Posted on Fri, May. 26, 2006

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Common-law marriage ban dies

“We’re going to have to take half the loaf.”

— Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, speaking after an effort to add a litigation provision to a bill creating a separate criminal offense for harming a fetus during an attack on the mother.

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

FLYING HIGH

It’s not often that denizens of the State House complex complain for being left out of the newspaper, as it’s not normally positive news that brings the attention.

That’s why we were surprised to be scolded twice on Thursday by two veterans of state government for not including them in our list of state officials who are also pilots.

Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, said — jokingly — that his feelings were hurt to be left out of the story in that day’s paper. Leatherman said he has more than 4,000 hours of flying time, compared to 3,200 for Rep. Bob Walker, R-Spartanburg, who was quoted in the piece.

And a spokesman for state Treasurer Grady Patterson called to complain. He wondered how The State could write a story about pilots in the State House without mentioning Patterson. Patterson was a fighter pilot during World War II and the Korean War.

To Leatherman and Patterson, we say: Aye, aye captain.

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 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 will also be streamed through http://www.thestate.com/.

SUNDAY: Republican candidates for superintendent of education

JUNE 2: Republican candidates for lieutenant governor

JUNE 4: Democratic candidates for governor

JUNE 7: Republican candidates for governor

A QUICK SPIN AROUND THE STATE HOUSE

An legislative effort to end common-law marriage was shelved Thursday.

Senate leaders gave up the effort after concluding continued pursuit of its abolition would take away too much time better devoted to passage of other proposals.

“It was too much in the way,” said Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, who moved to send the bill back to the Senate Judiciary Committee, effectively killing it.

Common-law marriage is a centuries-old tradition that allows couples to become man and wife through their intent, rather than by a state-issued license or a vow before God.

A House-passed bill would have ended such marriage in the state effective Jan. 1, 2008.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

The House is expected to take up the hot-button issue of eminent domain again next week, the last regularly scheduled week of the session.

The Senate completed third reading of its version of eminent domain Thursday, moving that legislation to the House. The Senate version of the legislation, designed to limit a government’s ability to take private property, is less controversial than the House’s version.

The House version combined eminent domain with a provision that requires governments to compensate landowners if zoning reduces their property’s value. The Senate’s bill does not.

FETUS PROTECTION

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

The “Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2006,” passed the House 81-18, after strong debate.

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 House refused to allow third reading today, which delays a possible hearing in the Senate next week.

SEX OFFENDERS

The House gave final approval to a bill requiring child molesters to wear electronic monitoring devices.

The bill, which goes to the desk of Gov. Mark Sanford, includes much of the same language as another bill, dubbed Jessica’s Law.

Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said the passed bill will provide the necessary language to begin electronic monitoring. That was important, he said, because Jessica’s Law might get held up by critics who object to other provisions of that bill, such as mandatory minimum sentences.

The bill that passed does not include the provision added to Jessica’s Law in the Senate that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for someone convicted a second time of molesting a child younger than 11.

That provision was removed in a House subcommittee but lawmakers are expected to try and add back to Jessica’s Law when the bill comes up for debate on the floor next week.