By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | A Senate panel is set to continue its review of a House bill that would ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with a meeting.
The Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee will convene 10 a.m. Oct. 22 is room 308 of the Gressette building at the Statehouse in Columbia. See the agenda here.
House bill 3020 proposes requiring testing for a detectable heartbeat in a fetus prior to an abortion. If a heartbeat is detected — which can occur as soon as four weeks after conception — then an abortion would not be permitted under the proposed legislation. The bill would establish criminal and civil penalties. Since 2013, nine states — including Georgia — have adopted similar legislation. Laws in some states have been temporarily blocked, but a legal challenge is looming for the U.S. Supreme Court.
- When do most women find out they are pregnant? Usually after the first missed period, which is about four weeks after conception. Read more via The New York Times.
In 2016, then-Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The House passed the proposed stricter law 64-22 prior to the 2019 break in the two-year legislative session. The battle over H.B. 3020 is expected to hit the Senate once the legislature reconvenes in January.
In other news:
Education Oversight Committee talks report cards Oct. 14. The state Education Oversight Committee will review the 2019 school and district report cards released earlier this month during its 1 p.m. Oct. 14 meeting in room 433 of the Blatt building at the Statehouse in Columbia. See the report cards here. | Meeting agenda.
Three meetings seek child welfare input. The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children will hold three final public input meetings this month. Testimony will be taken from members of the public on any issue dealing with children in the state. Meetings are: 5 p.m. Oct. 15 at Trident Technical College in North Charleston, and 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Oct. 22 in room 105 of the Gressette building at the Statehouse in Columbia.
Related: 130,000 children live in high poverty areas in South Carolina.
Judge could decide on GOP primary Oct. 18. The attorneys suing over the S.C. Republican Party’s decision not to hold a 2020 presidential preference primary have filed a request for S.C. Circuit Court Judge Jocelyn Newman of Columbia to order a primary held in February. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 18 in Columbia.
Commerce comes under scrutiny. The S.C. Department of Commerce, tasked with luring companies and their jobs to the state, has come under scrutiny this week after a state senator has filed a lawsuit over public records. S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, said he wants to force the agency to be more transparent in how it doles out state incentives and he called for an end to the “cult of secrecy.” Records from Commerce show the agency was aware of a tire maker’s unpaid debts and still worked toward finalizing state incentives. The Nerve also rehashed an older story this week, where it looked at the department’s “long history of secrecy.” Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt has said the department is transparent in its transactions.
Rural Women’s Summit set for Oct. 27-29 in Greenville. The summit is designed for rural leaders and advocates of women’s leadership roles and their barriers in rural America. Learn more.
2020 candidate calendar
Throughout the campaign season, we are working to keep South Carolina informed of candidate events in the state. Have an event you want us to know about? Email us at 2020news@statehousereport.com.
Harris visits Midlands Oct. 18-20. Democratic presidential hopeful and California Sen. Kamala Harris returns to South Carolina next week for her 12th visit. Events include: Orangeburg County Democratic Party 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Orangeburg County Fairgrounds in Orangeburg; S.C. State Homecoming 11:30 a.m. Oct. 19 at S.C. State University in Orangeburg; a town hall 4:45 p.m. Oct. 19 at Aiken County Town Hall in Aiken; and church services 8 a.m. Oct. 20 at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia.
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