2015-2016 Bill 3014: Sessions of the General Assembly - South Carolina Legislature Online

1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 121st Session, 2015-2016 3 4 H. 3014 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 Joint Resolution 9 Sponsors: Reps. Bannister, Allison, Atwater, Ballentine, Bedingfield, Bingham, Bradley, Brannon, Burns, 10 Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Cole, Collins, Corley, H.A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Delleney, 11 Duckworth, Erickson, Finlay, Forrester, Gagnon, Gambrell, Goldfinch, Hamilton, Hardee, Hardwick, 12 Henderson, Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Horne, Huggins, Johnson, Kennedy, Limehouse, 13 Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, McCoy, Merrill, D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Newton, Pitts, 14 Pope, Putnam, Quinn, Riley, Rivers, Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, Sottile, Stringer, 15 Tallon, Taylor, Wells, White, Whitmire, Willis, Yow, George, McKnight, Thayer, J.E. Smith and 16 Whipper 17 Document Path: l:\council\bills\ms\7000ahb15.docx 18 19 Introduced in the House on January 13, 2015 20 Introduced in the Senate on March 10, 2015 21 Last Amended on March 5, 2015 22 Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary 23 24 Summary: Sessions of the General Assembly 25 26 27 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 28 29 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 30 12/11/2014 House Prefiled 31 12/11/2014 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary 32 1/13/2015 House Introduced and read first time ( House Journalpage 64) 33 1/13/2015 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary ( House Journalpage 64) 34 1/15/2015 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Pitts 35 1/21/2015 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Thayer 36 2/25/2015 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: J.E.Smith 37 3/4/2015 House Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary ( House Journalpage 30) 38 3/5/2015 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Whipper 39 3/5/2015 House Amended ( House Journalpage 28) 40 3/5/2015 House Read second time ( House Journalpage 28) 41 3/5/2015 House Roll call Yeas103 Nays4 ( House Journalpage 32) 42 3/5/2015 House Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day ( House Journalpage 33) 43 3/6/2015 House Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments ( House Journalpage 2) 44 3/10/2015 Senate Introduced and read first time ( Senate Journalpage 12) 45 3/10/2015 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary ( Senate Journalpage 12) 46 8/13/2015 Senate Referred to Subcommittee: Massey (ch), Scott, Bennett 47 48 View the latest legislative information at the website 49 50 51 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 52 53 12/11/2014 54 3/4/2015 1 3/5/2015 2 1 Indicates Matter Stricken 2 Indicates New Matter 3 4 AMENDED 5 March 5, 2015 6 7 H. 3014 8 9 Introduced by Reps. Bannister, Allison, Atwater, Ballentine, 10 Bedingfield, Bingham, Bradley, Brannon, Burns, Chumley, Clary, 11 Clemmons, Cole, Collins, Corley, H.A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, 12 Delleney, Duckworth, Erickson, Finlay, Forrester, Gagnon, 13 Gambrell, Goldfinch, Hamilton, Hardee, Hardwick, Henderson, 14 Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Horne, Huggins, Johnson, 15 Kennedy, Limehouse, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, McCoy, Merrill, 16 D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Newton, Pitts, Pope, 17 Putnam, Quinn, Riley, Rivers, Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, 18 G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, Sottile, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Wells, 19 White, Whitmire, Willis, Yow, George, McKnight, Thayer, 20 J.E. Smith and Whipper 21 22 S. Printed 3/5/15--H. 23 Read the first time January 13, 2015. 24 25

[3014-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A JOINT RESOLUTION 10 11 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO SECTION 9, ARTICLE III 12 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, 13 RELATING TO SESSIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 14 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR ANNUAL SESSIONS OF THE 15 GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMENCING ON THE SECOND 16 TUESDAY IN FEBRUARY RATHER THAN THE SECOND 17 TUESDAY IN JANUARY OF EACH YEAR, REQUIRE EACH 18 ANNUAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO 19 ADJOURN SINE DIE NOT LATER THAN THE FIRST 20 THURSDAY IN MAY EACH YEAR, AND ALLOW THE 21 GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONVENE IN LOCAL SESSION 22 AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEGINNING COMMITTEE 23 MEETINGS OR HEARINGS ON THE SECOND TUESDAY OF 24 JANUARY EACH YEAR. 25 Amend Title To Conform 26 27 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South 28 Carolina: 29 30 SECTION 1. It is proposed that Section 9, Article III of the 31 Constitution of this State be amended to read: 32 33 “Section 9. The annual session of the General Assembly shall 34 convene at the State Capitol Building in the City of Columbia on 35 the second Tuesday of January February of each year and must 36 adjourn sine die not later than the last Thursday in May each year. 37 The General Assembly may convene in local session and for the 38 purpose of beginning committee meetings or hearings on the 39 second Tuesday of January of each year. After the convening of 40 the General Assembly, nothing in this section shall prohibit the 41 Senate or the House of Representatives, or both, from receding for 42 a time period not to exceed thirty consecutive calendar days at a

[3014] 4 1 time by a majority vote of the members of the body of the General 2 Assembly seeking to recede for a time period not to exceed thirty 3 consecutive calendar days, or from receding for a time period of 4 more than thirty consecutive calendar days at a time by a twothirds 5 vote of the members of the body of the General Assembly seeking 6 to recede for more than thirty consecutive calendar days at a time. 7 Each body shall sit in session at the State Capitol Building in the 8 City of Columbia and may provide for meetings during the 9 legislative session as it shall consider appropriate. Furthermore, the 10 Senate or the House of Representatives, or both, may meet on the 11 first Tuesday following the certification of the election of its 12 members for not more than three days following the general 13 election in evennumbered years for the purpose of organizing. If 14 the casualties of war or contagious disease render it unsafe to meet 15 at the seat of government, the Governor, by proclamation, may 16 appoint a more secure and convenient place of meeting. Members 17 of the General Assembly shall not receive any compensation for 18 more than forty days of any one session.” 19 20 SECTION 2. The proposed amendment must be submitted to the 21 qualified electors at the next general election for representatives. 22 Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the 23 following words printed or written on the ballots: 24 25 “Shall Section 9, Article III of the Constitution of this State be 26 amended so as to provide for annual sessions of the General 27 Assembly commencing on the second Tuesday in February, rather 28 than the second Tuesday in January of each year, to require each 29 annual session of the General Assembly to adjourn sine die not 30 later than the last Thursday in May each year, and to allow the 31 General Assembly to convene in local session and begin 32 committee meetings or hearings on the second Tuesday in January 33 each year? 34 35 Yes  36 37 No  38 39 Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with 40 a check or cross mark in the square after the word ‘Yes’, and those 41 voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or 42 cross mark in the square after the word ‘No’.” 43 XX

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