State House Update: We can see the finish line
“Sine Die” (the last day of the legislative session for the Year) is this Thursday! While we haven’t seen many of our issues become law this Year, I’m very proud of some of the “bad bills” we’ve been able to improve, slow down, and/or stop. I’ll write up a full “post-mortem” for your review this summer. In the meantime, I hope you’ll help me make a final push to slow down some bad bills this week.
We still need your help holding legislators accountable in the remaining days of session. Visit our Action Center and take action to make sure your voice is heard.
- The Poultry Pollution Bill (H.3929) was moved down the House calendar without any action — which is good. While we are grateful for the work of the Committee to improve the bill with amendments, the bill still needs a good bit more discussion.
- Members of the House Judiciary Committee again voted to adjourn debate on the Auto Stay bill (S.105). We hope that means the bill is done for this Year, but we’ll continue to monitor it closely this week.
- Solar Market Growth: We also had a subcommittee hearing last week on S.44 — the bill to further encourage solar and renewable energy market growth. Unfortunately, the subcommittee voted 3-1 to adjourn debate on the bill, slowing its movement for the Year. We thank Rep. Anthony for voting in favor of the bill. We are still hopeful that Representatives will support this good bill that will establish a clear and consistent path for property tax treatment of solar panel and other renewable energy installations, helping solar continue to grow in South Carolina.
The Week Ahead:
- The Poultry Pollution Bill, H.3929, is waiting on the House calendar this week for a vote (that means your request for your Rep to delay action is working so far). We have several concerns about unintended consequences of the bill and are ready to improve it through more amendments this week, or hopefully work on it more with stakeholders over the summer. There’s no need to rush such an important piece of legislation without the appropriate amount of discussion and vetting. Please ask your Representative to delay passage of this bill and give us time to find the right solution for good neighbor relations in rural South Carolina.
- We have slowed down the progress of the Nuisance bills, but we’ll still have to deal with this issue next Year. We need to hold the line. Please encourage your Senators to oppose the Nuisance bills.
Please visit our Legislative Action Center for opportunities to contact your legislators about these bills and others.
As we approach the end of this session, I want to remind our readers how integral they are to this process. Together, we’ve managed to hold the line against some bad bills and create awareness on the issues that are most important to South Carolinians today. You read this update every week, so you know that progress is hard fought and slow moving. But your support – taking action when we need it most, showing up to lobby day to make your voices heard, and giving when you can, is often the deciding factor in holding back a bad bill or pushing a good one through. With the end of session close, I want to thank all of you for everything you’ve done for your state this Year.
Thanks.