The State House Gavel: What's on tap for Week 7, millions in fed grants in question for SC

Happy Tuesday.

Welcome back to a fresh week of the South Carolina General Assembly and The State House Gavel, a daily reporter notebook by reporters Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney and Maayan Schechter that previews and captures what goes on at the South Carolina Statehouse this year while lawmakers are in session.

It's Week 7, but who is counting? (We all are).

Notebook highlights:

• A breakdown of what you can expect in the Statehouse for the week. Hot topics include tort reform/liquor liability, K-12 school vouchers and a closely-watched Senate Finance subcommittee hearing with state Treasurer Curtis Loftis.
• A new week means new bills, so here are the bills you might have missed.
• In the midst of drafting operating budgets, state agencies are closely watching the Trump administration's cuts to workforce, aid and grants. Read more on how that could impact South Carolina.
• The SC Lede podcast turns 600 years old! No really.

SCETV

It's going to be a busy week. We know we say this every week, but trust us this time.

But both House and Senate GOP leaders tell us, unlike some other weeks, you'll see a healthy amount of floor time with some decently-sized policy debates. That means pack your lunch, take a seat on one of those new Statehouse lobby chairs (so much better than the old ones, I think we can all agree) and be prepared for some quality hours listening to lawmakers debate.

Let's start with the House.

In addition to full committee work, the lower chamber will take Wednesday (the official heavy debate day) and kick off likely an hours-long debate over S. 62, Horry County Republican Sen. Greg Hembree's K-12 school voucher bill.

In case you forgot: Hembree's original proposal called for vouchers, or scholarships, for mainly private school tuition to be paid for using state Education Lottery dollars. The House scratched that plan and eliminated the funding source altogether. Except that the House Ways and Means budget-writing committee allocated $45 million in general funds for the program, which if you're keeping track, is the same pot the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in September.

Prior to that switcheroo, Maayan Schechter sat down for a deep dive interview with Hembree and Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association to talk about the bill. If you missed that interview, you can catch it below.

Other moments to watch this week in the House:

• The chamber's full agriculture committee meets Tuesday afternoon to discuss, in part, a bill to allow the aerial hunting of wild hogs.
• Liquor liability returns in front of a House Judiciary panel.
• Coastal Carolina University President Michael Benson and the president of S.C. Technical College system, Tim Hardee, will testify before the House Education and Public Works subcommittee. Both meetings are at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
• The House Legislative Ethics Committee meets Thursday afternoon.

Now onto the Senate.

Senate GOP Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, told reporters last week the upper chamber will focus on a few key bills this week on the floor related to fetanyl and organized retail crime, to name a couple.

It's what is off the floor that will also be worth watching.

• On Tuesday afternoon, the full Senate Judiciary Committee will meet to take up the tort reform, S. 244. Expectations are that the full committee will adopt a favorable report on the legislation, sending it to the floor for a possible (very lengthy) debate next week. Below you can find Massey's tort reform comments to reporters.
• The full Senate Education Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to take up, in part, a noncertified teacher pilot program bill. Also Wednesday at 10 a.m., a Medical Affairs subcommittee will discuss S. 54, a proposal that, in part, makes it unlawful for a person, a company or university to enforce a vaccine mandate and to ensure neither take any "adverse" actions against people who decline to get it. And the S.C. Attorney General's Office will present before the Legislative Oversight Committee.
• Right after the Senate adjourns Thursday, Sen. Larry Grooms' finance panel will hear from the state Treasurer's Office over the $1.8 billion accounting drama.

GAVIN JACKSON

A quick breakdown of what new legislation was filed last week.

Reminder: Hundreds of bills are filed every legislative year. A very small percentage wind up becoming law.

This time, we'll start with the Senate:

• S. 368, filed by Republican Sen. Billy Garrett (who represents Greenwood, Lexington and Saluda counties), is a proposal targeting what's known as DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).
• S. 362, filed by Sen. Brian Adams, R-Berkeley, focuses on gaming and gambling.
• S. 355, filed by Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester, would expand tasting room hours at micro-distilleries.  

And now the House:

• H. 4067, filed by Rep. Sylleste Davis, R-Berkeley, would require at least one doctor always be present in an emergency department when open.
• H. 4042, filed by Rep. Jay Kilmartin, R-Lexington, would authorize the over-the-counter sale of ivermectin tablets.
• H. 4056, filed by Rep. Mike Burns, R-Greenville, would raise the juror age exemption to 70, up from 65.
• H. 4059, filed by Rep. Heather Bauer, D-Richland, would give school library media specialists the autonomy over library material decisions and require each school district to establish a material review committee to handle challenges to media banning.
• H. 4061, filed by Rep. Stephen Frank, R-Greenville, would require the S.C. Department of Social Services to submit a request for a federal waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service to authorize the department to prohibit the use of SNAP benefits for the purchase of candy and soft drinks. 

GAVIN JACKSON

Earlier this month, we reported how the Trump administration's cuts to aid, grants and federal agencies were hitting close to home here in South Carolina.

And there are concerns and questions over whether more cuts could be coming.

In case you forgot: At least 22 states sued the administration after the National Institutes of Health announced it was cutting overhead payments for indirect medical and scientific research costs at a cap of 15%. That impacts three research universities in particular in the Palmetto State: the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University — altogether results in a $50 million annual loss, according to an impact statement by the schools.

That's one sector of the state.

Now to broadband.

Last week, Andrew Bateman, the acting executive director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, testified at his budget hearing in the Senate about potential federal cuts as well.

This is the agency, by the way, charged with trying to increase broadband access.

Because of orders signed Jan. 20, a few pots of grant funding for ORS are in question, per information provided by Bateman and Senate staff:

• $546 million is pending for broadband infrastructure: Part of the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act, the IIJA included $65 billion for broadband infrastructure so households could have access to high-speed internet. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration set aside nearly $552 million for South Carolina to install broadband in unserved and underserved areas. Of homes that did not have access, more than 112,000 now have access to broadband, leaving somewhere around 30,000 to 32,000 left, according to Bateman.
• $137 million is pending for HOME and HEAR grants: Part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the IRA included $8.8 billion for consumer home energy rebate programs. Of that, $137 million is slated for the Palmetto State to be split into two pots: One more the HOMES Efficiency Rebates program and the other for the HEAR Electrification Rebates program.
• $11.5 million is pending for digital equity capacity: Part of former President Joe Biden's "Internet for All" effort, states can use this money to help communities and people find the skills to use the internet.

"I don't have a crystal ball," Bateman told the finance panel. "I think it's unlikely all of those dollars would be impacted."

"The possibility is still out there," added the panel's chairman, Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland.

Bateman said ORS is currently evaluating all options.

You can listen to Bateman's testimony about the grants below:

Now onto workforce.

SC Public Radio's Scott Morgan recently reported how job cuts could impact the state's rural communities, particularly counties like Marlboro and Hampton where unemployment rates are high.

You can listen to his piece below.

Know of workforce/grant/aid cuts in South Carolina?

Let us know.

Celebrations are in order.

Gavin Jackson hosted his 600th episode of the South Carolina Lede podcast on Monday!

For background: Jackson created the podcast back in January 2018. While the format and episodes have evolved over the years, getting the news — from the Statehouse, campaign trail as well as natural disasters and pandemic — has remained constant.

To celebrate 600 he did what he and producer AT Shire do on nearly every Monday: they produced the podcast in studio.  

Tuesday's episode features interviews part of Jackson's interview on SCETV's This Week in South Carolina with Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, about the ongoing drama over the $1.8 billion accounting discrepancy/boondoggle. Jackson also spoke with Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis, the chair of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee on the state’s energy needs and the House-approved energy bill.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts and on southcarolinapublicradio.org. 

Provided

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SC Public Radio

SC House

• 11 a.m. — Blatt 516 — Judiciary Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, & Special Laws Subcommittee on S.74, H.3045 and H.3387
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• Noon — House is in session
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• One hour after the House adjourns — Blatt 516 — Judiciary Full Committee on H.3650, H.3046, H.3460, H.3127, H.3276
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 1.5 hours after the House adjourns — Blatt 427 *hybrid* — 3-M Medical and Health Affairs on H.3842, H.4067 and H.4069
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 1.5 hours after the House adjourns — Blatt 409 — Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 1.5 hours after the House adjourns — Blatt 403 — LCI Full Committee
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only

SC Senate

• Noon — Senate in session
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• After the Senate adjourns — Gressette 209 — Finance Constitutional Subcommittee
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the Senate adjourns — Gressette 105 — Full Judiciary Committee on S.184 and S.244
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only

Gov. Henry McMaster

• 10 a.m. — McMaster will attend a press conference at S.C. State University for a special announcement
• 3:30 p.m. — McMaster will attend the groundbreaking of the University of South Carolina Medical School at Columbia's BullStret

• What a horse farm in Aiken, South Carolina tells us about alleged global money laundering (Post and Courier)
• Retired judge recognized for murder trial leans into civil rights past (SC Public Radio)
• SC housing authority offers builders $10K per home to increase affordability (SC Daily Gazette)
• SC’s top wildlife official quitting after years of outspoken leadership. Replacement named. (The State)
• Listen: Senate education chair, teachers rep talk SC's efforts to expand school choice (SC Public Radio)
• Senate Republicans wage 6-figure ad campaign to counter attacks on lawsuit reform bill (Post and Courier)
• School board asks for veto as lawmakers defend H. 3792 (Manning Times)
• Cancer survivors and advocates to push for policy change at Statehouse in annual event (WCIV)
• Airport security will start checking for a REAL ID in 75 days. Here’s what you need to know. (SC Daily Gazette)
• SC’s top judge seeks money to expand family courts ‘in crisis’, modernize case management system (WIS)