Will they pass? 5 SC bills to watch as legislative session comes to a close next week

With a handful of days remaining in this year’s legislative session, here are five bills to watch and their chances of passing.

The session’s last day is May 9, even though lawmakers are planning to come back June 5 to hold a state supreme court election, and after the legislative primary elections to finish up work on the budget.

Bills that don’t cross the finish lines by 5 p.m. May 9 will be dead for the session, unless they’re in a conference committee, or lawmakers decide to take up with a two-thirds vote of each chamber later in the year. However, lawmakers have indicated they don’t plan to come back unless they need to respond to an emergency.

Energy bill

A bill meant to help the state meet growing energy needs in the future has been a top priority of the House this session. The House hopes the Senate takes up the bill and send it back so a conference committee can be started.

But Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey asked the bill be delayed until the fall to allow for further study.

But state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, is trying to push a smaller version of the energy bill to see if it could address concerns of lawmakers that the larger piece of legislation moved too quickly. If Davis is successful, that may set the bill up for an eventual conference committee to keep the legislation alive this year.

House Republicans are trying another tactic to force the bill into conference committee. State Rep. Bill Sandifer, chairman of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee attached the bill to several Senate bills, including one dealing with suicide prevention training, a bill dealing with pharmacies service organizations, a bill dealing with anti-money laundering, and a bill on professional counseling.

Making the comptroller general an appointed position

Following last year’s disclosure of a $3.5 billion accounting error, senators in a 42-0 wanted the governor to appoint the comptroller general rather than voters electing a comptroller every four years.

Making it an appointed position requires voter approval because it would make change to the constitution.

The comptroller general serves as the state’s top accountant.

When the bill moved to the House, however, it stalled and has not moved out of the House Judiciary committee, as the committee has had to deal with about 475 bills.

“We’ve got a limited amount of time which we can move forward,” said House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton, R-Beaufort. “Obviously the various caucuses that identify what their priorities are and we try to work and address as many of those priority items that we can so and nothing substantive in particular against the bill. I may even be a co-sponsor of it, but that doesn’t mean whether I am or not, that it accelerates whether it moves or not.”

Former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom resigned last year and was replaced by Brian Gaines. When Eckstrom ran for reelection in 2022, he was unopposed and received 98% of the vote.

Having the job appointed by the governor could allow for quicker changes when problems arise in the agency.

Currently the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, comptroller general, secretary of agriculture and superintendent of education serve as constitutional officers who are elected on a statewide basis.

Because the bill is not expected to move, the comptroller general position may be elected again in 2026.

Senators even suggested the treasurer also be appointed, but the recommendation took place after the chamber passed the comptroller appointment bill.

Judicial reform

Making changes to how the state elects judges through the Judicial Merit Selection Committee has been a push of the General Assembly.

The state Senate passed legislation that raises the cap of who could be nominated in front of the General Assembly from three candidates to six. It also requires a judicial candidate to receive a majority of the House and majority of the Senate to be elected. The bill also increases the number of people who sit on the Judicial Merit selection commission from 10 members to 12. Instead of five being appointed by the Senate and five by the House, four would be appointed by the governor, four by the Senate and four by the House.

But the House has its own version, which moved out of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, calls for a 13-member JMSC with a retired judge serving as a chair. It also addresses screening of magistrates, eliminates the cap of how many candidates can be considered for a judicial position and creates term limits on JSMC members.

Lawyer-legislators have been under scrutiny this year for the appearance of having undue influence over judges because judges rely on lawmakers to get reelected.

“This has been an ongoing process. We’re trying to take bites at this process to hopefully get to a place that we could have a product that everyone could be proud of,” said state Rep. Jay Jordan, R-Florence.

This bill appears destined for a conference committee.

Health agencies bill

The Department of Health and Environmental Control is splitting into the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Services on July 1.

Now the lawmakers are considering whether to combine the new Department of Public Health with the Departments of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, Disabilities and Special Needs, Health and Human Services, Mental Health, and Aging to create the Executive Office of Health and Policy.

Opponents of the legislation have called it the creation a health czar.

The legislation passed the Senate, but it is sitting in the House.

Sunday sales of liquor

An effort to allow liquor stores to operate on Sundays finally moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a favorable report.

Counties and municipalities would be able to allow Sunday sales if its approved via referendum.

However, small mom and pop stores are concerned they would be be forced open on Sundays in order to compete with larger operations, or risk losing customers.

The bill passed the House earlier this year, but awaits a vote in the full Senate.