Lawmakers returned to the State House on Jan. 10 to commence the second legislative year of the 119th South Carolina General Assembly.

The House of Representatives approved S.258 and enrolled the bill for ratification.  The legislation creates the office of State Inspector General for the purpose of investigating and addressing allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, misconduct, violations of state or federal law, and wrongdoing in state agencies.  

The State Inspector General is to be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for a term of four years. The office is authorized to investigate any authority, board, branch, commission, committee, department, division, or other instrumentality of the executive branch of state government, including administrative bodies, but its investigatory powers do not extend to the legislative branch of state government, the judicial branch, the state’s quasi-judicial bodies, or political subdivisions.  

For the purpose of conducting investigations, the State Inspector General is given authority to administer oaths, examine witnesses under oath, issue subpoenas, and examine the records, reports, audits, reviews, papers, books, recommendations, contracts, correspondence, or any other documents maintained by an agency. The State Inspector General must establish a toll free public telephone number for the purpose of receiving confidential reports concerning state agency activities.

The House sustained the Governor’s veto on S.211, legislation establishing the I 95 Corridor Authority to carry out economic development and educational enhancement activities to improve the economic conditions in its member counties located along Interstate 95.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3095 and enrolled the bill for ratification.  The legislation addresses Transfer Fee Covenants, which are provisions purporting to run with the land or bind current owners or successors in title to specified real property that obligate a transferee or transferor of all or part of the property to pay a fee or charge to a third person upon transfer of an interest in all or part of the property, or in consideration for permitting this transfer.  

The legislation provides a transfer fee covenant recorded after the effective date of this legislation, or any lien to the extent that it purports to secure the payment of a transfer fee, is not binding on or enforceable against the affected real property or any subsequent owner, purchaser, or mortgagee of any interest in the property.  

The legislation establishes requirements for filing documentation that must be met in order for a transfer fee covenant recorded before the legislation’s effective date to be valid and enforceable.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4005, a bill establishing requirements for honey, and enrolled the bill for ratification.  The legislation defines the term “honey” as the raw food product produced by honeybees for human consumption and subjects all honey and honey products to the labeling requirements of the South Carolina Food and Cosmetic Act.

The House amended, approved, and sent to the Senate H.3495, a joint resolution creating a School District Consolidation Study Committee.  

The legislation creates a committee to study the feasibility and cost effectiveness of consolidating the school districts within the individual counties of this state.  

If you have a comment or opinion concerning the matters discussed in this report, or if I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call your legislative office in Columbia (803) 734 2936, or my office in Pineville (843) 567-4386.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.