February 26, 2008
Highlights of the sixth and seventh weeks of the session include legislative action on illegal immigration, health care for small businesses, payday lending, cigarette tax, drunken driving and the FY 08-09 state budget.
Tourism promotion dollars
The House Ways and Means Committee has approved a state spending plan of $7 billion for FY 08-09. The committee proposed $12 million for tourism promotion, down from $30 million this year and lower than the governor's $17 million. However, the $10 million would translate to $30 million under the 2-for-1 matching program. Under the spending plan, Coastal Carolina University would not get the requested $5 million for new science labs or new faculty members and cut $646,365 from Coastal's regular allocation, leaving the state's fourth largest college with $16.1 million in state funding. The health programs of statewide technical colleges also took a hit, reduced from $15 million to $10 million in state funding. The proposed spending plan still must be approved by the full House and Senate before it becomes final.
Small business health insurance
Gov. Mark Sanford has signed a bill that gives small businesses another way to offer their employees health insurance. It allows a group of at least 10 small businesses to join together and negotiate cheaper insurance rates than an individual business. The new law adds a minimum number of businesses but removes the previous minimum of 1,000 employees.
Illegal immigrants
The Senate approved a bill requiring both public and private employers to check whether their employees are illegal immigrants. The bill allows the federal Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form to suffice as private businesses' employee check. The House must decide whether to accept the Senate version. Previously, the House passed a bill that required only businesses with public contracts to check for illegal immigrants.
Tax credit for fire sprinkler systems
A Senate labor panel approved legislation offering an 80 percent tax credit for commercial and residential installation of fire sprinkler systems, a voluntary option rather than a mandate. The tax credit is available to taxpayers who choose to retroactively install the systems but is not available for construction that already requires sprinkler installation under existing state law. The bill will proceed to full committee.
Price of cigarettes going up
The House passed a bill raising the 7-cent tax on a pack of cigarettes to 37 cents, and a Senate committee changed that to a 45-cent increase. However, the measures don't agree on how the money should be spent. The Senate committee must agree on a recommendation or the bill will be open to discussion on the floor.
I-73 rights-of way
Rights-of-way for I-73 can be purchased now that the final federal approval is in hand for the route between I-95 and S.C. 22 near Conway. Sixty pieces of land are known to be in the path of the roadway. S.C. DOT has about $80 million to buy rights-of-way. The agency will also hire consultants to draw the exact path of the road and can buy the remaining rights-of-way when the corridor is known. However, funding for the $2 billion section of road in S.C. is still unknown, as is its completion through five other states. To facilitate the process, S.C. DOT is developing a Request for Proposal for a public-private partnership that would offer a turnkey operation, including funding, construction and related factors. Tolls would be used for payback for private funding.
PACT testing out, diagnostic testing in
The House has passed a bill that eliminates PACT testing. Instead, diagnostic testing rather than results-based testing will be implemented. Diagnostic testing will provide faster results that are student-specific, designed to help teachers target their teaching methods for individual students within the same school year.
Payday lending loans
Under a new bill, payday lenders would not be allowed to lend more than $500, or 20 percent of the person's income, whichever is less. Lenders would also have to check a database to make sure borrowers don't have multiple outstanding loans. The industry is essentially banned in North Carolina and Georgia.
Tougher penalties for repeat DUI offenders
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill designed to get tougher on repeat DUI offenders. Under the bill, penalties increase depending on how much alcohol drunken drivers have in their systems. But, unlike the House version, the staggered penalties won't start until a driver's second conviction. Gov. Mark Sanford and some law enforcement officials want the tougher penalties for a first conviction.
On the Net
MyrtleBeachAreaChamber.com
SCStateHouse.net
House.gov
Senate.gov
USA.gov
SCChamber.net
USChamber.com
I-73.com
