HOUSE WEEK IN REVIEW
April 20, 2018
The House of Representatives amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4496, a bill ENHANCING SOUTH CAROLINA’S LAWS PROHIBITING SANCTUARY CITIES that disallow the adoption of ordinances and policies by municipalities and other local governments to prohibit, restrict, or interfere with the enforcement of immigration laws. The legislation authorizes the Attorney General, in addition to a resident of a political subdivision, to bring a civil action in the circuit court against a political subdivision that adopts ordinances or policies to restrict law enforcement officers, local officials, or local government employees from enforcing immigration provisions, limit communications with federal or state officials regarding someone’s immigration status, or establish work authorization provisions that conflict with federal or state law. If a court finds that a political subdivision has violated provisions that prohibit interference with the enforcement of immigration laws, the political subdivision is not allowed to receive Local Government Fund appropriations for at least the next three consecutive fiscal budget years.
The House approved S.499, legislation ELIMINATING THE FEE FOR PLACING THE VIOLENT CRIME OFFENDER DESIGNATION ON A DRIVER’S LICENSE, and enrolled the bill for ratification. While the fifty dollar fee is eliminated, the Department of Motor Vehicles is still required to place the identifying code on the driver’s license of someone who has been convicted of, or pled no contest to, a crime of violence, defined as murder, manslaughter (except negligent manslaughter arising out of traffic accidents), rape, mayhem, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, housebreaking, assault with intent to kill, commit rape, or rob, assault with a dangerous weapon, or assault with intent to commit any offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
The House adopted the conference committee report on H.3698, a bill revising fishing seasons and catch limits for STRIPED BASS. The legislation also includes a definition of the geographic boundaries for the Intracoastal Waterway in Horry County within a statutory provision that establishes geographic boundaries for bodies of water in the state. The Senate having also adopted the report, the bill was enrolled for ratification.
The House appointed a conference committee to address its differences with the Senate on H.4612, legislation authorizing SURETY BONDS FOR GENERAL AND MECHANICAL LICENSURE APPLICANTS.
The House amended Senate amendments to H.3819, a bill establishing new REQUIREMENTS THAT MUST BE MET BEFORE PRESCRIBING OPIOID ANALGESICS TO MINORS, and returned the legislation to the Senate.