SC House panel to study natural resources agency in lieu of corrections department

An S.C. House legislative panel tasked with periodically reviewing state agencies has postponed a deep dive into the corrections department in favor of a different agency.

The House Legislative Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to review the Department of Natural Resources at the recommendation of subcommittee chair Rep. Eddie Tallon, R-Spartanburg. Tallon, who oversees the sub-panel that would conduct the hearings, said a review of DNR had been previously postponed in lieu of a review of the Department of Public Safety.

The main committee chairman – Rep. Weston Newton, R-Beaufort – suggested to Tallon that the subcommittee move on to review the S.C. Department of Corrections as soon as possible, citing concerns from several House members following recent developments at the agency.

In April, two state prisoners were accused of killing four fellow inmates at the Harbison-area Kirkland Correctional Institution allegedly because they were a nuisance. About a week after the killings, three correctional officers were injured during an incident that led to inmates taking control of a dorm at Kershaw Correctional Institution in Lancaster County.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 10:29 AM with the headline "SC House panel to study natural resources agency in lieu of corrections department."