Since 2006, Municipal Association of SC staff have hosted local meetings to discuss legislative issues with municipal elected officials and staff. Even 17 years later, it’s important to join these meetings so that everyone can gather information.
The South Carolina General Assembly adjourned at the end of May to end the first half of the two-year session. Legislators will return in January 2024 to complete this session of the 125th General Assembly. 2024 will bring elections for both the House of Representative and the Senate.
The Municipal Association board of directors adopted 11 Advocacy Initiatives last year for cities and towns, as well as Association staff, to work through during this session. While legislation tied to several of those initiatives has passed, been signed by the governor and enacted into law, there are other initiatives that still need work.
Municipal Association legislative staff will hit the road in September and October to meet with municipal officials around the state to discuss the remaining issues and develop strategies to pass bills or stop legislation that is harmful to cities and towns. Association staff will outline bills that have passed and the effect those bills have on cities and towns. There will also be discussion about pending bills for the 2024 session and strategy development for local officials.
Locations this year will be a little different. The meetings will not be organized by council of government areas as in the past, but in cities around the state that are centrally located to the region. The Association will offer seven in-person meetings plus one virtual meeting.
The meetings will begin at 11 a.m. and last until 1 p.m. with lunch included at the in-person meetings. The meetings are free but registration for the in-person meetings is necessary for lunch and handouts. Look for registration information beginning in August.
Contact Casey Fields at cfields@masc.sc or 803.933.1203 for more information, and subscribe to the Association’s From the Dome to Your Home reports for the latest details on legislative action.