COLUMBIA, S.C. — With a few days left in the South Carolina General Assembly's legislative session, most of the bills passed by the House and Senate this past week will likely become law once they have the Governor’s signature of approval.
One of those bills is Senate Bill 533. It would ban companies from paying people with disabilities below minimum wage. If the Senate signs off on the House’s changes to the bill, it’ll be sent to the Governor.
Another example is Senate Bill 946. Senator Stephen Goldfinch authored the bill to guarantee teachers 30-minute breaks each day where they're not supervising students.
“We have to figure out ways to retain our teachers and keep them happy and this is just one of those ways,” Goldfinch told News19.
The Senate will have to approve House changes on this bill too, then it’ll go to the Governor.
The legislature also passed House Bill 4608, called the “Save Women’s Sports Act.” It passed the Senate 30-10 and will need one last approval from the House before reaching the Governor’s desk. It bans transgender students from joining female sports teams in public schools.
“It applies to elementary school up to high school and also at the collegiate level,” Senator Richard Cash said to senators Wednesday.
One bill did not make the cut. Senate Bill 150, which would’ve allowed doctors to prescribe medical cannabis to patients with certain illnesses, died in the House. It was effectively killed once some lawmakers pointed out a procedural issue, saying this type of legislation should originate in the House.
"When a bill is unconstitutional because it raises revenue and it didn't originate in the House, to me that's an important constitutional principle we must abide by,” Representative John McCravy told reporters.
Supporters of medical marijuana are hoping it has a chance of revival in the last week of the session, but the odds are slim.
The House and Senate return for their last week of session Tuesday, May 10 at noon.