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S.C. legislative action for the 3rd week of the Legislative Session
S.C. legislative action for the week of Jan. 24-30
The third week of the legislative session:
* Warrantless searches: Officers in South Carolina would not need a warrant to search juveniles and adults on probation or parole under a bill approved Thursday by a House panel. Law enforcement and crime victim groups hope the possibility of being searched by any officer in the state will deter people on conditional release from prison from committing more crimes. The bill, which heads to the full House Judiciary Committee, allows police and probation officers to bypass going to a judge for a search warrant. They can search the person, the vehicle the person owns or is driving, and any of that person's possessions, such as a purse or bookbag. The Senate passed the bill last February.
* Voter ID: South Carolina voters could cast their ballots early starting in 2012 but would have to show photo IDs to vote under a compromise Thursday that ended two days of partisan debate in the Senate. The bill requires another vote before returning to the House, which passed it last year. The compromise would allow residents to vote in person during a 15-day window before an election, without needing an excuse. Unlike the House version, it would continue to allow absentee voting in person up to a month early, if voters give an excuse for why they can't vote on Election Day, such as being on vacation.
* School junk food: A bill barring honey buns and chocolate bars from being sold to students during the school day received tentative approval Wednesday, but opponents already are lining up. The legislation, approved by a Senate Education panel, is aimed at curbing childhood obesity in a state where one in three teens is overweight or obese. The bill bans school-hour sales of high-fat, high-sugar foods and drinks in all grade levels. The House passed the bill last year after exempting principal-approved fundraisers. Senators argued the exemption created a loophole for the unabated sales of pizza and doughnuts, making the effort moot. They changed the bill to specify those fundraiser sales had to be before or after school hours.
* Veterans Day: South Carolina students would get Veterans Day off under a bill legislators are considering. A Senate Education panel unanimously approved legislation Wednesday requiring districts to close schools for Veterans Day. It's already a holiday for state employees.
* Budget-schools: South Carolina teachers would take a pay cut, and students would take fewer tests under cost-cutting measures that won initial legislative approval Tuesday. A House panel crafting the education budget for the next fiscal year voted unanimously to require that teachers statewide take a five-day furlough and that administrators take 10 days, saving roughly $100 million in salaries. The subcommittee also voted unanimously to suspend all tests not required under federal law, saving about $3 million. That means high school students would not take end-of-course statewide standardized tests in English, algebra or U.S. history next school year.
* Governor's race: Voters would decide in November if candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on a ticket rather than separately under a measure approved by a legislative panel. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the resolution by a 9-6 vote on Tuesday. The House bill now heads to the Senate floor for debate. It will require a two-thirds majority to pass the Senate, and the House would have to go along with changes the Senate included.
* S.C. governor: Proposed legislation would prevent South Carolina governors from telling security details to leave them alone as Gov. Mark Sanford did before his rendezvous with an Argentine lover. The Senate approved a bill Thursday that says the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division decides when, where and how to protect the governor and lieutenant governor. It requires another vote before heading to the House.
Republican Sen. Chip Campsen of the Isle of Palms - a longtime friend of Sanford - called the bill a baby-sitting measure and said it would make it impossible for governors to spend the night at a friend's home or go fishing.
