COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Senators are debating whether a bill raising revenue to fix South Carolina’s crumbling roadways should also cut taxes. Republican Sen. Sean Bennett proposed an amendment Wednesday that includes cutting income taxes and manufacturers’ property taxes, while increasing tax credits for students and tax deductions for officers. He changed his proposal’s start date to 2018 after senators…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) –Gov. Henry McMaster supports legislation allowing adults to openly carry a handgun in South Carolina without a permit. McMaster’s spokesman Brian Symmes said Friday the Republican governor thinks the bill is constitutional and would “sign it if it reaches his desk.” That is unlikely to happen this year. The House passed the bill 64-46 last week. Opponents…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature are taking a break the week before Easter. The House and Senate started their spring break when they adjourned Thursday. When lawmakers return April 18, just 12 legislative days will remain in this year’s regular session. The General Assembly generally meets Tuesday through Thursday. Their to-do list will include…
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– Advocates for the care and welfare of South Carolina’s children gathered at the State House Tuesday for Child Advocacy Day. Attorney General Alan Wilson, along with other local leaders want to put the focus on child abuse prevention, including awareness and prosecution of offenders. The goal of the Children’s Advocacy center is to bring the system together,…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ The House’s roughly $8 billion plan for state taxes spends $100 million on upgrading K-12 schools, puts an additional $38 million into a per-student payment, and buys $10 million worth of school buses. The House voted 115-3 early Wednesday to send its budget proposal to the Senate. A 115-0 vote sent the accompanying “capital reserve” bill,…
COLUMBIA, SC (AP)– SC DPS website The director of South Carolina’s Department of Public Safety calls a House vote seeking his removal “disappointing.” Lawmakers voted 76-20 Tuesday to eliminate the director’s position and reduce the agency’s funding. That would effectively fire Leroy Smith if the clause remains in the budget. Democratic Rep. Russell Ott says that’s a decision for the…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – It’s budget week in the South Carolina House. Debate opened Monday on the Ways and Means Committee’s roughly $8 billion spending plan for state taxes. It includes $150 million to begin shoring up the state’s pension system for public workers and $82 million to cover Hurricane Matthew cleanup costs. The budget proposal for the fiscal year…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – A bill legalizing medical marijuana could be facing some changes as it gains support in the State House. A house panel voted 3-0 on Tuesday after hearing dozens of stories from patients and their family members. The testimonies detailed how marijuana can relieve suffering from chronic pain, severe epilepsy, PTSD and other ailments. The bill’s sponsor,…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The lead sponsor of this session’s medical marijuana bill says it’s not a matter of if, but when the plant will be legalized for medicinal use in South Carolina. Senator Tom Davis, a Republican from Beaufort, sits on the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, which is tasked with getting the S.212, or the S.C. Compassionate Care Act,…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Legislators are advancing a proposal aimed at shoring up South Carolina’s pension system for current employees. But they warn additional fixes are coming that may drastically alter benefits offered to future employees. A House panel advanced a bill Tuesday that increases employers’ contribution rates by 7 percentage points over the next six years, requiring them to…
