By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | Something bizarre happened Thursday in room 307 of the Gressette building:
When a Senate Judiciary subcommittee convened, there were no men sitting among the lawmakers or staff present.
At the Statehouse, it is common for all-male panels to review legislation. Only 15.9 percent of lawmakers in Columbia are female and they can only serve on so many committees and subcommittees. South Carolina ranks in the bottom 10 in female representation in its legislature.
The subcommittee was chaired by Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton. Subcommittee Chair Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, also served on the panel and posted a picture of the historic panel on Twitter with the caption: “First in SC History – All Female Senate Sub-Committee and Staff! 3 Bills 2 Regulations – Done on time and in record time. #WomenRock”
“Before there would not have been enough women to have a subcommittee meeting,” Shealy told Statehouse Report. When Shealy was first elected in 2012, she was the only woman serving in the body. In 2018, that number grew to four.
Shealy — who was once called “a lesser cut of meat” by a fellow lawmaker — caught some flack on social media about her focus on gender.
“You want to talk about gender bias, we’ll talk about Finance Committee,” Shealy said Friday. There are no female senators serving on the powerful committee.
The Thursday panel reviewed H. 3973, a House-passed bill seeking to outlaw female genital mutilation. The panel also reviewed H. 3601 and its companion S. 610 (Conditional Discharge of Disorderly Conduct).
In other news:
Crossover deals blow to some bills. Certain contentious bills probably will have to wait until 2020, the second year of the legislative session, after the “crossover” deadline passed this week. It requires bills receive a two-thirds majority to make it to the other chamber. Some of the bills that likely will have to wait until 2020 include:
- Approval of medical marijuana,
- A statewide ban on single-use plastic bags,
- Whether the state should support or oppose offshore drilling,
- Closing the Charleston gun loophole, and
- Allowing open carrying of guns in the state.
- Here’s a list of some of the things that made the crossover deadline.
- Here’s a list of things that didn’t.
House on break next week. Members of the S.C. House are on break in the coming week, and the Senate will not convene until Wednesday. The body of former S.C. Gov. and U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings will lie in state at the Capitol Monday, followed by a Tuesday funeral in Charleston. That could push Senate’s debate of the budget into Good Friday, according to S.C. Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington.
Gubernatorial nominees. Gov. Henry McMaster this week nominated labor attorney G. Daniel Ellzey to be the next director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. His nominee to lead S.C. Department of Social Services, Michael Leach, got the green light from a Senate panel this week. The Senate is expected to take up Leach’s confirmation as early as next week.
Local government fund restructuring. Lawmakers who have long been fingered for curbing state contributions to local government revenues are poised to restructuring the money doled out to local governments for state mandates. House bill 3137 will reformulate how the state funds local governments and tie that funding to a percentage of state revenues. The bill has advanced to the Senate floor for debate.
Abortion update. Nearly 60 House members pushed for debate on the fetal heartbeat abortion ban bill, House bill 3020, but the bill was not taken up for a vote this week. Meanwhile, a similar bill was passed into law in Ohio this week, making it become the sixth state to eliminate abortion procedures just six weeks after conception.
Weekly update on Palmetto Priorities
Throughout the legislative session, we’ll provide you relevant updates related to our list of Palmetto Priorities, which are 10 big policy areas where major progress is needed for South Carolina to escape the bottom of lots of lists. Over the last week:
EDUCATION: Parts of reform may wait until 2020. Senate Education Committee Chair Greg Hembree, R-Horry, told reporters this week that time is running out and contentious portions of the massive education overhaul bill will have to wait until 2020. Hembree said teacher pay raises, a daily duty-free break and eliminating some state tests will be among the reforms to make a floor vote in the Senate. The Senate Education Committee held 15 meetings to review the House legislation and accept public feedback. House Speaker Jay Lucas issued a statement to Statehouse Report on stalled portions of the bill: “This is the year to bring meaningful education reform to South Carolina. Trying to kill the bill under the guise of deliberative review is unacceptable.”
ENVIRONMENT: Solar bill advances to floor of Senate. The House-passed bill that removes a cap on solar rooftop generation has advanced to the Senate floor. The bill, H. 3659, is still drawing debate, specifically over a 10-year contract rule between utilities and independent solar generators. Read our previous coverage on what’s hanging up the bill.
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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