COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina lawmakers will return to Columbia to work out a few pressing matters in about two weeks.
South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas and Senate President Harvey Peeler announced in joint statement their plans to bring lawmakers back on Tuesday, May 12.
"Now, more than ever, the needs of the citizens of this state must be addressed and met," the two said in the statement.
Lawmakers last met on April 8 for a special one-day session, and were supposed to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government past June 30, which is the end of the current fiscal year. The House and Senate passed different versions of that resolution, however, meaning lawmakers must decide which version to approve.
If nothing were to be done, the government would shut down. But Gov. Henry McMaster again affirmed on Wednesday that there would be no government shutdown.
McMaster has said earlier this month that lawmakers could potentially return to work on other matters in June.
Here is the full statement from Lucas and Peeler:
Members:
We are pleased to confirm that both the House and the Senate will reconvene on May 12, 2020.
We understand that the past weeks and months have been a challenging and unprecedented time for our state. Our regular legislative schedule, along with the schedules and plans of every South Carolinian, was halted abruptly and left unfinished.
However, while the pandemic did not permit us to continue to meet as normal, the job of this legislature will not be left unfinished. Now, more than ever, the needs of the citizens of this state must be addressed and met.
While the state pursues reopening, we must stand poised to get back to work. In order to do our work in a timely manner, it is imperative we work together as fellow legislators and fellow South Carolinians. Leadership in both chambers recognizes the importance of this partnership.
We look forward to seeing each of you back in the halls of our statehouse once again, ready to do our part in the recovery of our state.
