Posted on Fri, May. 19, 2006

email this

print this

Death penalty out of sex offender bill

“They’ve got roads in those states because their governor and General Assembly are not trying to buy votes.”

— Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, in opposing a proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax for three months. Ford said the money would be better spent on highway projects.

NEXT WEEK 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 noon Tuesday, 10 a.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. Thursday

IN THE SENATE: Convenes at noon Tuesday, 2 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. Thursday

THE DAILY BUZZ

DON’T LOSE THAT NUMBER

The Buzz calls this the legislative silly season for a reason.

With only a handful of days left before the June 1 adjournment, motions and maneuvers come fast as lawmakers do everything they can to move along legislation they care about.

Sometimes they inadvertently do that about legislation they don’t care about.

That’s what happened to Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, on Thursday. In the final moments of the day’s session, House members were asking for unanimous consent to recall from committee bills that had yet to get approved at that level.

Smith wanted to recall from Judiciary a bill dealing with electronic monitoring of sex offenders. Only problem, when it was his turn to talk, he couldn’t remember the bill number.

When a staffer for Gov. Mark Sanford told him “601,” Smith asked for Senate Bill 601 to be recalled. He was given unanimous consent. Then Smith realized, he really wanted House Bill 1267. Too late. The motion period had ended.

So what does 601 do?

“I don’t know what it does, to be honest with you,” Smith said.

Neither does The Buzz. But it appears to have something to do with combining the juvenile and adult parole boards. Or maybe not.

MORE ON THE WEB

What you can find online at thestate.com

• YGA Today, midday news from inside the State House, is updated several times each legislative day.

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

A QUICK SPIN AROUND THE STATE HOUSE

A proposal to allow the state to seek the death penalty for repeat child sex offenders was dropped by a legislative committee in an attempt to get some tougher provisions approved before lawmakers adjourn for the year.

The bill approved by the House Criminal Laws Subcommittee focuses on requiring sex offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices.

The Senate-passed bill moves to the full Judiciary Committee in an attempt to get approval before adjournment, scheduled for June 1.

There was no chance to advance the bill with the death penalty provision included, said Rep. Murrell Smith, Jr., R-Sumter, the subcommittee chairman.

STATE BUDGET

House and Senate budget writers wrapped up work for the week, leaving the issue of allocating money — and most of the debate — for next week.

The House and Senate panel did agree not to cap tuition increases at state colleges and universities, the most significant compromise during negotiations so far.

The House plan included a cap of $250 above a national price index; the Senate plan did not.

The committee will return Monday afternoon. House and Senate members are confident they can finish early next week.

PROPERTY TAXES

A House-Senate conference committee will meet for the first time Monday to discuss statewide property tax reform.

Lawmakers must find a compromise between a $1.2 billion House plan raising the state sales tax in exchange for a cut of about 85 percent of owner-occupied property taxes and a Senate option that allows voters in each county to choose.

The House chose Reps. Bill Cotty, R-Richland, Jim Merrill, R-Charleston and Michael Anthony, D-Union, as conference members. Cotty shepherded the bill through the House, while Merrill is the House majority leader. Anthony served on the select committee that studied tax relief.

Senate members are Finance chairman Hugh Leatherman, R- Florence, and Linda Short, D-Chester. Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, will serve on the committee dealing with how the tax relief is paid for, while Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, will work on a constitutional amendment panel.

GULLAH BIBLE

Gov. Mark Sanford was presented with a reserve edition of “De Nyew Testament,” a recently completed Gullah version of the New Testament.

Mary Ravenell, a teacher at Felton Laboratory School in Orangeburg and a national spokeswoman for the new Bible, made the presentation in Sanford’s office.

“This Bible has brought authenticity to a language that was considered breaking the king’s English, a backward language,” Ravenell said.

The Gullah New Testament took 25 years to translate. The House also honored Ravenell with a resolution.

In other news:

• A House subcommittee took no action on a bill closing a loophole in state ethics laws that allows groups to run campaign ads within 45 days of an election without disclosing where they get their money. The panel’s inaction most likely kills the proposal since only six legislative days remain before the June 1 adjournment.

• A measure loosening county rules over poultry farms gained final third-reading in the House this morning. Because the House did not change the version of the bill that passed the Senate, the measure now goes to Gov. Mark Sanford, who has five days to decide whether to sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature.