Friday 5: 2-24-2023

Happy Friday! Looking for updates in policy in SC? Read on to catch up on what you may have missed!

The SC House approved a bill to allow guns to be carried in public without a permit. The legislation is designed to have a felon-in-possession crime in which officers would be enabled to charge more people who shouldn’t have a gun. The 90-30 vote was mainly along party lines, with Republicans citing that the bill worked to restore a “constitutional right” and the Democrats countering this by saying that it is a dangerous bill. The bill itself does not change where guns are banned, and amendments encouraged gun owners to get training without mandating it.

An approved budget by the state House Ways and Means Committee would increase teachers’ base pay by $2,500, potentially bringing the starting salary from $40,000 to $42,500. While this would not apply to every public-school teacher, the Palmetto State Teachers Association said that every district would receive more money, giving them the ability to increase teacher pay.

SC’s “disorderly conduct” law, which allows police to charge anyone who is “in a grossly intoxicated condition” or “conducts himself in a disorderly manner” such a using profanity, was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court declared the law was vague and deprived students on their 14^th Amendment due process rights. According to evidence submitted to the federal district court, black youths were charged with disorderly incidents at seven times the rate of their white peers.

Christale Spain is seeking to become the first black woman to run the state Democratic Party. Spain, who was the party’s executive director, said that the state party needs to ensure county parties have the support and resources they need to get voters to the poll.

SC launched the “Get Connected” campaign with the goal of closing gaps in high-speed internet access. This next phase of South Carolina’ broadband expansion initiative seeks to educate people about what is available to them and how to access it.

Bonus: Columbia’s 40-foot fire hydrant, named Busted Plug, will stay in storage off Interstate 20 until the city finds it a permanent home. The hydrant weighs 10,000 pounds and took three hours to complete its six-mile trek.