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TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE SENATE BY ADDING RULE 53, THE "SEVENTY-TWO HOUR BUDGET RULE", SO AS TO ALLOW ADDITIONAL PUBLIC INPUT INTO THE ENACTMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS AND REVENUE RAISING BILLS BY ESTABLISHING STRICT TIME LIMITS DURING WHICH VERSIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS AND REVENUE RAISING BILLS AND AMENDMENTS THERETO MUST BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE BEFORE CONSIDERATION AND VOTES ON THESE BILLS AND TO PROVIDE THAT A TWO-THIRDS VOTE MAY WAIVE THESE TIME LIMITS.
Whereas, it is the opinion of the Senate 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 Senate 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 Senate, therefore, 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 Senate:
That the Rules of the Senate are amended by adding:
(A) As used in this rule:
(1) 'Amendment' means a proposed change in a bill.
(2) '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 Senate Finance Committee, any subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate.
(3) 'Bill' means an appropriations bill as defined in item (2) of this subsection, a revenue bill as defined in item (5) of this subsection, or a bill which both makes appropriations and raises revenues. For purposes of this definition, a bill includes a joint resolution.
(4) 'Publicly available' means posting a bill or amendment on the Senate portion of the General Assembly's website.
(5) '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 Senate Finance Committee, any subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate.
(6) 'Senate legislative body' means the Senate Finance Committee, any subcommittee of that committee, and the Senate.
(7) 'Strike all amendment' means an amendment removing all text after the enacting words of a bill and inserting all new text.
(B) A Senate 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 Senate legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.
(C) 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 Senate legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.
(D) 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 Senate legislative body considering the bill is in session on that day.
(E) 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.
(F) The time sensitive prohibitions of this rule for a Senate legislative body considering or voting on a bill may be waived upon a two-thirds vote of the full Senate Finance Committee or the Senate. 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 Senate legislative body) has waived the people's right for a detailed review of this bill as required by Rule 53, the Seventy-Two Hour Budget Review Rule.'
(G) This rule first applies for fiscal year 2010-2011."
This web page was last updated on April 1, 2009 at 5:39 PM