TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
(Statewide Session)
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
The Senate assembled at 10:00 A.M., the hour to which it stood adjourned, and was called to order by the PRESIDENT.
A quorum being present, the proceedings were opened with a devotion by the Chaplain as follows:
The prophet Ezekiel declares:
“You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture and I am your God, says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:31)
Let us join our hearts in prayer:
Holy God, how comforting it is to be reminded that You are our shepherd, that each Senator, every staff member, all of us together are the sheep in Your pasture. We truly thank You, O Lord, for Your care, Your guidance, Your blessings and for Your gracious, comforting love. Moreover, we pray, dear God, that these servants themselves will always labor diligently on behalf of and be concerned and thoughtful toward those who are in their care: every woman, man, and child here in this “pasture” which we call South Carolina. May these “shepherds” employ wisdom and demonstrate steady integrity in their leadership of our State -- to Your glory, of course, and for the betterment of all of our citizens. We pray this in Your wondrous name, dear Lord. Amen.
The PRESIDENT called for Petitions, Memorials, Presentments of Grand Juries and such like papers.
MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR
The following appointments were transmitted by the Honorable Nikki Randhawa Haley:
Local Appointments
Reappointment, Georgetown County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Elaine C. Elliott, 3613 Old Pee Dee Road, Hemingway, SC 29554
Reappointment, Georgetown County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Isaac L. Pyatt, Post Office Box 807, Georgetown, SC 29440
Reappointment, Georgetown County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Gwendolyn R. McNeil, Post Office Box 694, Andrews, SC 29510
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Christopher J. Arakas, 804 Calhoun Road, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Mark A. Harris, 951 Scenic Drive, Loris, SC 29569
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Gerald T. Whitley, Jr., 1207 Golfview Drive, N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Aaron C. Butler, Post Office Box 3281, Conway, SC 29527
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Bradley D. Mayers, 511 Beaty Street, Conway, SC 29526
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Margie B. Livingston, Post Office Box 1402, Conway, SC 29528
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Benjamin C. Allan, 4041 J and S Countryside Rd., Conway, SC 29527
Reappointment, Horry County Magistrate, with the term to commence April 30, 2015, and to expire April 30, 2019
Monte L. Harrelson, 633 West Harrelson Road, Loris, SC 29569
Initial Appointment, Charleston Naval Facilities Redevelopment Authority, with the term to commence April 24, 2013, and to expire April 24, 2017
City of North Charleston:
Deborah C. Summey, 5051 Spaniel Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405 VICE Mr. Thomas A. Strock
Initial Appointment, Charleston Naval Facilities Redevelopment Authority, with the term to commence April 24, 2011, and to expire April 24, 2015
City of North Charleston:
Thomas E. Myers, 2745 Martha Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405 VICE Mr. James Tuten
Leave of Absence
At 10:48 A.M., Senator CAMPBELL requested a leave of absence for Senator CLEARY for the day.
Leave of Absence
At 10:51 A.M., Senator CROMER requested a leave of absence until 1:00 P.M.
Leave of Absence
At 2:10 P.M., Senator SHANE MARTIN requested a leave of absence on July 13, 2015, and July 18, 2015, through August 10, 2015, until 6:01P.M.
Expression of Personal Interest
Senator COURSON rose for an Expression of Personal Interest.
Remarks by Senator COURSON
I disseminated to the body an article on Senator PAUL THURMOND and I think it’s appropriate that I make a few comments. Many of you have asked me what I think about PAUL THURMOND. I guess that is because of my relationship with his late father, former Senator STROM THURMOND. I really didn’t know PAUL THURMOND before he was elected to the Senate. As many of you know, I have a Robert E. Lee wall, a Ronald Reagan wall, and I also have a STROM THURMOND wall in my Senate office. I have a picture of PAUL THURMOND with his family when he was five years old walking around the Capitol lawn in Washington D.C. I became politically involved with his father in 1964 when I was sitting in the Sigma Chi house at the University of South Carolina and STROM THURMOND came on national television and said he was going to support Barry Goldwater for President. Senator SETZLER, you may recall this event. He also said he was going to switch political parties and become a Republican. Now in 1964, there was not a single Republican elected official in the Palmetto State, and he was up for re-election in 1966. He would be running without the benefit of a political party infrastructure. I thought, “Gosh, this guy’s got guts and guts mean something.” So I became politically involved with him at the basic grass roots by climbing telephone poles to put signs up and putting bumper stickers on cars. I was honored later in 1984 and 1990 to be his state chairman. He then asked me to be the treasurer of his campaign committee, which I felt warm about because at least he felt I was honest -- to allow me to sign his checks. Senator PAUL THURMOND, your dad was a very tight individual, he could get eight pennies out of a nickel. But I really didn’t know Paul. My relationship with his father was very political -- I was never on his federal staff and was never paid anything for my campaign work. I had tremendous admiration for what he did, not just for being a conservative, but the guy had guts. One of my most memorable experiences was going with him to Normandy in 1987, where he landed in a glider on the night of June 5, 1944. PAUL THURMOND ran for County Council in Charleston and was elected. Then he ran for the Senate, and was elected. And I didn’t know him. His brother, Strom, was a page for me for a couple years so I knew him, and of course I knew his mother. Anyway, he was elected to the Senate and people would call and ask, “Who is PAUL THURMOND? Do you know him?” I’d say, “I don’t.” And so, I received a call from Paul shortly after the 2012 election. His sister Essie Mae Washington had passed away, and he called to ask if I would attend the funeral with him. I went and it was the start of a personal friendship.
On June 23, 2015, the Governor asked several of us, Senator PEELER and others, to meet with her that afternoon to talk about the Battle flag, which I did. I walked in her office and Senator THURMOND was there. The meeting concluded and Paul and I came back to my office. He had been working on a speech the previous weekend that will probably be called the “Speech of the Senate” this year. He asked if he could read it to me. I listened to the speech and made some suggestions that I thought might improve his remarks. He incorporated some of my ideas, and, like his dad, he discarded my other thoughts. His remarks to the Senate on July 6 were passionate and well delivered. The Governor asked those attending the meeting to stand with her at the afternoon press conference. When he got ready to leave my office, I said, “We really need to go and stand with her, we cannot leave the Governor out there alone. If we are going to support relocating the Battle flag to the Confederate Relic Room then we need to go and stand with her.” I think the powerful optics of PAUL THURMOND being there cannot be overestimated. No one present was more important than PAUL THURMOND. A gutsy call by Senator THURMOND because of what that family has meant to this State.
I was requested by the Republican Senate leadership to talk with Senator THURMOND about whether he would delay the remarks planned for June 24 until after we amended the Sine Die Resolution to allow for debate on the Battle flag beginning in July. I made the request to Senator THURMOND, and he refused, saying that he felt it was necessary to give his speech to the Senate on June 24. He is independent and can be sort of stubborn, just like his father. When I enter the chamber, I look at the portrait of his father and at least weekly, I visit the monument to his father on the State House grounds. I was honored to be the proponent of the portrait and the monument -- I was chairman of both endeavors. Senator THURMOND, after the events of the past two weeks, I am confident your proud father is looking down from heaven and saying, “That’s my boy.”
On motion of Senator HAYES, with unanimous consent, the remarks of Senator COURSON were ordered printed in the Journal.
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
The following were introduced:
S. 902 -- Senator Sabb: A SENATE RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE AND COMMEND CHARLES EDWARD WILSON, SR., FOR THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF SERVICE AS A MEMBER OF THE SANTEE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC. BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
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The Senate Resolution was adopted.
S. 903 -- Senators Alexander, Allen, Bennett, Bright, Bryant, Campbell, Campsen, Cleary, Coleman, Corbin, Courson, Cromer, Davis, Fair, Gregory, Grooms, Hayes, Hembree, Hutto, Jackson, Johnson, Kimpson, Leatherman, Lourie, Malloy, L. Martin, S. Martin, Massey, Matthews, McElveen, Nicholson, O'Dell, Peeler, Rankin, Reese, Sabb, Scott, Setzler, Shealy, Sheheen, Thurmond, Turner, Verdin, Williams and Young: A SENATE RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE UPON THE DEATH OF LESLIE ANN PIERCE OF COLUMBIA AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.
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The Senate Resolution was adopted.
Senator SCOTT spoke on the Senate Resolution.
Remarks by Senator SCOTT
Mr. PRESIDENT, members of the Senate and to the Pierce family, especially to you Patti, we are going to miss Leslie. Even during the budget cycle this year Leslie was right there fighting for the Columbia Museum of Art. She loved art and she loved Columbia. We are going to truly miss her. We are going to keep you and your family in our prayers as you get through this very difficult time.
On motion of Senator SHANE MARTIN, with unanimous consent, the remarks of Senator SCOTT were ordered printed in the Journal.
S. 904 -- Senator Sabb: A SENATE RESOLUTION TO HONOR PASTOR EDDIE GAMBLE, JR., OF EBENEZER MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN ANDREWS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF GOSPEL MINISTRY AT EBENEZER AND TO WISH HIM GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS AS HE CONTINUES TO SERVE THE LORD.
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The Senate Resolution was adopted.
H. 4370 -- Reps. King, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bernstein, Bingham, Bowers, Bradley, Brannon, G. A. Brown, R. L. Brown, Burns, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cole, Collins, Corley, H. A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Delleney, Dillard, Douglas, Duckworth, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, Forrester, Funderburk, Gagnon, Gambrell, George, Gilliard, Goldfinch, Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hodges, Horne, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, Jordan, Kennedy, Kirby, Knight, Limehouse, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, Mack, McCoy, McEachern, McKnight, M. S. McLeod, W. J. McLeod, Merrill, Mitchell, D. C. Moss, V. S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Neal, Newton, Norman, Norrell, Ott, Parks, Pitts, Pope, Putnam, Quinn, Ridgeway, Riley, Rivers, Robinson-Simpson, Rutherford, Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, G. M. Smith, G. R. Smith, J. E. Smith, Sottile, Southard, Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Tinkler, Toole, Weeks, Wells, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Williams, Willis and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPON THE PASSING OF THE NINE MEMBERS OF MOTHER EMANUEL AME CHURCH IN CHARLESTON WHOSE LIVES WERE TRAGICALLY CUT SHORT, TO CELEBRATE THEIR LIVES, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO THEIR FAMILIES AND MANY FRIENDS.
The Concurrent Resolution was adopted, ordered returned to the House.
THE SENATE PROCEEDED TO A CALL OF THE UNCONTESTED LOCAL AND STATEWIDE CALENDAR.
READ THE THIRD TIME
SENT TO THE HOUSE
The following Bill was read the third time and ordered sent to the House of Representatives:
S.897 -- Senators Sheheen, Malloy, Coleman, McElveen, Kimpson, Nicholson, Massey, Campbell, Hembree, Williams, Matthews, Hutto, Setzler, Sabb, L.Martin, Jackson, Davis, Lourie, Johnson, Reese, Thurmond, Campsen, Rankin, Scott, Hayes, Bennett, Allen and Gregory: A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 11010(A) OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO THE FLAGS AUTHORIZED TO BE FLOWN ATOP THE STATE HOUSE AND ON THE CAPITOL COMPLEX, TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA INFANTRY BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, TO PROVIDE FOR THE PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA INFANTRY BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA FROM ITS LOCATION ADJACENT TO THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIER MONUMENT, AND TO PROVIDE THAT UPON ITS REMOVAL, THE SOUTH CAROLINA INFANTRY BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA SHALL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE CONFEDERATE RELIC ROOM FOR APPROPRIATE DISPLAY.