Legislative Digest: The week's Statehouse news

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State budget: The Senate Finance Committee approved a $5.3 billion state spending plan Thursday. After dropping $107 million in savings and spending in the House-passed budget, senators relied on an economic report released Thursday to close the gap they created. Along the way, the committee said state workers would get a 3 percent across-the-board raise. The Finance Committee will decide this week how to spend money from the state's lottery.

Income tax: A Senate Finance subcommittee amended and approved Sanford's income-tax reduction plan Wednesday. The subcommittee plan required a minimum of 5 percent growth before the first income-tax break could be offered. The first three percent in growth would go to restoring spending cut from state agencies during the past three years.

Black judges: The House sent the Senate a bill Thursday designed to help get more black judges appointed to the bench. The bill would allow the Judicial Merit Selection Committee to send legislators a list of all qualified candidates instead of just the top three. While nearly a third of the state's residents are black, fewer than 7 percent of the judges elected by the General Assembly are black.

Environmental crimes: The House gave key approval Thursday to a bill that would give the state grand jury powers to investigate environmental crimes. The Department of Health and Environmental Control currently investigates environmental crimes, which are prosecuted by either federal or local prosecutors. The grand jury can order testimony and subpoena documents, records and evidence.

Tax break extension: The House sent the Senate a bill Wednesday that would allow manufacturers to carry unused state job income tax credits beyond the 10 years allowed now. State revenue forecasters said the change will cost the state about $150,000 during the next fiscal year and about $1.4 million in fiscal year 2006.

Film incentives: A bill that would give tax breaks to motion picture companies cleared the House on Wednesday. The bill gives filmmakers spending at least $1 million in the state a 5 percent tax rebate on payroll taxes for South Carolina workers, a larger share of the admission tax collections and a break from sales and accommodations taxes.

One-term governor: A Senate subcommittee approved a bill Wednesday that would limit South Carolina governors to a single six-year term. The bill would also extend legislators' terms, with House members serving four years instead of two and Senate members serving six years instead of four.

Also

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Tuesday that redefines identity fraud to include obtaining information to access records or trying to access financial resources of another person.

The House passed a bill to expand the state's DNA database to include convicted felons. It already required people convicted of violent and sex-related crimes to submit DNA samples.

A House subcommittee approved a bill Wednesday that would give developers a 25 percent tax credit for renovating one of the 65 abandoned textile mills around the state. The mills must have been closed for a year or more.

The House passed a bill Wednesday that sets up a trust fund to prevent brain injuries. Money for the South Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund would come out of the state budget beginning in July 2005.