FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Reagan Kelley

ReaganKelley@scsenate.gov
803-212-6332

SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE NOW MORE EFFICIENT THAN EVER

Senate No Longer The Place Where Bills Go To Die

COLUMBIA, SC — DECEMBER 6, 2016 — Today the 122th South Carolina Senate adopted a new rules package designed to improve the efficiency of the legislative process.

Among the key changes led by the 28 member Republican majority includes:

• Removing the unlimited use of Minority Reports — which have previously been used as a blocking tactic by sending bills to a crowded contested docket.

• Varying the order of Special Order bills to be debated earlier in the legislative calendar reducing the ability for legislation to be used to block higher priority bills from receiving debate.

• Creating a new consent calendar to more efficiently handle uncontested matters reaching contested bills more quickly.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said, “We’re trying to make the Senate as efficient as possible. The Senate has been stained with being the body where bills go to die. We need to remain the deliberative body but also ensure good ideas are getting out of the Senate after we shorten session. These changes give us a real opportunity to make significant improvements on how the Senate operates.

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