| Key S.C. bills need OK South Carolina's lengthy General Assembly session is starting to draw to a close. The deadline is this week for bills to clear either the House or Senate if they are to have a chance to pass this year, and there is still some very important legislation that deserves lawmakers' stamp of approval. One of them, being urged by state Attorney General Henry McMaster, would restrict over-the-counter sales of cold medicines containing the active ingredient pseudoephedrine in methamphetamine, or meth, an increasingly popular drug that can be made with household products. Not only are meth highs extremely addictive, but manufacturing the substance is extremely dangerous; often produced in motels or residential dwellings, it can blow up or contaminate whole city blocks. Georgia residents also have an interest in seeing McMaster's proposal pass, as Gov. Sonny Perdue just signed into law a measure restricting meth-based cold medicines in this state. If dealers can simply cross the river to get all the products they need, it's not going to have much of an impact in our area. The restriction is needed in both states. And it's needed now. There's no reason to put off for another year protecting the public from dangerous meth. There is also a crying need for stronger laws against domestic violence in South Carolina, which has the nation's highest rate of women being killed by men. Clearly, something must be done, yet the House Judiciary Committee tabled a bill that would make second-offense criminal domestic violence a felony - and this at a time when the same panel approved making cockfighting a felony. We support the crackdown on cockfighting, but face it: Protecting roosters from violence while still leaving women vulnerable is not a message conscientious lawmakers should be sending to their constituents. Legislative leaders say the domestic violence bill is flawed and needs work. Well, that's fine, as long as the work gets done before the current session adjourns.
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