THE MOSS REPORT

REP. DENNIS MOSS

The House approved and sent to the Senate or enrolled for ratification the following bills of interest:

The House amended, approved, and sent to the Senate H.4883, the "EDUCATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SALES AND USE TAX ACT."

This legislation authorizes a county, which has collected at least $7 million in state accommodations taxes in a fiscal year to impose, through referendum approval, a 1 percent local sales and use tax for not more than 15 years with the revenue to be used by the county's school district board of trustees to pay for public school capital improvements. Under the legislation, a county would have the option of sharing this revenue with public institutions of higher learning or technical colleges located in the county for capital improvements on those campuses.

The House amended, approved, and sent to the Senate H.4797, a bill providing that LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE PROHIBITED FROM CHARGING FEES FOR RESPONDING TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. This bill provides that a municipality or county, or unit or agency of it, may not impose a fee or seek reimbursement of costs or expenses incurred as a result of responding to a motor vehicle accident.

The House approved and sent to the Senate H.4451, this bill revises definitions relating to QUALIFICATIONS TO RECEIVE STATE AID FOR EDUCATION so as to exclude persons who are not lawfully present in the United States from eligibility to receive state aid for education.

The House amended, approved, and sent to the Senate H.4980, this bill increases the charter period for CHARTER SCHOOLS from five to 10 years. The legislation also provides for appeals of South Carolina Public Charter School District decisions with the Administrative Law Court rather than the State Board of Education.

The House approved and sent to the Senate H.4833, the "SOUTH CAROLINA FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM ACT," which creates a program that will foster a direct relationship between South Carolina farms and schools to provide schools with fresh and minimally processed foods for student consumption.

Some of the bills that were introduced in the House this week included:

AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS:

S.1244, LIFETIME STATEWIDE AND LIFETIME COMBINATION FISHING LICENSES. This bill allows the lifetime statewide hunting license and the lifetime recreational saltwater fishing license to be purchased from the department at its designated licensing locations rather than at the Department's Columbia headquarters. The bill also revises the types of lifetime combination licenses offered and the fees for these licenses. A 63-year-old resident who holds either a lifetime combination, lifetime hunting, lifetime freshwater fishing or lifetime saltwater recreational fisheries license upon attaining the age of 64 may convert that license to a senior lifetime license for $9 upon obtaining the required hunter education certificates. This bill also clarifies that certain licenses are for recreational freshwater fishing and to provide the procedure and fee for obtaining a lifetime saltwater recreational fisheries license.

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WORKS: S.815, FULL-DAY, FOUR-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTEN. This comprehensive legislation creates full-day, 4-year-old kindergartens to offer private and state supported, public full-day, 4-year-old kindergarten educational services to children considered at-risk. The kindergartens shall focus on the developmental and learning support that children must have to be ready for school, and also must incorporate parenting education.

S.1233, SOUTH CAROLINA DOMICILE FOR TUITION AND FEE PURPOSES. Under this bill, independent persons who reside in and have been domiciled in South Carolina for fewer than 12 months with an intention of making a permanent home and their dependents, may be considered eligible for in-state rates for as long as such independent person is employed on a full-time basis in the state or within an adjoining county in North Carolina or Georgia.

Further the bill requires that the Commission on Higher Education explore and establish, if possible, a reciprocal agreement for persons, and their dependents, who are employed on a full-time basis in this state, but are domiciled in an adjoining county in North Carolina or Georgia.

If I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call your legislative office in Columbia (803-734-3073), office 422A Blatt Building, Columbia, SC 29211; or by e-mail at mossd@scstatehouse.net or my home in Gaffney (864-487-2121); or write 306 Silver Circle, Gaffney, SC 29340. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.