Legislators, who returned to the Statehouse this week, face a monster deficit and an economy that hasn't produced sufficient revenue in five years. On top of that, it's an election year, always a time for caution at the Capitol.

In the early going, before lawmakers take on such difficult topics as government restructuring and tax reform, there's a period of relative calm in which a number of more mundane bills make their way to the floor.

During this time, nothing is too small for consideration, be it the size of liquor bottles, the size of children or the size of the line women stand in when waiting to use the bathroom.

There are some old proposals hanging around, and some are brand spanking new.

A couple of holdovers are the mini-bottle proposal and the bill that would make tattoo parlors legal.

Every year in recent memory, the idea of joining the rest of the nation in pouring liquor from full-sized bottles is proposed and shot down. But this year, the bill has a chance.

Maybe.

"It's been stopped a number of times, but I think it has a chance this time," said state Rep. Shirley Hinson, R-Goose Creek. "Our bill will give restaurants a choice in whether they want to sell it by mini-bottle or not, and I think that will be the key selling point this time. Choice is very important."

She may be right. The bill made it through second reading in the House on Wednesday by a 90-10 vote. It is expected to breeze through third reading and go to the Senate.

Another old issue given new life this year deals with legalizing tattoos. For 10 years Sen. William Mescher, R-Pinopolis, has proposed legislation that would legalize tattooing. Every year Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, has led the charge to defeat it.

But that was when Knotts was in the House. Now he is a senator. And what's more, he is now on board with the proposal -- sort of."I didn't vote for it again, but I did add an amendment to it," he said. The amendment deals with regulating tattooing. "It's a good bill."

The reason for his turnaround, mild as it may be? Last year, Knotts, a former law enforcement officer, went on a raid in Lexington County and uncovered an underground tattoo parlor that was hygienically challenged, to say the least.

"It was a nasty place," Knotts said. "But the kicker was we gathered all of the evidence and took the guy to trial and the judge fined him $700 and gave his equipment back."

Another bill waiting in line for attention is one proposed last year by state Rep. Joe Brown, D-Columbia. The measure, now under discussion in the Ways and Means Committee, would require that all new state buildings have twice as many women's bathrooms as men's. Old buildings would be exempt.

"What gave me the idea was going around with my wife and daughters," Brown said. "I watched them stand in long lines while I was able to get in and out quickly. Women shouldn't have to wait like that."

State Rep. John Graham Altman III, R-Charleston, has a bill dealing with an issue that has become a hot topic in the media lately. Fat kids.

Altman introduced a bill Wednesday that would take vending machines out of schools.

Altman points out that one out of every five children in South Carolina is obese, which is leading to serious health problems.

"There is no reason the government should sell junk food to a captive audience," he said. "My bill is the firing squad for this. And if people vote the way they've been talking, it'll pass."

Compared to the multi-billion-dollar budget, these bills may seem trivial. That doesn't mean legislators don't take them seriously.

Last year, Altman and fellow state Rep. Leon Howard, D-Columbia, nearly came to blows over a measure Howard proposed that would require restaurants to use straws that are wrapped.

Altman helped defeat the bill, saying it was "frivolous." Howard felt the move was racist and accused Altman of blocking the legislation because it was proposed by a black lawmaker.

Howard says he will reintroduce his bill later this session.

Clay Barbour covers the Statehouse. Contact him at 803-799-9051 or at cbarbour@postandcourier.com

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