South Carolina General Assembly
124th Session, 2021-2022

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Bill 956

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED

February 15, 2022

S. 956

Introduced by Senators Peeler, Alexander, Hutto, Young and Setzler

S. Printed 2/15/22--S.    [SEC 2/16/22 11:50 AM]

Read the first time January 11, 2022.

            

A JOINT RESOLUTION

TO APPROPRIATE SETTLEMENT FUNDS PAID TO THIS STATE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR STORING PLUTONIUM AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE.

Amend Title To Conform

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

Part I

Appropriation of SRS Settlement Funds

SECTION    1.    The source of revenue appropriated in this section is the August 31, 2020, settlement of the lawsuit between the State of South Carolina and the United States Department of Energy ("DOE") concerning the termination of the Mixed Dioxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site ("SRS") and the DOE's failure to remove the plutonium stored at the SRS which is located in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale Counties ("SRS Settlement"). The expenditure authorizations contained in this section are for the maximum amounts that may be disbursed or expended by the receiving government entity. All disbursals and expenditures must be made in compliance with the provisions contained in this act. The receiving entities are:

(1)    Department of Administration

Savannah River Site Primary and Perimeter Counties.......................................................$393,698,276

(2)    County Transportation Committees...........$131,301,724

Part II

Directives to State Agencies Concerning the Appropriation of

SRS Settlement Funds

Department of Administration

SECTION    2.    (A)    There is established in the State Treasury an account to be known as the SRS Settlement Account. The account is separate from the general fund of the State and all other funds and accounts. The account shall consist of the settlement funds appropriated to the Department of Administration pursuant to SECTION 1(1) of this joint resolution. The funds in the SRS Settlement Account shall be used to fund the projects identified in subsections (C) and (D).

(B)    Counties in which projects identified in subsections (C) and (D) are located must submit a written request for funds appropriated in the county to the Executive Budget Office. Funds in the SRS Settlement Account may be released to fund an eligible project at the direction of the Executive Budget Office upon the Executive Budget Office's receipt of a written request from the receiving county. Prior to disbursal, the Executive Budget Office shall report each request for disbursement to the Joint Bond Review Committee and the legislative delegation representing the county. Upon receipt of funds, the counties must expeditiously distribute the funds.

(C)    Of the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(1), the following amounts shall be made available to the named primary counties for the named eligible projects:

(1)    Aiken County:

(a)    City of Aiken - SRS Corridor/Whiskey Road (Powderhouse Connector Road) congestion relief.......$29,500,000

(b)    North Augusta/Aiken County - New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam Redevelopment..............................$20,000,000

(c)    USC Aiken - National Guard Dreamport facility (coordination with US Cyber Command)...................$9,800,000

(d)    Aiken County - Improvements to Sage Mill Industrial Park to include water and sewer upgrades...................$5,000,000

(e)    Aiken County - Industrial Park Project in eastern Aiken County (land and infrastructure)............................$10,000,000

(f)    Aiken County - Off-site infrastructure Improvements for SRS/National Lab, including the    Aiken Technology/Innovation Corridor........................................................$20,000,000

(g)    Aiken County - Upgrades to Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (expansion for future growth)...........$10,000,000

(h)    Aiken County - Water line along Highway 39 from Wagener to Monetta with two elevated storage

tanks and three pump stations.................................$4,000,000

(i)        Aiken County - Water line from Beech Island to Jackson with elevated storage tanks and pump Stations ............$6,000,000

(j)        Aiken County - Public Safety Infrastructure/County Fire Suppression...............................................$4,000,000

(k)    North Augusta - Cyber Initiative infrastructure investment to complement Fort Gordon Army Cyber Command and Georgia Cyber Command..............................$15,000,000

(l)        North Augusta - Regional Solid Waste Transfer Station............................................................$2,000,000

(m)    City of Aiken/Aiken County - Redevelopment and economic development in downtown and Aiken's Northside toward I-20 ........................................................................25,000,000

(n)    Aiken County - Highway 19 Corridor Business/Economic Development Improvements (New Ellenton) and Downtown Water/Sewer Infrastructure (Wagener, Jackson, Burnettetown and Salley)................................................$5,000,000

(o)    Aiken Technical College - Nursing School Facility ..................................................................................$9,950,000

(p)    Aiken Technical College - Welding Lab .....................................................................$1,500,000

(q)    Aiken County Public School District - New Career and Technology Center and district-wide technology upgrades.........................................................$30,000,000

(2)    Barnwell County - Construction of Consolidated High School and Career Center and K-8 school for Williston and Blackville.....................................................................$110,000,000

(3)    Allendale County:

(a)    Allendale School District - Capital Improvements to Allendale High School and other district buildings ......15,000,000

(b)    Allendale County - Renovate C.V. Bing High School to consolidate law enforcement and other Town and County facilities.................................................................$4,500,000

(c)    Allendale County - Purchase, permitting, and development of potential industrial property site..........$5,000,000

(D)    Of the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(1), the following amounts shall be made available to the named perimeter counties for the named eligible projects:

(1)    Bamberg County:

(a)    Bamberg County - Cross Rhodes Industrial Park Speculative Building..........................................$4,000,000

(b)    Bamberg County - Airport Improvements..................................................$2,336,207

(2)    Colleton County - New speculative industrial shell building and engineering of the primary     road into the Colleton Mega Site......................................................................$1,387,932

(3)    Edgefield County:

(a)    Piedmont Technical College - Center for Advanced Manufacturing....................................$15,000,000

(b)    Edgefield County Law Enforcement Center............................................................$4,000,000

(c)    Edgefield County School District - Workforce Development Training and Equipment......................$1,600,000

(d)    Fox Creek High School Athletic Complex.........................................................$1,000,000

(4)    Hampton County - Purchase property adjacent to Southern Carolina Industrial Park............................$3,137,931

(5)    Lexington County:

(a)    Batesburg-Leesville Industrial Park - Site Preparation for Parcel #1.......................................$1,250,000

(b)    Saxe Gotha Industrial Park - Site Preparation for Parcel #9.........................................................$2,500,000

(c)    Chapin Business and Technology Park at Brighton - Site Preparation for Parcel #10.............................$1,250,000

(d)    Saxe Gotha Industrial Park - Phase III Roadway and Water Expansion..........................................$4,800,000

(e)    Batesburg-Leesville Industrial Park - Construction of Speculative Building on Parcel #1......................$2,100,000

(6)    Orangeburg County:

(a)    Orangeburg County - Western End Industrial Speculative Building...........................................$4,000,000

(b)    Orangeburg County - Property Acquisition.........................................................$500,000

(c)    Orangeburg County - Holly Hill Services Center Renovation......................................................$1,000,000

(d)    Orangeburg County - Hidden Valley Road/Essex Road Sewer........................................................$655,172

(7)    Saluda County - Piedmont Technical College - Workforce Development and Career Training.............$1,931,034

County Transportation Committees

SECTION    3.    (A)    Except as provided in subsection (B), the funds appropriated in SECTION 1(2) to the County Transportation Committees shall be disbursed to the eligible counties pursuant to S.C. Code Section 12-28-2740(A).

(B)    Counties in which projects funded in SECTION 2(C) are located are not eligible to receive funds appropriated to the County Transportation Committees by this joint resolution.

Part III

Miscellaneous Provisions

SECTION    4.    The expenditure authorizations contained in this act are supplemental to the expenditure authorizations for receiving entities as contained in Act 94 of 2021, the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2021-22, and future expenditure authorizations enacted by the General Assembly.

SECTION    5.    Earnings and interest on accounts created pursuant to this joint resolution must be credited to the account and any balance at the end of the fiscal year carries forward to the account in the succeeding fiscal year for the same purpose.

SECTION    6.    The General Assembly finds that the sections presented in this joint resolution constitute one subject as required by Article III, Section 17 of the South Carolina Constitution, in particular finding that each change and each topic relates directly to or in conjunction with other sections to the subject of appropriating funds received by the State pursuant to the SRS Settlement as clearly enumerated in the title.

The General Assembly further finds that a common purpose or relationship exists among the sections, representing a potential plurality but not disunity of topics, notwithstanding that reasonable minds might differ in identifying more than one topic contained in the joint resolution.

SECTION    7.    If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this Joint Resolution is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, then such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this Joint Resolution, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this Joint Resolution, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION    8.    This Joint Resolution shall become law upon approval of the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 16, 2022 at 12:00 PM