Legislature overrides vetoes; new laws on their way

Image by flickr user ionushiImage by 20080626signed.jpg A signature from the governor is the easiest way to make a law, but the Legislature can make one anyways.

The S.C. Legislature overrode 15 of 20 vetoes. Fire sprinkler savings, more guns on the Statehouse grounds, increased background checks on nurses, and many other policies are now being pushed onto the books.

Among the issues that remained vetoed, were bills that:
- Safeguard the identities of students with HIV.
- Created a "Historic Baseball Leagues Day."

Among the issues that overcame their vetoes, were bills that:Keep up with our veto-related coverage on our veto topic page.- Increase the penalties for attacking sports officials or coaches.
- Allows more people to carry guns on Statehouse grounds.
- Incentives to install fire sprinklers.
- An increase in National Guard retirement benefits.
- Increases the profile of the South Carolina Film Commission.
- A bill to allow the requirement of would-be nurses having a background check.
- Two bills that offer increased tax incentives to buy energy-saving devices.
- Incentives to rehabilitate, renovate, and redevelop abandoned textile mill sites.
- Allow more tasks to be carried out by unlicensed officials, when under the direct command of licensed physicians.
- Limit local taxation of real estate brokers.
- A new building, expansion, and upgrades for the Security Employment Commission.
- Limit the taxation of land bought to act as a buffer between basses and towns.
- A new tax in Dillon County to promote education.

In order for a veto to be overridden, and become law, two-thirds of both the House and Senate must approve the override.

Two bills were sent to the governor, one regards some budget shuffling, and another allows some prisoners to access DNA evidence to prove their innocence.

A bill that would make it a felony for school employees to have sexual relationships with students appears to have died for the year.