Bill Text: SC H4194 | 2019-2020 | 123rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Public Service Commission Commissioners

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-07 - Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry [H4194 Detail]

Download: South_Carolina-2019-H4194-Introduced.html


A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 58-3-30, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, SO AS TO ALLOW THE COMMISSIONERS AND COMMISSION EMPLOYEES TO BE REIMBURSED FOR CERTAIN EXTRA-JUDICIAL ACTIVITIES AND TO SPECIFY REQUIREMENTS FOR REIMBURSEMENT.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 58-3-30 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding an appropriately lettered subsection at the end to read:

"( )    Pursuant to the requirements enumerated in this subsection, commissioners and commission employees may receive reimbursement of expenses for the extra-judicial activities permitted by the Code of Judicial Conduct.

(1)    The source of such payments does not give the appearance of influencing the commissioners and commission employees' performance of duties or otherwise give the appearance of impropriety.

(2)    Reimbursement may not exceed a reasonable amount nor may it exceed what a person who is not a commissioner or commission employee would receive for the same activity.

(3)    Expense reimbursements are limited to the actual cost of travel, food, and lodging reasonably incurred, pursuant to Canon 4 contained in Rule 501 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules, regardless of the source of the reimbursement.

(4)    Notwithstanding another provision of law or the Code of Judicial Conduct, commissioners and commission employees only may receive reimbursements reasonably related to obtaining the continuing education required by this section.

(5)    Commissioners and commission employees shall report the date, place, and nature of any activity for which the commissioners or commission employees received reimbursement. The commissioners and commission employees further shall report the name of the payor and the amount of reimbursement received. The report must be made at least annually and must be filed as a public document with the State Ethics Commission."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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