On the surface of the General Assembly, next week might look kind of dull. But there will be lots of nervous back and forth as filing for legislative seats opens for two weeks at noon on March 16. Filing ends March 30.
Translation: House members and senators actually will find out whether anyone is running against them in 2016 when all legislative seats are up for grabs. Because of gerrymandering, most seats in South Carolina are non-competitive in the November general election, which means primaries are where the real elections are. As columnist Andy Brack writes, there’s a concerted effort to unseat Senate GOP moderates in primaries.
Meanwhile, the legislative process will grind on. In the House, there will be some committee meetings but members will spend time boning up on the House budget, which will be discussed on the floor starting the week of March 21.
In the Senate, there are few major bills on the floor, although members seem to be avoiding a long-delayed ethics bill. Because there has been so much floor action in recent weeks on a road infrastructure measure, look for the real Senate action to be in committees.
To take a look at what’s ahead in legislative committees, click the following links:
- See the Senate calendar for next week.
- See the House calendar for next week.
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