Laurens County Chamber

Legislative Notes


The South Carolina Statehouse
    The South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, SC.

As the 2007 Legislative session winds down there have been some major victories for Laurens County and South Carolina. Our Legislative Agenda has seen action on all areas. Some more than others.

Specifically our agenda saw action on Workers Compensation Reform, Tourism, Retail Blue Law Repeal and Cigarette Tax Reform. Please take the time to review the most up-to-date information regarding these important issues.

Workers Compensation Reform: The House of Representatives passed S.332, a bill designed to reform the state's workers' compensation system. The original plan passed by the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry (LCI) Committee last week was amended on the House floor Wednesday. The amendments added language requiring oversight of the lost cost modifier, changed the standard of proof from "clear and convincing" evidence to the "preponderance" of evidence, amended the Dodge v. Bruccoli case, and changed the legislation's effective date to July 1, 2007. In medically complex cases, new language changes the expert witness requirement from "physician" to "medical provider."

Blue Law Repeal: Passed the House and sent to Senate. Currently sitting in the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Verdin currently sits on this committee. The bill is designed to reduce the required amount of accommodations tax revenues collected in a county during a fiscal year which exempts a county from these provisions of law regulating activities on Sunday. This bill will allow our retailers to become more competitive with outlying counties that have already locally approved the Blue Law Repeal. (i.e. Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, etc)

Cigarette Tax: The Senate Finance Committee has amended and released a bill to raise the state's cigarette tax by 45-cents per pack, bringing the total tax to 52-cents per pack, beginning July 1. Portions of the proceeds from the cigarette tax, combined with additional growth in revenue, would eliminate the 2.5 percent individual income tax bracket. An additional $5 million would be applied toward smoking prevention programs for teenagers.

In an effort to keep our members informed of important actions in the state Legislature, the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce will continue to share the weekly Competitiveness Update from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. If you are not receiving the weekly e-mailing, Please Sign Up Here



The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce on its 2007 Competitiveness Agenda. Click Here to read the complete resolution.



Our representatives to the South Carolina Legislature are listed below. Click on the links to get their South Carolina Legislature Biographies.

Visit the South Carolina Legislature for up to date information about legislation, legislators, redistricting, and much more.