FLORENCE, S.C. - A tattoo artist who took his challenge of South Carolina's tattoo ban to the U.S. Supreme Court says he is encouraged a bill to legalize his trade has passed the state Senate.

The bill still has to pass the House and get the governor's signature. But one of the bill's biggest opponents in the past, Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, has stepped out of the way and added an amendment that may get the bill through the Legislature this session.

"The bill has always made it to this point, but in the past, Jake Knotts has always been right there to kill it when it got to the House," said Ron White, a tattoo artist from Florence who is currently suing the state in federal court for criminalizing his profession. "This time, he didn't, so I feel good about it. I really think it's going to pass this time."

Knotts, a former police officer who served in the House before winning a special Senate election in 2002, took a tour of an illegal tattoo parlor earlier this year and was convinced police could not stop tattoo artists.

Knotts has said he added an amendment to the bill that would prohibit tattoo artists from other business, such as selling retail goods or performing body piercing. Tattoo parlors also would have to maintain state health standards.

White, who has tattoos on his arms and neck, said he has some questions about Knotts' amendment, but will compromise.

"We want to legalize tattooing - that's the goal," he said. "We can work out the other details later."

South Carolina and Oklahoma are the only states in the nation that ban tattooing. The state's ban has been law since the 1960s but gained national attention in 1998 when White became the first tattooist in the state to be arrested for violating the ban.

After he was convicted of the offense and sentenced to probation, White and a group of colleagues continued their efforts to legalize tattooing in South Carolina, taking their case to the state Supreme Court and then on to the U.S. Supreme Court.

White said he thinks the attention has been a catalyst.

"There's been a lot of publicity around this case for some time now," White said. "I think some who were dead set against it are starting to buckle under the pressure of national attention. I think everyone in the state is now educated on the issue, and they know there is a safe alternative. People want to see tattooing done safely here."

Since 1993, Sen. Bill Mescher, R-Pinopolis, has introduced bills that would legalize and regulate tattoos.

The bill was received by the House on Wednesday and passed on to the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee for consideration.

If it gets out of committee, it still would be up for debate in the House, where some oppose the measure.

Rep. Marty Coates said he has always been against legalizing tattooing and hasn't changed his mind.

"I've seen a copy of the bill, and it does have some additional measures in place to make the practicing of tattooing more safe," said Coates, R-Florence. "But for me, this issue goes beyond safety. There are just some things that aren't good for society at large, and I think this is one of them. As it stands now, I'm against it."

Information from: Florence Morning News