South Carolina General Assembly
120th Session, 2013-2014

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

A249, R279, S964

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senator L. Martin
Document Path: l:\s-res\lam\012isor.hm.lam.docx

Introduced in the Senate on January 21, 2014
Introduced in the House on May 6, 2014
Last Amended on May 27, 2014
Passed by the General Assembly on May 29, 2014
Governor's Action: June 6, 2014, Signed

Summary: Property tax millage

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/21/2014  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 12)
   1/21/2014  Senate  Referred to Committee on Finance (Senate Journal-page 12)
   3/26/2014  Senate  Committee report: Majority favorable with amend., 
                        minority unfavorable Finance (Senate Journal-page 30)
   3/27/2014          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/30/2014  Senate  Committee Amendment Amended and Adopted 
                        (Senate Journal-page 60)
   4/30/2014  Senate  Amended (Senate Journal-page 60)
   4/30/2014  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 60)
   4/30/2014  Senate  Roll call Ayes-30  Nays-11 (Senate Journal-page 60)
    5/1/2014  Senate  Read third time and sent to House 
                        (Senate Journal-page 21)
    5/6/2014  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 19)
    5/6/2014  House   Referred to Committee on Ways and Means 
                        (House Journal-page 19)
   5/15/2014  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Ways and 
                        Means (House Journal-page 45)
   5/27/2014  House   Amended (House Journal-page 99)
   5/27/2014  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 99)
   5/27/2014  House   Roll call Yeas-64  Nays-30 (House Journal-page 100)
   5/28/2014  House   Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments 
                        (House Journal-page 13)
   5/28/2014          Scrivener's error corrected
   5/29/2014  Senate  Concurred in House amendment and enrolled 
                        (Senate Journal-page 106)
    6/5/2014          Ratified R 279
    6/6/2014          Signed By Governor
   6/13/2014          Effective date 06/06/14
   6/16/2014          Act No. 249

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/21/2014
3/26/2014
3/27/2014
4/30/2014
5/15/2014
5/27/2014
5/28/2014


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A249, R279, S964)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 6-1-320, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE LIMIT ON ANNUAL PROPERTY TAX MILLAGE INCREASES IMPOSED BY POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY OF A FIRE DISTRICT THAT EXISTED ON JANUARY 1, 2014, WHICH SERVES LESS THAN SEVEN HUNDRED HOMES, MAY ADOPT AN ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE COUNTY TO CONDUCT A REFERENDUM TO SUSPEND THE MILLAGE RATE INCREASE LIMITATION FOR FIRE DISTRICT GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY MAY ADOPT AN ORDINANCE, SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM, TO SUSPEND THE MILLAGE RATE INCREASE LIMITATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPOSING A SPECIAL MILLAGE NOT TO EXCEED SIX-TENTHS OF A MILL FOR COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Exception to millage rate increase limitation for fire district operations

SECTION    1.    Section 6-1-320 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 57 of 2011, is further amended by adding an appropriately lettered subsection at the end to read:

"( )(1)    Notwithstanding the limitation upon millage rate increases contained in subsection (A), a fire district's governing body may adopt an ordinance or resolution requesting the governing body of the county to conduct a referendum to suspend the millage rate limitation for general operating purposes of the fire district. If the governing body of the county agrees to hold the referendum and subject to the results of the referendum, the millage rate limitation may be suspended and the millage rate may be increased for general operating purposes of the fire district. The referendum must be held at the time of the general election, and upon a majority of the qualified voters within the fire district voting favorably in the referendum, the millage rate may be increased in the next fiscal year. The referendum must include the amount of the millage increase. The actual millage levy may not exceed the millage increase specified in the referendum.

(2)    This subsection only applies to a fire district that existed on January 1, 2014, and serves less than seven hundred homes."

Exception to millage rate increase limitation for mental health services

SECTION    2.    Section 6-1-320 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 57 of 2011, is further amended by adding an appropriately lettered subsection at the end to read:

"( )    Notwithstanding the limitation upon millage rate increases contained in subsection (A), the governing body of a county may adopt an ordinance, subject to a referendum, to suspend the millage rate limitation for the purpose of imposing up to six-tenths of a mill for mental health. The referendum must be held at the time of the general election, and upon a majority of the qualified voters within the county voting favorably in the referendum, this special millage may be imposed in the next fiscal year. The state election laws apply to the referendum mutatis mutandis. This special millage may be removed only upon a majority vote of the local governing body. The amounts collected from the increased millage:

(1)    must be deposited into a mental health services fund separate and distinct from the county general fund and all other county funds;

(2)    must be dedicated only to expenditures for mental health services in the county; and

(3)    must not be used to supplant existing funds for mental health programs in the county."

Time effective

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 5th day of June, 2014.

Approved the 6th day of June, 2014.

__________


This web page was last updated on July 24, 2014 at 3:56 PM