H 3327 Resolution, By Hamilton, Bedingfield, Henderson, Ballentine, Crawford, 
Stringer, Corbin, Lucas, Delleney, Lowe, Young and Taylor
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO AMEND RULE 5.3 OF THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF
 REPRESENTATIVES, RELATING TO GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTAL
 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS, SO AS TO ADD THE "SEVENTY-TWO HOUR BUDGET RULE" TO
 ESTABLISH STRICT TIME LIMITS DURING WHICH VERSIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS AND
 REVENUE RAISING BILLS AND AMENDMENTS MUST BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE BEFORE
 CONSIDERATION AND VOTES ON THESE BILLS AND TO PROVIDE THAT THESE TIME LIMITS
 MAY BE WAIVED BY A TWO-THIRDS VOTE.

   01/18/11  House  Introduced (House Journal-page 1)
   01/18/11  House  Referred to Committee on Rules (House Journal-page 2)
   01/20/11  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Young, Taylor

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO AMEND RULE 5.3 OF THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, RELATING TO GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILLS, SO AS TO ADD THE "SEVENTY-TWO HOUR BUDGET RULE" TO ESTABLISH STRICT TIME LIMITS DURING WHICH VERSIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS AND REVENUE RAISING BILLS AND AMENDMENTS MUST BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE BEFORE CONSIDERATION AND VOTES ON THESE BILLS AND TO PROVIDE THAT THESE TIME LIMITS MAY BE WAIVED BY A TWO-THIRDS VOTE.

Whereas, it is the opinion of the House of Representatives that public participation in the legislative process improves the quality of proposed legislation making appropriations and raising revenues by allowing the opportunity for its detailed review by interested parties. The opportunity for a detailed review by the public before meetings or votes on legislation helps increase public trust in government and enhances respect for the House of Representatives by ensuring that its operation is conducted with the openness, order, and dignity befitting the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, it is the intent of the House of Representatives to prohibit meetings or votes on appropriations or revenue bills, or both, until seventy-two hours after the bill's public introduction. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That Rule 5.3 of the House of Representatives is amended by adding:

"H.    Seventy-Two Hour Budget Review Rule:

1.    As used in this rule:

a.    'Amendment' means a proposed change in a bill.

b.    'Appropriations bill' means the annual general appropriations bill, a supplemental appropriations bill, the joint resolution appropriating revenues of the capital reserve fund, a bill appropriating contingency reserve fund revenues, bond bills, or any other bill appropriating state revenues while under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee, any subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the House of Representatives.

c.    'Bill' means an appropriations bill as defined in subitem b., a revenue bill as defined in subitem e., or a bill which both makes appropriations and raises revenues. For purposes of this definition, a bill includes a joint resolution.

d.    'Publicly available' means posting a bill or amendment on the House of Representatives portion of the General Assembly's website.

e.    'Revenue bill' means a bill imposing a new or increasing an existing tax, fee, charge, assessment, or other revenue raising measure, however described, the revenues of which are used for the general operations of state government, or transferred to political subdivisions of the State, including school districts, or credited to segregated funds in the state treasury separate and apart from the general fund of the State the revenues of which must be used for specific rather than general governmental functions, which functions extend to distributions and reimbursements to political subdivisions of the State, including school districts, while under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee, any subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the House of Representatives.

f.    'House of Representatives legislative body' means the House Ways and Means Committee, any subcommittee of that committee, and the House of Representatives.

g.    'Strike-all amendment' means an amendment removing all text after the enacting words of a bill and inserting all new text.

2.    A House of Representatives legislative body may not consider or vote on a bill until seventy-two hours after the bill is made publicly available. This seventy-two hour period excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays except when the House of Representatives legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.

3.    Amendments offered to bills are not considered in order unless made publicly available twenty-four hours before a vote. The twenty-four hour period excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays except when the House of Representatives legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.

4.    Strike-all amendments are not considered in order unless made publicly available forty-eight hours before a vote. The forty-eight hour period excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays except when the House of Representatives legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.

5.    The time sensitive prohibitions of this rule apply each time a new version of a bill is considered, including consideration of a free conference committee report.

6.    The time sensitive prohibitions of this rule for a House of Representatives legislative body considering or voting on a bill may be waived upon a two-thirds vote of the full House Ways and Means Committee or the House of Representatives. For bills reported or adopted utilizing this exemption, the following note must be included in the next printing of the bill and the next version of the bill made publicly available:

'The (insert House of Representatives legislative body) has waived the people's right for a detailed review of this bill as required by Rule 5.3H., the Seventy-Two Hour Budget Review Rule.'

7.    This rule first applies for bills and joint resolutions making appropriations for fiscal year 2012-2013."