Staff reports | The late Sen. Clementa Pinckney, a Jasper County resident who was killed in the Emanuel AME Church massacre in Charleston in June 2015, may be honored in his home county if two bills introduced by his successor become law.
State Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, introduced measures to name a bridge and Interstate 95 interchange in Jasper County to honor Pinckney, as well as a port terminal that is planned for the area.
Other big bills of the week included a call for the end of “dark money” in state politics by requiring transparency and accountability of “independent expenditure committees” and a major House-backed effort to raise the state gas tax by 10 cents and related hikes to create a continuing stream of $600 million in annual revenue to improve roads.
IN THE SENATE
State senators spent much of their time during the week in committee and other meetings, rather than the chamber as they operated under Rule 1B, which alters their normal schedule. One effect is the introduction of fewer bills. And it’s all a result of this year’s session being a month shorter than usual. Of the few bills introduced, these are notable:
Dark money. S. 255 (Leatherman) seeks to restrict dark political money, a.k.a. “independent expenditure committees” that seeks to influence elections and to provide disclosure requirements, with several provisions. H. 3514 (Norrell) is a related effort to quash dark money in politics, but it takes a different tack and has many provisions.
Equal pay. S. 257 (McLeod” seeks to enact the “Equal Pay for Equal Work Act” to prohibit paying employees different amounts on the basis of gender, with several provisions.
Pinckney bridge. S. 258 (Bright Matthews) seeks to name a bridge and interstate exchange to be built at mile marker 3 on Interstate 95 in honor of the late Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who died in the Emanuel AME Church massacre.
Pinckney terminal. S. 259 (Bright Matthews) seeks to name the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal in Jasper County after Pinckney.
Textbook policy. S. 262 (Setzler) seeks a textbook for colleges to help minimize book costs.
National championship. S. 263 (Peeler) seeks a new license plate commemorating Clemson as the nation’s 2016 national football champ.
IN THE HOUSE
House members introduced 68 bills over the last week, most notable of which are:
Excessive restraint H. 3478 (Rutherford) seeks to amend state law to prohibit the use of “excessive restraint” by law enforcement officers during arrests, with penalties and more provisions.
Another tax-free weekend. H. 3480 (McCoy) seeks a weekend without sales taxes for some hurricane preparedness items.
Property taxes. H. 3485 (Hart) seeks a constitutional amendment to change property tax valuation methods by defining “fair market value” and eliminating a 15 percent cap on increases over a five year period, with several provisions. H. 3486 (Hart) seeks to restore a method of overriding an annual property tax cap, with many provisions.
Smut. H. 3509 (Norrell) seeks to create an offense of unlawful dissemination of sexually explicit materials.
Gas tax. H. 3516 (Simrill) seeks to increase the tax on fuels by 10 cents a gallon over five years, with many provisions, to fund road improvements.
Medical marijuana. H. 3521 (McCoy) is a measure that would authorize use medical use of marijuana by certain individuals based on medical conditions, which many conditions. This is a companion bill to one introduced in the first week of the session by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
Power lines. H. 3528 (Hart) would require electric utilities to bury new power lines in municipalities, with many provisions, including burial of all municipal power lines by 2013.
Personhood. H. 3530 (Long) is anti-abortion legislation that would establish a right to life at fertilization, with many provisions.
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