MORNING BUZZ: Senate budget debate looms + committees take up child welfare, cockfighting and DUI videos

South Carolina’s budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 hits the Senate floor for debate next week, where it likely will consume a lot of time and require extensive debate.

But in the meantime, state senators also have several other priorities on their calendar as the clock runs out on the legislative session, including bills to expand body-worn cameras for police officers statewide, ban abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy, fix the state’s roads and bridges and pay for college and university construction projects. The Senate meets at 2 p.m. to continue chipping away at that list. (Watch)

Senate panel to hear foster-care testimony

A Senate panel tasked with evaluating the S.C. Department of Social Services and its child-welfare programs meets to hear testimony about the state's foster care system.

The S.C. Senate confirmed a new director for the struggling child-welfare agency earlier this year, after the previous director resigned. Alford has asked for more caseworkers to address problems with heavy turnover rates and high caseloads among child-welfare workers.

Children's Trust CEO Sue Williams is among those expected to testify, discussing child-abuse prevention, family strengthening programs and prevention of emerging issues such as sex trafficking. (10 a.m. / Gressette 308 / Watch)

Cockfights, DUI videos and more on the agenda

A Senate panel will take up a bill that would increase penalties for cockfighting and making it a crime to be present at a place where cockfighting is underway. (9 a.m. / Gressette 207).

Senators also will consider bills that would make it so failure of a video that captures a drunken driving field sobriety test is not grounds for dismissing charges and to outlaw indecent exposure at a corrections facility. (11 a.m. / Gressette 207)

A House panel tasked with overseeing state agencies will discuss the scope of a S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice study and will hold a preliminary meeting with Public Safety officials. (9 a.m. / Blatt 511)

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This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 7:10 AM with the headline "MORNING BUZZ: Senate budget debate looms + committees take up child welfare, cockfighting and DUI videos."