THE MOSS REPORT

Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to serve you as your representative in the South Carolina House of Representatives. This overview is a brief update on legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by our governor during the 2007 session.

H. 4228 - CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

This bill revises the date for elections for the board of trustees of Cherokee County School District 1, the filling period, and the manner in which the results of the elections are determined.

- Elections must be held on the second Tuesday in August of even-numbered years; runoff elections are required to be held two weeks later.

- Results must be determined by Section 5-15-62 of the 1976 Code.

H. 3575 - DOT REFORM

This bill is a comprehensive restructuring of the Department of Transportation to enhance accountability. This bill includes the following changes:

- The Secretary of Transportation will be appointed by the governor.

- The governor has control of the top three levels of DOT.

- The DOT Commission will have new qualifications criteria, terms of office, and compensation limits.

- Requires the commission to approve nearly all major activities of the DOT, including the sale of surplus property, the adding to and deletion of roads from the state highway system, the execution of nearly all contracts and the DOT's annual budget.

- Requires the DOT to establish a priority list of projects; the DOT will use the following criteria: financial viability, public safety, economic development, traffic volume, pavement quality and environmental impact

- Creates an Internal Audit Division.

S. 332 - WORKERS' COMP REFORM

This is a comprehensive bill that overhauls the state's workers' compensation system. The legislation:

- Includes provisions for combating workers' compensation fraud, including hiring a forensic accountant for the Attorney General.

- Permits communications between the employee's physicians and the employer regarding a workplace injury; the bill strengthens requirements for expert medical testimony and provides more stringent standards for determining occupational disease cases, determining the award of future medicals and obtaining an award based on a change of condition.

- Revises the provisions for pre-existing conditions, adding the loss of the shoulder and/or hip to the schedule of injuries.

- Eliminates the presumption of disability upon the loss of use of 50 percent or more of the back.

- Includes new criteria for repetitive trauma so an injury is considered repetitive trauma only when medical evidence establishes a direct relationship between the injury and repetitive activities from employment.

- Revises the Second Injury Fund by eliminating most items in the list of covered pre-existing conditions; the Fund is to be dissolved if paid claims of the fund are $8 million or more during the 2011-2012 fiscal year

H. 3620 - STATE BUDGET/TAX RELIEF

The House and Senate agreed on a 2007- 2008 spending plan.

$7.3 billion total state budget.

$220 million in income and grocery tax cuts.

$81 million for state income tax relief.

$20 million for tourism promotion.

Full funding of the Education Finance Act's Base Student Cost.

Full funding of the school bus fleet rotation.

An increase in the amount provided to teachers for purchasing classroom supplies from $250 to $275.

Funding for access to LightRail, a broadband, highspeed optical research network that will link all major research universities with their hospital partners.

$9 million for new law enforcement officers at the Department of Public Safety.

$5 million for law enforcement officer vehicle fleet rotation.

S. 213 - PREVENTION OF UNDERAGE DRINKING

This legislation addresses underage drinking and access to alcohol. The legislation requires the registration of kegs, creates the offense of illegal purchase of alcoholic liquors for another's consumption, requires that criminal charges be brought against the seller and purchaser after the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages to minors, and requires completion of certain alcohol prevention education or intervention programs under certain circumstances.

S. 141 - CRIMINAL GANG PREVENTION ACT

This legislation adds criminal gang activities under the jurisdiction of the State Grand Jury. The stated intent of this bill is to eradicate the terror created by criminal gangs by providing enhanced penalties and by eliminating the patterns, profits, proceeds, instrumentalities and property facilitating criminal gang activity, including criminal gang recruitment.

H. 3170 - PALMETTO FELLOWS AND LIFE SCHOLARSHIP ENHANCEMENT

This bill increases scholarships for students majoring in science or mathematics. A student must be at least a sophomore in a public or private institution in this state, majoring in science or mathematics, and receiving a Palmetto Fellows or LIFE Scholarship. The increase each year is $3,300 for the Palmetto Fellows and $2,500 for the LIFE scholarship. The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is increased so all qualifying students will receive at least the maximum new LIFE Scholarship. A "science or mathematics" major shall include majors in those disciplines, computer science, engineering, science education, math education, and health care and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry.

H. 3097 - VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

This bill establishes the South Carolina Virtual School Program to make use of technology to expand educational opportunities. The program is designed to offer instruction through the Internet in order to offer a more flexible pace of instruction, provide alternatives for meeting graduation requirements and allow students to take courses that may not be offered at their schools.

Below is a list of legislation that I sponsored and supported to protect South Carolina from the overdeveloping of landfills throughout the state:

H. 4057 - RESTRICTING LANDFILL SITES

This legislation establishes restrictions on the distance required between individual landfills.

The bill states that construction, demolition, or land clearing debris landfills cannot be formed within 20 miles of an existing site.

H. 4056 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING LANDFILLS

This bill establishes regulations governing landfills. It provides that landfills are not permitted to expand the volume of an existing landfill or construct a new landfill unless it meets demonstration of need requirements.

It also prohibits granting a variance for such expansion or new construction.