Legislative eNews-JUNE 8, 2007

 

LOCAL

Town of Hilton Head License Fee Notification

The Town of Hilton Head Island hereby gives notice. In accordance with Title 10, Chapter 1, the deadline for renewing business licenses for 2007 is May 31, 2007. Businesses paying after that date shall be subject to a five percent (5%) penalty on the unpaid fee for each month or portion thereof after the due date, until paid. If any license remains unpaid for sixty (60) days after the due date of June 1, 2007, the Town shall take appropriate action for the collection of the fee, penalties, and the costs of collection. Renewal applications were mailed in January. Any business that did not receive a renewal application should contact Revenue Collections at Town Hall at 843-341-4610.

RENEW ON LINE -
Any businesses with a valid 2006 business license and no change to their name or address are eligible to renew their business on line. Exceptions to the on line renewal process are business licenses requiring special processing such as distributors of pool tables or amusement machines, taxis or exempt accounts. To access this service, go to the Town's website at www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov. Enter your business license number and your PIN listed on your renewal form sent to you in January and then follow the step-by-step instructions to make your payment.
STATE 
 

SC Legislature Adjourns Leaving Unfinished Business

The S.C. General Assembly adjourned Thursday afternoon as required by law, without passing a state budget or restructuring the Transportation Department.

After several days of gamesmanship and squabbles between the Senate and the House on several issues, including passing a budget as required by state law, leaders in both bodies agreed to bring the General Assembly back into session in two weeks to complete work on at least three issues: the state's annual budget, the SCDOT reform bill, and an overhaul of the state's workers' compensation system. Legislators will return for the session on June 19th.


Below is an update on the status of several chamber issues at the end of the regular session:

SCDOT Reform: The debate centered less on the actual process of reforming the SCDOT and giving the Governor broader oversight over the agency, than it did on where $200 million in transportation dollars would be spent. The House tied the passage of the budget to an agreement on SCDOT reform, which was not reached before the mandatory adjournment yesterday. Complicating the entire debate is a push for increasing the gas tax to help fund local road projects.


Budget: Legislators approved a stopgap funding bill that keeps state government running at current spending levels. That means no services will be cut if a budget is approved by July 1. Conferees have agreed to a $7.4 billion annual budget subject to approval by the House and Senate when they return June 19.  Included in the budget is close to $30 million for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for advertising, marketing, and product development. Tax policy remains a critical issue, with some legislators supporting $86 million in income tax cuts, while others are pushing for a $90 million cuts in the grocery sales tax.

Workers' Compensation: A last minute deal was reached on a bill to reform the state's workers' compensation system. The legislation toughens fraud penalties, narrows the definition of repetitive trauma to work-related injuries and phases out the Second Injury Fund which is designed to help injured employees return to work. The agreement will have to go before the House and the Senate for approval when legislators come back in June.

Coastal Insurance:  The legislature cleared H.3820, the Omnibus Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act.  The bill includes incentives for storm damage mitigation and to attract insurers to the SC market. 


Cigarette Tax: A bill to raise the cigarette tax by 30 cents per pack was killed in a committee last week following a disagreement of how to spend the revenue.

Education Formula: The Senate budget includes a "hold harmless" provision that limits a potential hit to schools because of a state funding formula. This will be considered as part of the continued budget debate.

Immigration: A bill to change immigration laws in South Carolina was not passed in the legislative's final days.

FEDERAL
 
Federal Immigration Reform

The Senate ended debate on a landmark immigration reform bill, essentially putting it on hold or killing it for the foreseeable future. After a furious week of amendments and high tension, the Senate voted on cloture which is a procedural vote to prohibit a filibuster and allow the Senate to move to final passage. The defeat came after months of painstaking negotiations and weeks of debate when a 45 to 50 procedural vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster. Senator Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) then pulled the bill from the floor, while holding out hope that the Senate could resurrect the measure within weeks. The President also called fro continued Senate consideration.

This is the second time in two years Congress has tried to address comprehensive immigration reform, last time both the House and Senate passed differing version that could not be reconciled before they adjourned for the 2006 elections.

It is unclear as to if and when either the Senate will continue consideration in the future or if the House will take it up this year.