SC senators propose arming teachers, creating hate crime law

S.C. senators filed bills early on Tuesday ahead of the legislative session that begins next month.

A proposal by state Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, would allow teachers and other officials with proper clearance to carry a weapon on school property. Schools could require personnel to receive weapons training before authorizing them to carry a weapon. The proposal is named "Jacob Hall's Law" after the 6-year-old killed in October’s Townville Elementary School shooting.

The 2015 Charleston church shooting again led gun-control advocates to call for tighter background checks. Accused shooter Dylann Roof, now on trial, was able to buy a gun even though his criminal background check had not been completed. State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, proposes allowing 28 days — instead of three — to complete background checks that are red-flagged for more investigation. Meanwhile, state Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, proposes barring gun sales until a background check is complete.

Drug dealers and distributors could be charged with involuntary manslaughter under a proposal by state Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry. The former prosecutor wants to broaden the state's definition of involuntary manslaughter to include the sale of a controlled substance that kills the user. The charge carries a 15-year maximum prison sentence.

S.C. lawmakers have tried – and failed – several times to pass a state hate-crimes law. Sen. Karl Allen, D-Greenville, proposes making it a felony for someone to “assault, intimidate, or threaten a person because of his or her race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or sexual orientation.” Malloy proposes stiffer penalties if a murder is motivated by the victim’s “actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.”

State Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, would increase penalties for soliciting a prostitute. The proposal is similar to one that died last year in the S.C. House. "South Carolina is a hotbed for human trafficking," Shealy said. "A lot of times these girls, young girls, are caught up. ... They're the ones that get the penalties, the ones that get arrested. This legislation doesn't increase the penalties for the prostitutes."

New state Sen. McLeod, a former S.C. House member, proposes to limit the terms of legislators to 12 years. With voter approval, House members would be able to serve six full terms and senators would be able to serve three full terms. The limits would start in 2020.

High school students would take a half-credit personal finance class before graduating under a proposal by state Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Horry. The class would replace "existing economics coursework requirements" for students starting high school in 2018.

State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, wants to require public high schools to offer at least a year of instruction on the country's founding documents: the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers and the Declaration of Independence. Students at colleges and technical schools would have to take at least one three-hour U.S. government course.

Malloy wants a committee to study racial profiling in state and local law enforcement. The committee would review statistics and other evidence on agencies' interactions with minorities. The committee would have until 2019 to recommend changes to state law.

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 8:31 PM with the headline "SC senators propose arming teachers, creating hate crime law."