Requiring businesses serving liquor to earn majority of their revenue from food, non-alcoholic drinks
S.536, which received a committee hearing Wednesday, would require businesses serving liquor-based drinks to earn at least 51% of their total revenue from food and non-alcoholic beverages. The bill would expand South Carolina’s already restrictive liquor laws, which don’t recognize traditional bars or nightclubs. Instead, any business (with exceptions for hotels and micro distilleries) […]
S.290 – Allowing curbside pickup of beer and wine
S.290 would allow retailers to offer curbside pickup of beer and wine. Customers under this bill may pre-purchase beer and wine online from a retailer, but must follow rules on where to park and certify they are at least 21 years old. Retailers would also be subject to stricter inventory management rules. Retailers who violate […]
S.379 – Regulatory Loophole for Electric Cars
S.379 – would create a regulatory loophole for the manufacturers of electric. The bill would allow electric vehicle producers to sell directly to the individual customers, while the manufacturers of all other cars are forced to sell through licensed car dealerships. The exemption of electric cars from this rule is a legislative attempt to give […]
S.13 – Regulates display of barber poles
S.13 would make it illegal for an individual or business to display a barber pole for the purpose of offering barber services without a barber’s license, with penalties of up to a year of jail time and five thousand dollars in fines for violating this section. This is simply more regulation on an industry that […]
S.109 – Regulations for electric fences
S.109 would impose regulations on electric fences used in security systems. Installers would be subject to fence height and power limitations, sign posting rules and even a requirement that the battery must be charged primarily by solar panel. Individuals who violate these rules could face fines of up to five thousand dollars. While certain safety […]
S.156 – Bans cell phones in prisons
S.156 would codify Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) current policy by making it illegal for a person to bring a telecommunication device (including cellphones, laptops and handheld radios) into any state or local prison or jail without permission. A violation of this law would carry a penalty of up to three years in prison and the […]
General Assembly to Censor Video Games and Movies?
Lawmakers often wait until the closing weeks of session to drop their most controversial bills. This year was no exception, with H.5218 and H.5219 aiming to censor gun violence in digital entertainment. The former would make it illegal to sell video games depicting gun violence, and the latter would prohibit theaters or other streaming services […]
Mobile Barber Shops? Good Idea, But Never Mind.
WHY NOT JUST DEREGULATE? Ronald Reagan used to tell a joke that went like this: “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Members of the South Carolina House have taken the […]
More ‘Official’ Time-Wasters
WHY MUST THE STATE DECIDE THE RIGHT AND WRONG WAY TO DRAW A TREE? South Carolina faces many problems. The fact that graphic designs of palmetto trees aren’t standardized is not one of them. Nonetheless, H.4201 – co-sponsored by Reps. Martin, Pope, Delleney, and Huggins – addresses this non-problem. The bill would task the director of […]
Friday Follies: Licensing Sign Language Interpreters
WE CAN’T HAVE UNLICENSED INTERPRETERS OUT THERE! You probably didn’t know this, but South Carolina apparently has a problem with unlicensed sign language interpreters. That’s right – using sign language to interpret audible messages without a license. Fortunately, Sen. Katrina Shealy has introduced S. 548 to combat this problem. This bill would license, regulate, and […]
