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Senate advances overhaul of criminal-gang and racketeering laws; adds youth-prevention fund amendment on floor
Summary
The committee advanced S.76, an updated criminal gang and racketeering bill that sponsors say will make state law enforceable and align it with federal models; a separate amendment to create a youth violence-prevention fund tied to fines was proposed for floor consideration and was held for further fiscal detail.
The Senate Judiciary Committee reported S.76 — legislation to modernize South Carolina’s criminal-gang and anti-racketeering law — out of committee after a lengthy review that sponsors said draws on federal RICO models and work by multiple legislators.
Senator Hembree, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the prior criminal-gang statute had been “virtually unenforceable” and that staff and outside experts used an FBI survey of model elements to draft the current proposal. The bill contains separate sections for a criminal-gang statute and a state-level racketeering (RICO-style) measure and partially mirrors federal racketeering law so courts can rely on an established body of precedent, Hembree said.
Jimmy Staten, president and CEO of Santee Cooper, testified at the committee that the measure would enable Santee Cooper to…
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