Gov. Nikki Haley has nominated eight individuals to the State Ethics Commission. If confirmed by the Senate, the appointments will bring stability to the commission, where four of the nine seats are vacant and the terms of the five serving commissioners have expired.

The Senate is also debating a bill to overhaul the commission and empower it to confidentially investigate complaints filed against House and Senate members.

House Bill 3945 would also expand the definition of lobbying and modify reporting requirements.

The Legislature is not meeting this week because of the winter storm in the Carolinas. Most legislative meetings are also canceled.

Gov. Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, January 28, as light sleet began falling on the state capital.

The Legislature will resume its normal schedule next week on Tuesday, February 4.

The bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued its final report and recommendations on an ethics bill to be considered during the start of next week’s legislative session. House Bill 3945 already has 54 pending Senate amendments and will likely have more by next week.

The committee’s final report highlighted possible changes to lobbying regulations including a two-year revolving door restriction and a doubling of annual registration fees from $100 to $200. The committee recommends “meaningful and comprehensive ethics reform” to address weaknesses in the current law.

The House has passed a bill to overhaul ethics laws, including campaign finance and lobbying. House Bill 3945 creates the Joint Committee on Ethics and the Public Integrity Unit to investigate complaints and replace the separate House and Senate ethics committees.

The bill includes new reporting requirements for campaign contributions just before an election and extends lobbyist registration and reporting for individuals lobbying local governments and school boards.

A final approval on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, allows the bill to meet the crossover deadline for Senate consideration. If sent any later, the bill would need a two-thirds vote for Senate passage.

The Commission on Ethics Reform, formed by Governor Nikki Haley in October, 2012, has released 23 recommendations following a series of public meetings. Recommendation 12 would revise lobbying definitions to cover individuals who lobby any political subdivision of the state, including counties, city councils, municipalities, school districts, and special purpose or public service districts.

The commission hopes to offset the additional cost associated with expanding lobbying registration and reporting by increasing the registration fee for lobbyists and lobbyist principals. Whether or not the reform recommendations will produce new legislation is up to state lawmakers.

The special election to fill House District 1 and succeed Tim Scott in Congress is attracting notable candidates including Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, the sister of Comedy Central’s Steven Colbert. Colbert-Busch works at Clemson University as director of sales and marketing for the Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility.

Republican candidates include wealthy businessman Martin Skelly and former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.

The special primary is scheduled for March 19. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held April 2. The special election will be held May 7, 2013.

A special election will be held to fill the House District 17 seat, left vacant by Tom Corbin following the November 6, 2012 election. Corbin, elected to both the House and Senate, resigned as a state representative November 12th to become a state senator.

Filing for the open seat begins November 30th and closes December 10, 2012. Primaries will be January 22nd followed by possible runoffs on February 5, 2013. The special election will be held on March 12, 2013.

Voters approved an amendment to the state constitution requiring the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket.

Beginning with the general election of 2018, the lieutenant governor will no longer be elected separately and will no longer preside over the senate.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has created an independent commission responsible for making recommendations to reform state ethics and open records laws.

The executive order establishes an 11-member panel to review several ethics areas including conflict of interest rules, lobbying regulation, and enforcement of existing laws.

The governor expects a report from the commission by January 28, 2013, just weeks after the beginning of the next legislative session.

Photo of Governor Haley courtesy of Albert N. Milliron on Wikipedia.

Florida: “Ethics commission wants power to collect fines – and respect” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Georgia: “Former director, assistant file lawsuits against ethics commission” by Aaron Gould Sheinin and Chris Joyner in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Missouri: “Ethics Commission wants state ethics laws modernized” by Mike Lear in Missourinet.

South Carolina: “Haley ethics probe shines light on dark side of S.C. politics” by Gina Smith in The State.

Georgia: “Gov. Deal still has 3 pending ethics complaints” by the Morris News Service in the Augusta Chronicle.

Missouri: “Former Missouri governor, St. Louis attorney indicted in campaign contributions case” by Robert Patrick in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

South Carolina: “Ethics Commission to hear 7 allegations against Haley” by Gina Smith in The State.

A special election will be held on July 24, 2012 to fill the empty seat in House District 68. Thad Viers recently vacated the seat after being charged with harassing his ex-girlfriend.

The primary election will be held June 5, 2012. If necessary, a primary runoff will be held on June 19, 2012.

Photo of the South Carolina State House by Nikopoley on Wikipedia.

Thad Viers announced his resignation as State Representative for House District 68. The announcement came after Mr. Viers was charged with harassing his ex-girlfriend. She told investigators he continued to call, text and email for more than five months after they broke up, according to a Myrtle Beach police report.

Due to the vacancy, a special election will be held following the writ of election to be issued by the speaker of the house. There is currently an unrelated special election scheduled for Senate District 41 on July 17, 2012.

Photo of Thad Viers courtesy of the South Carolina House of Representatives website.

Ethics

“Blagojevich to serve sentence at Denver-area prison” by Natasha Korecki in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Missouri: “Mo. lawmaker says waiting for elections could mean better ethics bill” by The Associated Press in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Missouri: “Ethics reform in Missouri appears to be a nonstarter in election year” by Jason Hancock in the Kansas City Star.

New Mexico: “Governor signs bill intended to crack down on corruption within government” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Government Transparency

South Carolina: “House panel OKs bill setting cost limits on FOIAs” by The Associated Press in the Greenville News.