Tax Issues

General Obligations Bond Act (H.4332) This bill provides additional flexibility for the Department of Commerce relating to infrastructure and bonding.
Status: Passed the House

Workforce and Senior Affordable Housing Act (H.3998) This bill allows a taxpayer eligible for a federal low-income housing tax credit to claim a low-income housing state tax credit.
Status: Passed House and Senate Finance Committee

SC Port Volume Tax Credit (H.3778, S.439) This bill increases the available annual tax credit to $15 million from $8 million. It also provides for a new transportation tax credit for facilities located in the lower part of the state (closer to the Savannah port).
Status: H.3778 passed the House; S.439 passed Senate and passed House Ways and Means

Angel Incentives (S.185, H.3210) This credit, provided to qualified investors of small high impact companies (preceding venture capital), is set to expire this year. These bills extend the credit by seven years. Pointing to an estimated 900 jobs created and $51 million invested as a result of this bill’s passage in 2013, proponents are working to move both bills this year.
Status: S.185 passed the Senate; H.3210 passed the House

Textile Mills (S.440) Sen. Scott Talley (R-Spartanburg)
Related to contiguous parcels and rehabilitation expenses of textile mills.
Status: Passed Senate; passed House Ways and Means Committee

JEDA Conforming Bill (S.621) A bill that conforms South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority (JEDA) provisions to the U.S. Treasury regulations (issued Dec 2018) related to public notice of hearings and bonding provisions.
Status: Passed Senate; passed House Ways and Means Committee

Cable Television Tax Income (S.408) This bill allows cable television system operators to report income based on the “cost of performance” method.
Status: Passed Senate; passed House Ways and Means Committee

Health Issues

Coal Ash Storage (H.3483) Extends the sunset of the bill that requires coal ash to be stored in a Class 3 landfill.
Status: Signed into law

Youth Access to Tobacco (H.3420) This bill prohibits minors from entering a retail establishment that primarily sells either tobacco products or alternative nicotine products.
Status: Signed into law

Energy Issues

Solar Bill (H.3659) This bill is titled the Clean Energy Access Act and is related to the state solar and utilities industries in South Carolina. The bill would provide for a variety of benefits targeted toward rooftop and large-scale solar users.
Status: Passed House; received second reading in Senate

Sale of Santee Cooper (H.4287) This Joint Resolution gives the state the ability to accept bids from entities to purchase or manage Santee Cooper, as well as a bid from Santee Cooper as to how it will operate in the future.
Status: Passed the House and Senate; in House for concurrence vote

Securitization (S.110) This bill allows the state’s Public Service Commission to force utilities to securitize any extraordinary debt, namely the debt incurred by SCANA, for the abandonment of VC Summer.
Status: Passed a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee; done for 2019

Retail Issues

Energy Drinks (H.4352) Provides age restrictions on energy drinks.
Status: Passed a House 3M Subcommittee; done for 2019

On-Line Marketplace Tax Collection (S.214) This bill provides that third-party on-line retailers must collect sales tax.
Status: Signed into law

Alcohol Server Training (S.342) This bill provides that employees who sell alcohol for on-premises consumption must undergo alcohol server training.
Status: Passed the Senate, in Full House Judiciary this week

Workforce & Labor Issues

Workforce Database (H.3757) This bill provides that a coordinating council (workforce and education stakeholders) shall manage the development of a South Carolina workforce plan, using longitudinal data, metrics and analysis to identify South Carolina workforce priorities.
Status: Passed the House

Bill Introductions of Note