S.C. political briefs

Senators: No more state symbols?

A Senate subcommittee advanced a bill Wednesday prohibiting the creation of any new state symbols.

The bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, wasn’t present for the vote, but subcommittee members agreed with the intent of Peeler’s bill. “We do spend a lot of time and resources on this (type of stuff,)” said state Sen. Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg.

Last year, lawmakers approved the collard green as the state’s official leafy vegetable. And, in 2008, they designated indigo blue as the official state color. The state has dozens of other symbols too – the Carolina wolf spider is the official spider, milk is the official beverage and the shag is the official state dance.

The bill now heads to the full Senate committee for consideration.

Gina Smith

Panel kills plan to give students more holiday time off

A Senate panel has shot down a plan to require that K-12 students get Memorial Day and Veterans Day off from school.

State Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, introduced the bill. However, members of a Senate subcommittee said they were not persuaded families would use the time off to learn more about veterans and celebrate the holidays.

“I understand the intent of the bill,” said state Sen. Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg. “But it’ll just be another day when parents have to work and figure out what to do with their kids.”

Beth Phibbs of the S.C. Association of School Administrators said Veterans Day is one of the most celebrated days in the state’s schools. Veterans often visit schools and schools hold special assemblies for students to learn about the holiday.

Gina Smith

Richland 1 chairman weighs political future

After 20 years on the Richland 1 school board, Vince Ford seems to be weighing his options.

Ford — who lost a race for the S.C. Senate by just 77 votes in 2008 — acknowledged Wednesday that rumors are going around about his political future but added he wasn’t ready to make an announcement now.

Give him a month, he said.

“There’s a lot of conjecture about the Senate, the House, but I’m not prepared as we speak to make an announcement,” he said. “I am going to do something, but I have not made up my mind what I’m going to do. My first and, always, true love is education.”

Dawn Hinshaw

Lawmakers mull Sharia law bill

A House panel still is mulling a bill to block foreign laws, including Sharia, from being taken into account in S.C. courts.

The measure was introduced by state Rep. Wendy Nanney, R-Greenville, after she said she spoke with several family court judges who said foreign law was complicating some divorce and child-custody cases.

Members of a House subcommittee Wednesday said they wanted to research what other states are doing before voting on whether to advance the bill to the full House.

Three states already have passed foreign law bans. Another, Oklahoma, put a Sharia-ban in its state Constitution in 2010, a move being challenged in federal court. Twenty other states are considering similar measures.

Some Muslim groups say the measures are discriminatory and an effort to scare people about Muslim beliefs. Sharia refers to a wide-ranging group of Islamic customs and religious beliefs. In some countries, the guidelines are enforced by law.

Gina Smith