Bill requires work toward graduation for teen driving privileges

Today, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a measure (H. 3645) that will create an incentive for teens to work their way towards a high school diploma. In an effort to combat our state’s high dropout rate, lawmakers are seeking to combine a teens desire to drive with their need to succeed in the classroom.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell said, “Dropout rates in South Carolina are far too high and this is a persuasive tool we can use to turn those numbers around. Under this graduation plan drafted by Rep. Tom Young, students will see an immediate consequence for dropping out of high school. Unfortunately, many students do not recognize the long term effect on their lives that dropping out of high school causes.”

The bill applies to South Carolina students below the age of 18 who are eligible and meet all other requirements needed to obtain a SCDL. Students who drop out of school or who are habitually truant will have their driving privileges revoked until they have proven that they are committed to their education and eventual graduation.

Representative Tom Young (R – Aiken), the lead sponsor of the bill, said, “The dropout rate perpetuates social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality juvenile delinquency and high unemployment. This legislation is not the ‘silver bullet’ to the problem but it is a positive step toward encouraging young people to stay in school and get at least a high school education.”

The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions. We worked with representatives from both the Department of Education and Department of Motor Vehicles to redraft the bill. I presented the amended version in subcommittee this past Thursday morning. The subcommittee unanimously approved the bill. We then were successful in getting unanimous consent on the floor of the House to move the bill to the House calendar for this Tuesday bypassing a full committee hearing. Because of the upcoming May 1 “crossover deadline” for House bills going from the House to the Senate, this move was critical if the bill is to pass the House and have a chance to become law this year. This week, we will be working hard to get the bill passed. All of the Aiken House delegation are cosponsoring the bill with me including Reps. Jim Stewart, Bill Clyburn, Roland Smith, Don Smith, and Kit Spires. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term.

Warrantless Searches: This bill allows warrantless searches of people on either probation or parole. The bill has substantial support from law enforcement agencies and local governments across the state as it is widely viewed as a way for authorities to combat criminal activities by repeat offenders. Both the House and Senate passed the bill earlier this year. Governor Sanford vetoed this bill. The Senate then overrode the veto. However, this past week, the House failed to override the Governor’s veto. Another vote is expected soon in the House to try to override the veto. I support overriding the veto.

Cigarette Tax: The House agreed to a 50 cents a pack increase to the cigarette tax. Under the plan, most of the money (about $130 Million) will go to fund Medicaid programs. A fraction will go toward cancer research and smoking cessation programs. A push to lower the tax to 30 cents failed in the House. The House removed any funding for projects in communities located along I-95. The bill now heads back to the Senate. Governor Sanford is expected to veto the bill. A two thirds vote of both the House and Senate will be necessary to override the Governor’s veto. If the veto is not overridden, then the cigarette tax will stay at 7 cents a pack for at least another year. I voted for the 50 cent increase based largely upon the overwhelming feedback from hundreds of people in District 81. Some interesting facts that you may be interested in on this issue are as follows: 34% of people in South Carolina over the age of 18 smoke. In North Carolina, that number is 29% and in Georgia that number is 28%. The health-related costs to taxpayers in South Carolina of people who have smoking-related illnesses is very substantial. At 7 cents a pack, South Carolina’s cigarette tax is the lowest in the nation and has not changed in nearly 35 years. North Carolina’s current cigarette tax is 45 cents a pack. Georgia’s current cigarette tax is 35 cents a pack. Both states have recently considered legislation to raise their cigarette tax again.

Sprinklers Bill: This bill did not come up this past week. I expect that we will get to it this week. To recap, South Carolina has adopted certain portions of the model residential building code effective January 1, 2011. One of the requirements of the code is that newly constructed single family homes after January 1, 2011 will have to have sprinklers installed in them. The cost can add several thousand dollars to the expense of building a new home. Legislation is pending which eliminates the sprinklers requirement in new single family homes. It should be noted that the sprinkler requirement will not apply to new mobile homes. I plan to support the bill to eliminate the sprinkler requirement.

Handguns Stored Under the Seat: The Full Judiciary Committee did not meet last week to take up this bill that would allow people to store a handgun under the seat in their car. Current law allows a handgun to be stored in the glove compartment, console, or trunk of a motor vehicle. I am talking with law enforcement and others about this bill to form a position. I received lots of feedback on this bill last week.

Cumbee Center: Recently, an issue arose as to whether state law would allow local government and local citizens to approve local option sales tax revenue for infrastructure improvements at the Cumbee Center in Aiken. (The Cumbee Center provides assistance to domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Aiken County has the highest rate of domestic violence incidents in the State.) Because the issue involved an interpretation of state law and I represent the area where the Cumbee Center is located, I requested an Attorney General Opinion for an interpretation of the statute. Last week, the Attorney General Opinion came back stating that state law would allow local government and local citizens to use local money for infrastructure improvements at the Cumbee Center if approved in the local option sales tax referendum. Whether that happens or not is a decision for local government and local citizens in the Local Option Sales Tax process.

State Budget: The Senate is still working on its version of the State Budget. I will provide more information when the Senate bill comes back to the House in the next couple of weeks.

Aiken High School Culinary Team at State House: Aiken High teacher Jean Gorthy and her students from Aiken High’s Culinary Arts Class were at the State House on Wednesday cooking as part of the annual “Taste of South Carolina” event sponsored by the State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (“PRT”). The Aiken High team was the only cooking team from any traditional high school in South Carolina invited to participate in the event. They were able to attend with the assistance of a grant from PRT and food donations from Houndslake Country Club. They did a great job!

SCE&G Rate Hike Request – Local Hearing Scheduled: The State Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a public hearing on SCE&G’s proposed rate hike request on Thursday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Aiken Tech. The PSC will have to approve the rate hike request. Currently, the PSC has public hearings scheduled in Columbia (May 24), Summerville (April 26), and Charleston (April 27). I will not be able to attend the hearing that night, but I will be provided a summary of the comments. If you want me to know your thoughts, please let me know.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: Recently, the Federal Government proposed a settlement with Norfolk Southern as to the Government’s lawsuit for environmental contamination after the 2005 chlorine spill in Graniteville. The proposed terms of the settlement include $4 Million being paid by Norfolk Southern to the Government’s Oil Spill and Hazardous Waste funds. Also, the local communities affected by the spill will receive 3,000 fish released into Langley Pond and some trees to be planted along Horse Creek. I filed an objection during the 30 day period to object to the proposed settlement. A public hearing is expected in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the settlement. When I find out when the hearing will be, I will post it in this column. The proposed Settlement may be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent-Decrees.html.

Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past three months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

Responding to Email Feedback: I have received a large volume of email feedback in the past two weeks. I am responding to it as quickly as I can. Please know that if you have not heard back from me, you will soon.

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues.

South Carolina teens who drop out of school or skip too many classes would lose their driver’s license until they’re 18 under a bill cruising through the House.

A House Education subcommittee unanimously approved the measure Thursday morning. The House then agreed to let the bill skip the full committee and come directly to the floor for debate. Legislators hope to move the bill to the Senate so it has a chance of passing this year.

“We’re trying to fast-track it,” said Education Committee Chairman Phil Owens, R-Easley. “This is an important bill that can have a positive impact.”

Its sponsor, Rep. Tom Young, has called it a short-term solution to the state’s long-term problem of too many students not graduating. He believes threatening to yank students’ driving privileges would be a powerful incentive for them to stay in school.

Students who return to school or enroll in GED classes could get their license back.

South Carolina’s on-time graduation rate is 74 percent.

At least 20 states have passed similar laws, including neighboring Georgia and North Carolina, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. West Virginia was the first to pass it in 1988, followed by Florida a year later.

Last week, the subcommittee delayed voting on the measure, saying too many questions remained on implementing the idea.

Changes approved Thursday to erase opposition from school groups included keeping the legal dropout age at 17, rather than increasing it to 18 – a change officials feared would be costly at a time of deep budget cuts – and delaying when the law would take effect, to Aug. 1, 2011.

Under the tweaked bill, the driver’s license of a student who misses seven unexcused days of class, drops out or has been expelled will be suspended. Public, private and home schools would be required to electronically report the absences of 15- to 18-year-olds to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which would send a letter notifying the teen of the suspension.

A student’s parent could appeal for an exception if the teen needs a license to get to work or to drive a sick family member to medical treatments. If approved, the waiver would allow a limited license that allows the teen to drive from home to work or to medical appointments during certain hours and along certain routes.

That restricted license would cost $100, with 80 percent going to the DMV to offset the law’s cost.

Rep. Mike Anthony, a teacher and coach, said he supported the idea, though he generally opposes putting more mandates on schools.

“Once one or two kids realize they could lose their license, it could change conduct in school,” said Anthony, D-Union.

House members are pushing the bill through to get past a timing hurdle. Bills not passed in one chamber by the end of next week must get two-thirds approval to be considered by the other.

The Sun News

Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/04/23/1437370/dropout-bill-heads-to-floor.html#ixzz0lvSqnuLE

The House of Representatives reconvened this past week after a two week furlough. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions. The bill received a hearing in subcommittee this past Wednesday. Both the Department of Education and Department of Motor Vehicles expressed concerns over the current draft. At the committee’s request, I redrafted the bill and will present it again this Tuesday. It is critical that the bill come out of committee this week in order to have a chance to pass the General Assembly this year. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term.

Sprinklers Bill: After writing about this bill last week, I received lots of comments most of which were in favor of eliminating the requirement for new residential construction to have sprinkler systems installed. To recap, South Carolina has adopted certain portions of the model residential building code effective January 1, 2011. One of the requirements of the code is that newly constructed single family homes after January 1, 2011 will have to have sprinklers installed in them. The cost can add several thousand dollars to the expense of building a new home. Legislation is pending which eliminates the sprinklers requirement in new single family homes. It should be noted that the sprinkler requirement will not apply to new mobile homes. I plan to support the bill to eliminate the sprinkler requirement. The bill may come up this week.

General Reserve Fund: The House passed a bill raising the general reserve fund requirements from three percent to five percent. The bill has already passed the Senate and now heads to the Governor for his consideration.

Handguns Stored Under the Seat: The Full Judiciary Committee will consider a bill this week that would allow people to store a handgun under the seat in their car. Current law allows a handgun to be stored in the glove compartment, console, or trunk of a motor vehicle. I am talking with law enforcement and others about this bill to form a position. I welcome your feedback on this or any other bill.

Cigarette Tax: The Senate approved a 50 cents a pack increase to the cigarette tax. Under the Senate plan, most of the money (about $130 Million) will go to fund Medicaid programs. A fraction will go toward cancer research and smoking cessation programs. The Senate took out several “pork projects” which it had inserted in an earlier version of the bill. Because the Senate version is different from the bill that the House passed last year, the House will have to consider the Senate bill in the coming weeks.

Board of Trustee Elections: The General Assembly held elections for several college and university board of trustee seats this past Wednesday. While most of the seats were decided before the elections on Wednesday since many candidates withdrew prior to Wednesday’s elections, a handful of seats were not decided until Wednesday. One of the seats which received a substantial amount of media attention in recent weeks was the race for the 16th circuit seat on the USC Board of Trustees. Leah Moody, the only African American on the USC Board, was running to hold on to the seat which she had held since being appointed by the Governor to fill the seat last year after the resignation of the previous trustee holding the seat. By a vote of 80-77, Moody held on to the seat this past week. I voted for Moody.

Splash Blending Bill: The House by a near unanimous vote overrode Governor Sanford’s veto of the splash blending bill. This bill would allow small gas and oil companies and distributors to blend ethanol in South Carolina. Current law only allows large companies like BP and Exxon to blend ethanol in South Carolina. If the Senate overrides the Governor’s veto, this bill should help lower the price of some types of gas in our state.

Speaking in Aiken: Last Tuesday, I spoke at the Kappa Delta Pi education honor society induction at USC Aiken. If you know of a group that would like me to speak, please let me know.

Ola Hitt’s 100th Birthday Celebration: On Saturday, I attended Ola Hitt’s 100th Birthday Celebration at Aiken’s First Baptist Church. While there, I presented Ms. Hitt with a House resolution honoring her for her many contributions to greater Aiken and to South Carolina. Over two hundred people attended the event to honor Ms. Hitt.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: Recently, the Federal Government proposed a settlement with Norfolk Southern as to the Government’s lawsuit for environmental contamination after the 2005 chlorine spill in Graniteville. The proposed terms of the settlement include $4 Million being paid by Norfolk Southern to the Government’s Oil Spill and Hazardous Waste funds. Also, the local communities affected by the spill will receive 3,000 fish released into Langley Pond and some trees to be planted along Horse Creek. I filed an objection during the 30 day period to object to the proposed settlement. A public hearing is expected in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the settlement. When I find out when the hearing will be, I will post it in this column. The proposed Settlement may be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent-Decrees.html.

Celebrate Aiken!: I attended the Jim Harrison “Scenes of Aiken” Exhibition on March 31 at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Laurens Street. The exhibit will be displayed through May 8. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to do so. Mr. Harrison’s art includes over 20 new originals of local scenes here in greater Aiken.

SCE&G Rate Hike Request – Local Hearing Scheduled: The State Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a public hearing on SCE&G’s proposed rate hike request on Thursday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Aiken Tech. The PSC will have to approve the rate hike request. Currently, the PSC has public hearings scheduled in Columbia (May 24), Summerville (April 26), and Charleston (April 27). I will not be able to attend the hearing that night, but I will be provided a summary of the comments. If you want me to know your thoughts, please let me know.

Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past three months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.

South Carolina teens who drop out of school or habitually skip their classes would lose their driving privileges until they’re 18 under a bill pushed by a freshman lawmaker.

Rep. Tom Young called it a short-term solution to the state’s long-term problem of too many students not graduating. He believes threatening to yank the rite of passage of truant youth would be a powerful incentive for them to stay in school.

“It’s time we do something about it,” said Young, R-Aiken, noting that whenever he talked about the idea on the campaign trail in 2008, students were in rapt attention. “A lot of problems in South Carolina stem from the fact that so many people are not adequately educated.”

Under the proposal, co-sponsored by 45 House members of both parties, a student’s parent could appeal for an exception if the teen needs a license to get to work or to drive a sick family member to medical treatments.

Officials at the S.C. Education Department say the idea has potential, and if it works, would benefit a state where the on-time graduation rate is 74 percent. But they note that moving up the age when students can drop out, from 17 to 18, will cost money at a time when education faces drastic cuts.

“The economy overshadows anything this year,” said Scott Price of the state School Boards Association. “Anything that causes additional staff costs should get a closer look. … Right now, districts are laying off and furloughing. We can’t add more at this point.”

Young said legislators must consider the long-term costs.

“The cost of paying for high school dropouts far exceeds the cost of incentives to keep them in school,” he said.

A House Education panel last week postponed voting on the bill, saying too many questions remain. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Lester Branham, said the idea still needs lots of work on how its implemented.

“It will not cure the problem of truancy,” said Branham, D-Lake City. “It’s really putting a burden on schools to enforce laws about drivers’ licenses.”

At least 20 states have passed similar laws, including neighboring Georgia and North Carolina, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. West Virginia was the first to pass it in 1988, followed by Florida a year later.

Their effectiveness is a matter of debate.

Georgia’s graduation rate has improved since lawmakers passed a 1997 law allowing the license suspension of a teen who misses 10 or more consecutive days of school without permission. But Garry McGiboney, an associate superintendent for that state’s education agency, attributes the improvement to a larger effort that can’t be directly correlated to the law.

A Florida report shows that of the 8,400 teens whose licenses were suspended in 2007-2008 for dropping out or accumulating 15 unexcused absences over 90 days, 96 percent of them re-enrolled.

The issue has popped up periodically in South Carolina over the years. Most recently, a Senate bill pre-filed in December 2006 for the 2007-2008 session never even made it to the chamber floor.

An economic study commission created by former Gov. Carroll Campbell recommended it in 1989.

“The current dropout rates perpetuate many social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality and health problems,” it reads, asking lawmakers to approve a bill by 1991.

There was never any effective follow-up to the report, and no legislator championed the proposal, said Phil Noble, founder of the nonprofit Palmetto Project.

Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/04/19/2099282/sc-bill-no-driving-for-dropouts.html#ixzz0lYRdD3OQ

I hope that you and your family enjoyed Masters week which was also Spring Break here in Aiken County for the schools. The House of Representatives did not meet this past week. The House is on furlough and reconvenes this week on April 13. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Cross Over Deadline: May 1 is the “Cross Over Deadline” in the General Assembly. This means that for any bill that is still pending to have a chance to pass this year, the bill has to pass either the House or the Senate on or before May 1 and then go to the other body for consideration. If passage of the bill does not meet that deadline, then the bill essentially dies for the year unless it can be tacked on to another piece of legislation that makes the deadline. Because of the “Cross Over Deadline,” both the House and the Senate will be busy in the coming weeks.

Driving and High School Dropouts: I expect this bill to come up this week in subcommittee as we try to beat the “Cross Over Deadline.” This bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions. I am confident that if it becomes law this year, then it will be a way that we can combat the high school dropout rate in the short term.

Sprinklers Bill: South Carolina has adopted certain portions of the model residential building code effective January 1, 2011. One of the requirements of the code is that newly constructed single family homes after January 1, 2011 will have to have sprinklers installed in them. The cost can add several thousand dollars to the expense of building a new home. Legislation is pending which would eliminate the sprinklers requirement in new single family homes. It should be noted that the sprinkler requirement will not apply to new mobile homes. Compared to the other 49 states, South Carolina has one of the highest percentages of its citizens living in mobile homes. I am planning to support the bill to eliminate the sprinkler requirement. I welcome your feedback on this or any other issue.

Prescribed Burning: Last year, Horry County saw a huge forest fire which burned thousands of acres of forestland and also burned many homes in the greater Myrtle Beach area. Forestry officials working with many conservation groups and other parties have crafted a bill which will change the liability standard in current state law to encourage more landowners to use prescribed burning techniques. The bill will be on the House calendar when we return. In Aiken, prescribed burning is used in Hitchcock Woods each year to burn undergrowth. I have spoken with the Hitchcock Woods staff and others about the pending legislation and the benefits of prescribed burning. I will support the bill.

Census: By now, you should have received your census form in the mail. I strongly encourage you to complete it and return it. Census data will determine how billions of dollars in federal aid to states is divided for highways, airports, Medicaid, housing, and business loans. Each gain or loss of 500,000 residents is worth about $1.5 Billion in federal aid to a state. Additionally, the Census data will be used to reapportion the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Right now, South Carolina is projected to gain one seat giving our state 7 members of the U.S. House instead of the current 6. Other states expected to gain seats are Georgia, Florida, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Washington.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: In the past four columns, I wrote about the Federal Government’s proposed settlement with Norfolk Southern as to the Government’s lawsuit for environmental contamination after the 2005 chlorine spill in Graniteville. The proposed terms of the settlement include $4 Million being paid by Norfolk Southern to the Government’s Oil Spill and Hazardous Waste funds. Also, the local communities affected by the spill will receive 3,000 fish released into Langley Pond and some trees to be planted along Horse Creek. I am very disappointed in the proposed terms and what is being offered to the local communities affected by the spill. Last week during the 30 day period to object to the proposed settlement, I filed an objection as an elected official representing much the affected area. A public hearing is expected in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the settlement. We do not know the date of that hearing yet but will make sure it is in the local papers when we do know. The proposed Settlement may be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent-Decrees.html.

Celebrate Aiken!: I attended the Jim Harrison “Scenes of Aiken” Exhibition on March 31 at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Laurens Street. The exhibit will be displayed through May 8. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to do so. Mr. Harrison’s art includes over 20 new originals of local scenes here in greater Aiken.

Small Business Development Center at USC Aiken: Recently, I visited the Small Business Development Center at USCA. This facility has a lot to offer both to existing small businesses and to those looking to start a business. If you are interested in these types of services, please check out the Center’s website at http://www.usca.edu/sbdc/.

SCE&G Rate Hike Request: Several Aiken County residents have contacted me and others on the legislative delegation about SCE&G’s proposed rate hike request. The State Public Service Commission (PSC) will have to approve the request. Currently, the PSC has public hearings scheduled in Columbia (May 24), Summerville (April 26), and Charleston (April 27). The Aiken County Legislative Delegation requested a public hearing to be held by the PSC here in Aiken County. As of now, we expect this hearing to be on May 6 in the early evening at a location to be determined.

Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past two and a half months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.