The second half of the 125th South Carolina General Assembly gaveled to a close on May 9. Since this was the second year of a two-year session, bills that did not pass both the Senate and House or get assigned to a conference committee this session are dead.
Both chambers passed S1192 — the sine die, or adjournment, resolution, which outlines the matters the General Assembly may consider when members return to Columbia in June. As of publication, the General Assembly anticipates returning on June 5 to elect a justice to the SC Supreme Court, and on June 18 and 26 to consider conference reports including the state budget.
Conference committees
For a bill to survive past the end of the 2024 session, it had to either be passed by both chambers and sent to the governor or assigned to a conference committee. A conference committee consists of three members of the Senate and three members of the House, who are selected to iron out the differences in the bill. These legislators cannot add to the contents of the bill unless authorized by a vote of both the House and Senate. Without that authorization, the committee must choose final language from the language found in the current versions of the bill.
Several bills tracked by the Municipal Association were assigned to a conference committee and will continue to be debated. S1017, the affordable housing property tax exemption bill, was amended by the House of Representatives after it was passed by the Senate, and the Senate did not agree with the amendments. A conference committee of Reps. Lee Hewitt, Neal Collins and Russell Ott and Sens. Michael Johnson, Danny Verdin and Nikki Setzler were appointed to resolve the differences between the bill’s two versions.
The conference committee for the budget includes Sens. Harvey Peeler, Nikki Setzler and Sean Bennett as well as Reps. Bruce Bannister, Leon Stavrinakis and Phillip Lowe who were assigned to find a compromise between the two versions of the budget.
Other bills
S1021, the abandoned buildings revitalization tax credit bill, was passed by both the House and Senate and enrolled for ratification, where it moved to the governor’s desk for his signature or veto. H3734, the municipal election bill, was stopped on a procedural motion in the House and prevented from passing.
H4552, the military tax increment financing bill, stalled in the Senate, but language from that bill was attached is S577. S577 was assigned to a conference committee of Reps. Bill Whitmire, Jackie Hayes and Mark Willis and Sens. Harvey Peeler, Thomas Alexander and Nikki Setzler.
Unless the sine die resolution is amended and approved by both chambers, the current resolution outlines what bills can and cannot be considered in June, when legislators return to Columbia after primary and runoff elections.
Find out more about the legislative session at the Municipal Association’s Annual Meeting, taking place July 17 – 21. Look for a more detailed overview in the 2024 Legislative Report, which will be available at the Annual Meeting and online. This article was written at the end of the regular session and is accurate as of May 14, 2024.