Last week was the 10th week of the 2018 legislative session. Here are the highlights from the Senate:
EMERGENCY PRESCRIPTION REFILLS – The Senate passed S. 506, which would allow a pharmacist working in a county under a declared state of emergency to issue a one-time, 30-day refill for prescriptions. The House of Representatives will now consider the bill.
SHORELINE SETBACKS ALONG COAST – There has been a good bit of attention among homeowners along the coast regarding erosion setback requirements. Those setbacks would impact building and renovations on lots along the coast. South Carolina began enforcing updated setbacks for coastal property in January and caught many coastal property owners by surprise.
Last week, the Senate passed S. 784, which would delay implementation until the end of 2019, allowing more time for study and preparation. I expect the Senate to consider more detailed rules for these setbacks soon. The bill should go to the House this week.
APPRAISAL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES – The Senate passed S. 877, a bill that would allow Appraisal Management Companies to secure a $50,000 surety bond in lieu of a detailed financial statement when registering. If the company registers with a bond, aggrieved customers could assert claims against that bond. The House will now consider the bill.
STATE BUDGET – The House of Representatives last week passed its version of a state budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Senate Finance Committee has had subcommittees working on budget sections for the several weeks, and the full Committee is expected to debate the budget this week. I expect the full Senate to debate the budget during the week of April 10. I will give you more details as I learn more.
SENATE SCHEDULE – The Generally Assembly usually takes time off around Easter. I expect the Senate will not be in session the first week of April. The Senate will likely debate the budget the following week, and the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 10.
LAST WEEK’S MEETINGS
On Monday night, I held a town hall meeting at Merriwether Middle School.
On Thursday afternoon, I was a guest on 100.7 The Point with Kev Cohen, an afternoon radio show in Columbia.
On Thursday night, I held a town hall at Edgefield County Council Chambers.
On Friday, I attended North Augusta Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast meeting.
On Friday afternoon, I attended a retirement drop-in for Melissa Mayson, who has worked for the betterment of children for 31 years (31 years!!) at the Department of Social Services. Congratulations, Melissa… and thank you for your service!
CONSTITUENT INTEREST
TOWN HALL MEETINGS – I held two meetings in Lexington County last week. Here is the schedule for upcoming meetings:
3/19/2018
Midland Valley High School
Auditorium
6:00-7:30PM
3/22/2018
LBC Middle School
Auditorium
6:00-7:30PM
3/26/2018
Belvedere Elementary School
Cafeteria
6:00-7:30PM
I hope to have meetings scheduled for Saluda and McCormick Counties soon.
WANT TO SEE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ACTION? – The Senate meets in statewide session on Tuesdays at 2:00, Wednesdays at 12:00, and Thursdays at 11:00. Committees and subcommittees meet Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings. You can watch live coverage of the Senate, House of Representatives, and committees here.
OUR SENATE DISTRICT – Senate district 25 consists of all of Edgefield County and parts of Aiken, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. If you’d like to see the district map, go here.
VOTING RECORD – If you’d like to see how I’ve voted on issues, go here. You can always check to see how I vote by going to my website, and clicking on the “Voting Record” tab.
SPEAKING WITH GROUPS – Several groups, clubs, and classes around our Senate district have invited me to attend their meetings and provide legislative updates. If you would like for me to come speak with your group, please let me know.
EMAIL UPDATES – If you know of people in or around District 25 who do not receive my updates but would like to get them, please email their names and email addresses to me. You can also forward this email to them and encourage them to sign up for the updates at www.senatormassey.com.
Sincerely,
Shane Massey
P.O. Box 551
Edgefield, SC 29824
Email – shanemassey@scsenate.gov
Cell Phone – (803) 480-0419