S.C. House chamber, Columbia, S.C.By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | The House of Representatives has a new head budget writer after longtime Ways and Means Committee Chair Brian White, R-Anderson, was ousted from the position by Speaker Jay Lucas this week.
In his place, the committee has elected Sumter Republican Murrell Smith to chair the powerful budget-writing committee.
While media reported Lucas said the move wasn’t personal and way a way of getting renewed perspective on the committee, Orangeburg Democrat Gilda Cobb Hunter threw some shade this week with this quote to The State:
“It pays to be nice. People should remember that the same people you meet on your way up are the same people you’ll meet on your way down.”
In other recent news:
Pre-filed legislation. State senators will pre-file 2018 bills on Dec. 12 and we’ll have a summary of the most important pieces of legislation as we roll out the 2019 version of our Tally Sheet. Six days later, House members will pre-file bills.
- Click here on Dec. 12 to see pre-filed Senate bills.
- Click here on Dec. 18 to see pre-filed House bills.
Work for care access. The S.C. Department of Health and Human Services has officially submitted its Medicaid community engagement waiver application, which would require most recipients to prove they are employed to receive benefits. Read the waiver application.
Medicaid requests more funds. S.C. Department of Health and Human Services also this week drafted its 2019-2020 fiscal year budget, which included requests for $165 million in new funds. The budget request includes $21 million more in rate increases and $54 million for the state’s new Medicaid Management Information System. Read the proposed budget.
Voting machine bids. The state election office told Statehouse Report this week that a request for proposals on new voting machines for the state has not yet been released. However, office spokesman Chris Whitmire said the goal is to complete procurement and implementation of the machines by January 2020 — just in time for the first-in-the-South presidential primary, which was held in February in 2016.
Looking ahead
Click below for other items coming up in the Statehouse:
- House calendar
- Senate calendar
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
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