request from the receiving county. Prior to disbursal, the Executive Budget Office shall report each request for disbursement to the Joint Bond Review Committee and the legislative delegation representing the county. Upon receipt of funds, the counties must expeditiously distribute the funds.

(C)    Of the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(1), the following amounts shall be made available to the named primary counties for the named eligible projects:

(1)    Aiken County:

(a)    City of Aiken - SRS Corridor/Whiskey Road

(Powderhouse Connector Road) congestion

relief..........................................................$29,500,000

(b)    North Augusta/Aiken County - New Savannah Bluff

Lock and Dam Redevelopment.................$20,000,000

(c)    USC Aiken - National Guard Dreamport facility

(coordination with US Cyber

Command)....................................................$9,800,000

(d)    Aiken County - Improvements to Sage Mill Industrial

Park to include water and sewer

upgrades.......................................................$5,000,000

(e)    Aiken County - Industrial Park Project in eastern Aiken

County (land and infrastructure)................$10,000,000

(f)    Aiken County - Off-site infrastructure Improvements                     for SRS/National Lab, including the Aiken

Technology/Innovation Corridor................$20,000,000

(g)    Aiken County - Upgrades to Horse Creek Wastewater

Treatment Plant (expansion for future

growth).......................................................$10,000,000

(h)    Aiken County - Water line along Highway 39 from

Wagener to Monetta with two elevated storage

tanks and three pump stations....................$4,000,000

(i)        Aiken County - Water line from Beech Island to

Jackson with elevated storage tanks and pump

stations..............................................$6,000,000

(j)        Aiken County - Public Safety Infrastructure/County

Fire Suppression.....................................$4,000,000

(k)    North Augusta - Cyber Initiative infrastructure

investment to complement Fort Gordon Army Cyber

Command and Georgia Cyber Command...$15,000,000

(l)        North Augusta - Regional Solid Waste Transfer

Station...............................................$2,000,000

(m)    City of Aiken/Aiken County - Redevelopment and

economic development in downtown and

Aiken's Northside toward I-20................$25,000,000

(n)    Aiken County - Highway 19 Corridor

Business/Economic Development Improvements

(New Ellenton) and Downtown Water/Sewer

Infrastructure (Wagener, Jackson, Burnettetown     and                     Salley)....................................................$5,000,000

(o)    Aiken Technical College - Nursing School

Facility ...................................................$9,950,000

(p)    Aiken Technical College - Welding Lab .....$1,500,000

(q)    Aiken County Public School District - New Career and

Technology Center and district-wide technology

upgrades....................................................$30,000,000

(2)    Barnwell County - Construction of Consolidated High

School and Career Center and K-8 school     for Williston

and Blackville...............................................$110,000,000

(3)    Allendale County:

(a)    Allendale School District - Capital Improvements to

Allendale High School and other district

buildings....................................................$15,000,000

(b)    Allendale County - Renovate C.V. Bing High School to

consolidate law enforcement and other Town and

County facilities..........................................$4,500,000

(c)    Allendale County - Purchase, permitting, and

development of potential industrial property

site..............................................................$5,000,000

(D)    Of the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(1), the following amounts shall be made available to the named perimeter counties for the named eligible projects:

(1)    Bamberg County:

(a)    Bamberg County - Cross Rhodes Industrial Park                             Speculative Building.....................$4,000,000

(b)    Bamberg County - Airport

Improvements......................................$2,336,207

(2)    Colleton County - New speculative industrial shell

building and engineering of the primary road into the

Colleton Mega Site....................................$1,387,932

(3)    Edgefield County:

(a)    Piedmont Technical College - Center for

Advanced Manufacturing...............$15,000,000

(b)    Edgefield County Law Enforcement

Center...................................................$4,000,000

(c)    Edgefield County School District - Workforce

Development Training and

Equipment.........................................$1,600,000

(d)    Fox Creek High School Athletic

Complex.....................................$1,000,000

(4)    Hampton County - Purchase property adjacent to

Southern Carolina Industrial

Park........................................................$3,137,931

(5)    Lexington County:

(a)    Batesburg-Leesville Industrial Park - Site

Preparation for Parcel #1....................$1,250,000

(b)    Saxe Gotha Industrial Park - Site Preparation for

Parcel #9..........................................$2,500,000

(c)    Chapin Business and Technology Park at Brighton

- Site Preparation for Parcel #10.........$1,250,000

(d)    Saxe Gotha Industrial Park - Phase III Roadway

and Water Expansion.......................$4,800,000

(e)    Batesburg-Leesville Industrial Park - Construction

of Speculative Building on

Parcel #1............................................$2,100,000

(6)    Orangeburg County:

(a)    Orangeburg County - Western End Industrial

Speculative Building......................$4,000,000

(b)    Orangeburg County - Property

Acquisition..............................................$500,000

(c)    Orangeburg County - Holly Hill Services Center

Renovation.....................................$1,000,000

(d)    Orangeburg County - Hidden Valley Road/Essex

Road Sewer.......................................$655,172

(7)    Saluda County - Piedmont Technical College -

Workforce Development and Career

Training.....................................................$1,931,034

    County Transportation Committees

SECTION    3.    (A)    Except as provided in subsection (B), the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(2) to the County Transportation Committees shall be disbursed to the eligible counties pursuant to S.C. Code Section 12-28-2740(A).

(B)    Counties in which projects funded in SECTION 2(C) are located are not eligible to receive funds appropriated to the County Transportation Committees by this act.

Part III

Miscellaneous Provisions

SECTION    4.    The expenditure authorizations contained in this act are supplemental to the expenditure authorizations for receiving entities as contained in Act 94 of 2021, the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2021-22, and future expenditure authorizations enacted by the General Assembly.

SECTION    5.    Earnings and interest on accounts created pursuant to this act must be credited to the account and any balance at the end of the fiscal year carries forward to the account in the succeeding fiscal year for the same purpose.

SECTION    6.    The General Assembly finds that the sections presented in this act constitute one subject as required by Article III, Section 17 of the South Carolina Constitution, in particular finding that each change and each topic relates directly to or in conjunction with other sections to the subject of appropriating funds received by the State pursuant to the SRS Settlement as clearly enumerated in the title.

The General Assembly further finds that a common purpose or relationship exists among the sections, representing a potential plurality but not disunity of topics, notwithstanding that reasonable minds might differ in identifying more than one topic contained in the act.

SECTION    7.    If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, then such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION    8.    This act shall become law upon approval of the Governor.        /

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.

HARVEY S. PEELER, JR. for Committee.

            

A JOINT RESOLUTION

TO APPROPRIATE SETTLEMENT FUNDS PAID TO THIS STATE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR STORING PLUTONIUM AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    From the settlement funds paid to this State by the federal government for storing plutonium at the Savannah River Site, there is appropriated:

(1)

(2)

SECTION    2.    This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 9, 2022 at 7:54 PM