GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Tougher seat belt law heads to governor

By T&D and WIRE REPORTS

COLUMBIA — Adult drivers spotted without a seat belt could be stopped by police and fined under a tougher seat belt bill given final approval in the Legislature on Wednesday.

The measure was expected to be ratified Thursday and head to Gov. Mark Sanford, who has said he would veto the legislation.

Sanford is disappointed the offenses cannot be reported to insurance companies. He also wanted a bill that allowed a conviction for failing to buckle up to be a factor in injury lawsuits as well as causing repeat offenders to pay more for car insurance.

The House adopted a compromise Wednesday that had been worked out in a conference committee with the Senate.

The bill would allow officers to stop drivers who are not wearing a seat belt. Currently, adult drivers can be ticketed for failing to buckle up only if they are stopped for another traffic offense.

The compromise sets a $25 fine for seat belt offenses.

Domestic violence

A bill that would add more jail time and fines for people convicted of criminal domestic violence is on its way to Sanford.

The bill increases the minimum fine for a first conviction of domestic violence to $1,000, up from $500, or 30 days in jail. But that can be suspended if the person completes a counseling program.

The proposal also increases penalties for second convictions to 30 days to one year in jail and up to $5,000 in fines. That compares with the current penalty of either 30 days in jail or a $500 fine.

The House agreed Wednesday to the Senate's amendments on the bill that would make it easier for people facing those charges to have court-appointed lawyers.

Minibottles

A House and Senate committee has agreed to do away with the requirement that bars and restaurants serve liquor drinks from 1.7-ounce minibottles.

The deal must still be approved by the full House and Senate. Time is running out as the legislative session draws to an end Thursday.

South Carolina is the only state that requires businesses to serve booze from the tiny bottles usually only seen on airplanes and in minibars.

A compromise reached by a conference committee Wednesday would allow retail liquor stores to begin delivering minibottles to bars July 1 or earlier if the governor signs it into law before then.

As of Jan. 1, retailers would be able to distribute larger bottles of liquor to bars and the public would be allowed to purchase minibottles.

Wholesalers were left out of the mix but that issue will be revisited during the 2007 legislative session.

Tom Sponseller, president of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina, said the deal is a historic one for the state.

"The industry has been advocating this for 20 years," Sponseller said. "I'm elated that it has finally come to this conclusion."

Sponseller said bartending schools will be established in the fall to accommodate bartenders who need to learn how to pour drinks from bigger bottles.

"There is a skill to it and this deal allows the bartenders to be more creative," Sponseller said.