COLUMBIA --- Hard-fought bills to revamp the state unemployment agency, regulate water use and tighten the state's annexation law all face tougher odds because they have yet to pass either the House or the Senate.
Still, Friday's deadline, known as "Crossover Day," wasn't the mad scramble it was last year.
This year's May 1 deadline was the first of a two-year term, which means bills that did not pass either the House or the Senate won't need to start from square one next year.
House lawmakers are on furlough this week, and both chambers want to leave Columbia by May 21. Here is where some key bills stand:
Water legislation
A landmark bill to monitor how much fresh water a company or municipality may consume drew lukewarm acceptance from industry representatives in March. The bill, S. 452, has now stagnated. The Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health and Environmental Control have been working on a memo to detail the DNR's role in the proposed permitting process.
H. 3957, introduced by Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, did make the crossover deadline. His bill would help protect the oyster beds in Beaufort County by allowing county and municipal workers to help the state monitor the fecal coliform levels in the water.
Jasper Port watchers have been tracking the S.C. State Ports Authority bill, S. 351, which also cleared the deadline. The bill eliminates the governor's ability to fire a board member for no reason. It includes an amendment that strengthens the state's commitment to the proposed port.
Green Pond Democrat Rep. Kenneth Hodge's legislation to create a shore-based-fishing license requirement awaits action by the governor.
School bills
A bill to require school districts to tackle dating violence, S. 266, fell short of the deadline. But H. 3297 narrowly made it. The junk food bill, introduced by Barnwell County Democrat Rep. Bakari Sellers aims to restrict the sale of sugary snacks.
Also crossing over: S. 377, a bill to restrict credit-card marketers on college campuses, and S. 593, which allows guns on K-12 grounds as long as the weapon is secured in a vehicle.
Crime and driving
A bill to require someone who has a violent-crime record to carry a specially marked driver's license has cleared the Senate. That's despite criticism from the S.C. American Civil Liberties Union, which says the bill harms offenders who are trying to live a normal life. Backers say S. 288, introduced by Pickens Republican Sen. Larry Martin, would give law enforcement officers life-saving knowledge when they are apprehending suspects.
Another bill that survived past Friday, H. 3252, would give judges the discretion to suspend the driver's license of someone who was caught with narcotics. Current law requires suspension.
Reach Sarita Chourey at (803) 727-4257 or sarita.chourey@morris.com.
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