S 0249 General Bill, By Ford, Anderson, Glover, Hutto, Jackson, Land, Matthews, 
Washington and D. Williams
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 53-5-10, RELATING TO LEGAL HOLIDAYS, SO AS TO PROVIDE
 THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY AND CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY SHALL BE
 REGULAR RATHER THAN OPTIONAL HOLIDAYS AND TO DELETE REFERENCES TO ROBERT E.
 LEE'S BIRTHDAY AND JEFFERSON DAVIS' BIRTHDAY AS OPTIONAL HOLIDAYS.

   01/23/97  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-16
   01/23/97  Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-16
   04/24/97  Senate Polled out of committee Judiciary SJ-13
   04/24/97  Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Judiciary SJ-13
   04/29/97  Senate Read second time SJ-60
   04/29/97  Senate Ordered to third reading with notice of
                     amendments SJ-60
   04/30/97  Senate Amended SJ-69
   04/30/97  Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-69
   05/01/97  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-7
   05/01/97  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-7

AS PASSED BY THE SENATE

April 30, 1997

S. 249

Introduced by Senators Ford, Glover, Matthews, Hutto, Washington, Anderson, Land, Williams and Jackson

S. Printed 4/30/97--S.

Read the first time January 23, 1997.

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 53-5-10, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO LEGAL HOLIDAYS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY AND CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY SHALL BE REGULAR, RATHER THAN OPTIONAL, HOLIDAYS; TO DELETE REFERENCES TO ROBERT E. LEE'S BIRTHDAY AND JEFFERSON DAVIS' BIRTHDAY AS HOLIDAYS; AND TO MAKE GENERAL ELECTION DAY AN OPTIONAL, RATHER THAN REGULAR, HOLIDAY.

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

SECTION 1. Section 53-5-10 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 53-5-10. The first day of January - New Year's Day, the fifteenth day of January - Martin Luther King's birthday, the nineteenth day of January, the third Monday in February, the tenth day of May - Confederate Memorial Day, the last Monday of May - National Memorial Day, the third day of June, the Fourth day of July - Independence Day, the first Monday in September - Labor Day, the eleventh day of November - Veterans Day, National Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth days of December in each year are legal holidays.

State employees may select, prior to the first day of January, in writing on a form provided by their employer, one of the following nonnational holidays: Martin Luther King's birthday, January 15; Robert E. Lee's birthday, January 19; Confederate Memorial Day, May 10; or Jefferson Davis' birthday, June 3, the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November (even years) - General Election Day, the third Monday in February - (Washington's birthday), or, in the alternative, select a day of their choice.

All general election days are legal holidays in addition to the above.

The holiday schedules of public colleges and universities, including technical colleges, shall not be in violation of this section so long as the number of holidays provided for in this section are not exceeded."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.