| Week of 03/11/2024Last week was the 9th week of the 2024 legislative session. There are 9 weeks remaining before the legislature adjourns on May 9, 2024.Here are the highlights from last week’s Senate action:“CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY” – The House and Senate agreed on a final version of H. 3594 2023- 2024 Bill 3594: Constitutional Carry and both bodies passed the bill last week. The final version does three main things: (1) strengthen criminal penalties on felons who possess weapons and those who repeatedly violate gun laws. (2) law-abiding South Carolina citizens can concealable weapons – openly or concealed – without a concealed weapons permit. There is no mandate for the permit, training, or background checks to carry. This is what constitutional carry advocates have been asking for. (3) incentivize those who carry to get a CWP. The law makes CWP handgun safety class free and adds additional criminal penalties for those who are convicted of violating gun laws if criminal declined the opportunity to learn about gun laws through the free training class. The law does not mandate the CWP training class, but it does provide a strong incentive to get it. SLED will need some time to implement the free training class, but the bill is now law. Governor McMaster signed it last Thursday.REFORM OF THE JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS – The Senate spent most of last week debating S. 1046 2023-2024 Bill 1046: Judicial Merit Selection Commission, a bill that would reform the process whereby South Carolina elects judges. We did not finish the debate, and I expect the Senate to spend most of this week on the bill, as well.CHIEF JUSTICE – On Wednesday, the Senate and House of Representatives met in joint assembly to elect the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Current Justice John Kittredge of Greenville was elected unanimously. He will assume the Chief Justice role in July.LAST WEEK’S MEETINGSOn Monday morning, I participated in the Department of Commerce’s annual Rural Summit.On Monday night, I held a town hall meeting at Gilbert High School.Wednesday was Water & Soil Commission day at the State House. Several commissioners from our area attended, so I had the opportunity to catch up with many of them.Constituent InterestsSCDOT ROAD PROJECTS – SCDOT has an interactive map to allow citizens to see the road and bridge projects going on around the state. You can see that map here.How is the gas tax being used? – SCDOT’s website allows you to view a detailed revenue statement and project list that is funded by the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund (IMTF). SCDOT updates this site monthly as the revenue comes in. You can see that report here.WANT TO SEE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ACTION? – The Senate meets in statewide session on Tuesdays at 2:00, Wednesdays at 12:00, and Thursdays at 11:00. Committees and subcommittees meet Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings. You can watch live coverage of the Senate, House of Representatives, and committees here.OUR SENATE DISTRICT – Senate District 25 consists of all of Edgefield County and parts of Aiken, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. If you’d like to see the district map, go here.VOTING RECORD – If you’d like to see how I’ve voted on issues, go here. You can always check to see how I vote by going to my website, www.senatormassey.com, and clicking on the “Voting Record” tab.SPEAKING WITH GROUPS – Several groups, clubs, and classes around our Senate district have invited me to attend their meetings and provide legislative updates. If you would like for me to come speak with your group, please let me know. EMAIL UPDATES – If you know of people in or around District 25 who do not receive my updates but would like to get them, please email their names and email addresses to me. You can also forward this email to them and encourage them to sign up for the updates at www.senatormassey.com.Sincerely,  Senator Shane Massey |
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