Posted on Wed, May. 31, 2006

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House toughens property rights bill

“The governor’s idea of hunting and fishing is deciding which invitation to a plantation he will accept this weekend.”

— Rep. Ted Pitts, R-Lexington, objecting to Gov. Mark Sanford’s late Monday veto of a proposal to create a legislative sportsmen’s caucus. The House voted to override the veto Tuesday afternoon. The caucuses could accept campaign contributions, a feature Sanford said could open the door to public corruption.

TODAY AT THE STATE HOUSE

For a complete list of legislative meetings, go to http://www.scstatehouse.net/ and click on the “Meetings” link.

IN THE HOUSE: Convenes at 10 a.m. No committee meetings scheduled.

IN THE SENATE: Convenes at 2 p.m. No committee meetings scheduled.

THE DAILY BUZZ

DOCTOR, DOCTOR

House members took special pride Tuesday in what is normally a routine daily function.

In what The Buzz can only describe as whooping and hollering, lawmakers cheered the “Doctor of the Day.”

Of course, Tuesday’s selection wasn’t just any general practitioner. It was Prosperity physician Oscar Lovelace.

Lovelace, of course, is running against GOP Gov. Mark Sanford in the June 13 primary. It also goes without saying that House Republicans have very publicly scrapped with Sanford over the past few years on a range of issues.

So, when Rep. Walt McLeod, D-Newberry, introduced the doctor from his home county, it’s no surprise the “yeas” heard in the chamber rivaled the best the British parliament could dish up.

Still, Lovelace seemed a bit taken by the reception.

“I think they are excited about the possibility of working with someone new,” Lovelace said. “I was surprised it was as vocal as it was. I’m encouraged and I’m excited.”

MORE ON THE WEB

What you can find online at thestate.com

• S.C. Politics Today, midday news from inside the State House and campaign-related developments, is updated several times each legislative day.

• Our searchable list of state employee salaries for workers earning more than $50,000 a year

UPCOMING DEBATES

ETV and The State are sponsoring debates featuring participants in contested statewide races on the June 13 primary ballot.

All debate shows begin at 7 p.m. on local ETV stations. Programs also will be streamed through http://www.thestate.com/.

FRIDAY: Republican candidates for lieutenant governor

SUNDAY: Democratic candidates for governor

JUNE 7: Republican candidates for governor

A QUICK SPIN AROUND THE STATE HOUSE

The House passed a property rights measure requiring compensation for rezoning, a move that raises doubt about whether the high-profile issue of eminent domain reform will pass this year.

The overall measure limits local governments’ ability to take private property for public use. House members rejected a Senate-passed bill without the language and passed their preferred version. The new language requires local governments to compensate landowners if zoning reduces the property’s value.

The House language was rejected by the Senate earlier this year. Putting the language back in at this stage means a conference committee could be required to work out differences. With the session set to end Thursday, it is not clear whether there is enough time to finish work, or if the two sides are simply too far apart.

POULTRY FARMS

A measure loosening county rules over poultry farms will become law without Gov. Mark Sanford’s signature.

Sanford had five days after passage, or until midnight Monday, to sign the measure, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor was concerned the legislation trumped local government home rule powers. But he also was concerned that local governments would duplicate the functions the Department of Health and Environmental Control performed.

Supporters said the bill will free farmers from excessive regulation. Opponents said county regulations protect communities from smelly bird farms.

FETUS PROTECTION

The House gave final approval to a bill establishing criminal penalties for injuring or killing an unborn child.

Under the bill, a person who commits a violent crime against an expectant mother that also injures the fetus she is carrying, will be guilty of a separate offense. The offender would be punished as if the offense to the “child in utero” had actually occurred to the mother, including murder or attempted murder, essentially establishing life at the moment of conception.

The Senate still needs to act on the measure.

CAUCUS VETO OVERRIDEN

The House voted to override Gov. Mark Sanford’s vetoes of a bill that lets lawmakers set up special interest caucuses, a day after the governor acted.

The House vote was 105-3. The Senate has yet to act.

The legislation would allow two or more lawmakers to set up a caucus that could accept contributions from just about anyone except lobbyists or the people who employ them. It blocks the use of donations to influence elections. Those caucuses would have to file financial reports saying who gave money and how it was spent.

Sanford said the caucuses could open the door to public corruption and would not be subject to reasonable oversight. He wrote that the bill “establishes an environment for potential election abuses, and rolls back the anti-corruption reforms of the early 1990s.”

Legislators backing the bill called it the “sportsmen’s caucus bill,” saying it would allow lawmakers to promote their love of hunting and fishing.