S.C. politics

The fate of a bill banning abortion past 19 weeks in South Carolina is returning to the House.

The Senate gave a second approval Wednesday to its compromise, sending the amended bill back to the House. That compromise added exceptions for cases of rape, incest and severe fetal anomalies, which are generally detected around the 20th week.

The version the House passed in February has exceptions only to save the mother’s life or to protect her from severe injury.

If the House accepts the Senate’s additions, the bill will head to Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk. If it doesn’t, the bill almost certainly won’t pass this year.

State Sen. Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg, promises to continue his fight against rape and incest exceptions if the bill returns to the Senate with those included.

Haley urges senators to pass Uber bill

Gov. Nikki Haley urged senators Wednesday to pass a bill that would allow Uber to continue operating in South Carolina past this summer.

South Carolina risks losing Uber’s ride-sharing services entirely if the Legislature doesn’t act, Haley said in a letter to senators, which lauded Uber as an “innovative, cutting-edge” company.

“We cannot allow this to happen to us. Uber’s departure from South Carolina will be a step backwards for our state, depriving our citizens of safe, reliable transportation and hundreds of jobs,” Haley wrote in the letter, provided to The Associated Press.

In January, the Public Service Commission issued a cease-and-desist order stopping the app-based service, then offered in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Greenville. Following criticism from Haley and legislators of both parties, the commission reversed course two weeks later and granted a temporary license through June 30, with the expectation legislators would deal with the issue.

A bill that allows Uber’s continued existence passed the House in March. Senators gave tentative approval last week but postponed all debate on proposed amendments. The bill’s advancement requires a second approval by the Senate.

Christie, Huckabee returning to S.C.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is weighing a 2016 GOP presidential bid, will make his first appearance in South Carolina in five months at a Columbia meet-and-greet to be held next week by a college friend.

Christie will attend the Tuesday event, hosted by attorney Leighton Lord, at the Nexsen Pruet office, according to a copy of an invitation obtained by The State. The Garden State boss attended a meet-and-greet in the same law office in January.

Despite his extended break from South Carolina, Christie ranks seventh in recent Palmetto State presidential polls.

Christie will not be the only Republican presidential primary prospect visiting Columbia on Tuesday.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who came close to winning the S.C. GOP presidential primary in 2008, will meet Tuesday with the S.C. House Republican Caucus.

The Columbia visit will be Huckabee’s second in two weeks. He greeted voters at a restaurant last Thursday.

Graham in Israel ahead of likely presidential bid

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says allowing the United Nations to decide the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is a “mistake.”

The S.C. Republican, a foreign policy hawk and critic of President Barack Obama’s handling of the Middle East, was visiting Israel on Wednesday ahead of an expected announcement on a run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Following remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before March elections that he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, Obama has said he would reassess U.S. policy toward Israel. That means the U.N. Security Council could be a potential place to act on the conflict. France also has said it would take a resolution on the conflict to the council.

Visits to Israel are common for U.S. presidential hopefuls.

Andrew Shain, Associated Press

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 7:54 PM.