S.C. Politics Today: Anti-abortion group endorses Graham

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I resigned myself earlier this year that I wasn’t going to get into any fights ... But they’ve attacked this body. If they want to fight, what a (heck) of a way to go out.”

— Rep. Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, and the House speaker pro tem who is not seeking re-election. Smith was criticizing senators for failing to deliver a bill on illegal immigration to the House for a vote this week.

S.C. PRIMARY

Days left until the June 10 primary: 46

Days left to register to vote: 15

CAMPAIGN TRAIL

• Anti-abortion group endorses Graham

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has picked up the endorsement of S.C. Citizens for Life, a political action committee committed to electing federal lawmakers who oppose abortion rights.

It is the second endorsement Graham has received this week. The National Rifle Association also has given its endorsement to the first-term senator.

Graham, a Seneca Republican, is facing Lexington dentist Dr. Buddy Witherspoon in the June 10 S.C. primary for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

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CAPITOL CONNECTION

• Ten Commandments bill introduced

The Ten Commandments could be displayed in South Carolina schools and courthouses as long as they are posted with other historical documents like the Bill of Rights, under a proposal a Senate panel took up Thursday but took no action on.

The legislation would allow the Judeo-Christian cornerstone to be displayed as long as it is posted with a dozen documents that influenced U.S. law and government.

Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Council, told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee the legislation squares with a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Ten Commandments to be displayed in the proper context at government buildings.

IMMIGRATION

The House and Senate have continued their squabbling over passing stricter state requirements against hiring illegal immigrants.

While there are disagreements over the bills, the main dispute has been parliamentary procedure.

The bill requires “free conference” powers to reach a compromise, allowing negotiators leeway to script a new version in conference committee. Free conference requires a two-thirds majority, a hurdle neither house might be able to clear.

On Sen. Glenn McConnell’s weekly ETV news conference, McConnell and Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, continued their assault on the House for holding up the bill. Likewise in the House, Rep. Jim Harrison said the Senate had failed to pass previous proposals and had unfairly criticized the House.

‘U.S. FIRST’ CONTRACTS

A South Carolina lawmaker wants to bar state agencies from hiring foreign companies without first giving U.S.-based companies the opportunity to bid on a contract.

Rep. Gloria Haskins, R-Greenville, says her bill was prompted by seeing a Chinese construction company doing work at a University of South Carolina building site.

China Construction America of South Carolina is based in Irmo and is a branch of China’s largest building contractor.

PUBLIC PRAYER

The state Senate has approved a bill that would allow prayers before public meetings.

The bill also calls for the state attorney general to defend public bodies if they face constitutional challenges. The bill heads to the House.

FILM INCENTIVES

A bill that would restore tax incentives to lure movies and television series back to South Carolina has received key approval in the House.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell says the bill approved Thursday would make the state competitive again.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

South Carolina residents would get tax breaks when they buy energy-efficient appliances and manufactured homes under legislation that has won key approval in the Senate.

SEX-OFFENDER RESIDENCES

A bill limiting where sex offenders can live in South Carolina has stalled in the Senate over worries it would push sexual predators to the state’s rural areas.

The legislation bans convicted child molesters from moving within 1,000 feet of places where children gather, including schools, day-care centers and parks. The bill has passed the House.

Contributing: Staff writer John O’Connor and The Associated Press