Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee advances seven bills, sends measures to House floor

The Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee on [date not specified] advanced seven bills to the House floor, voting to give each a favorable report after subcommittee presentations and brief debate.

Mark Smith, chairman of the Business and Commerce subcommittee, opened the meeting's legislative work by introducing House Bill 4709, the "American Iron and Steel Act," saying the bill "requires that any iron or steel product permanently incorporated into public works project is produced ... in The United States" and aligns state procurement with federal Buy America rules. After Smith moved for passage, members voted by show of hands and the committee gave the bill a favorable report to be sent to the House floor.

The committee also adopted a cleanup measure to clarify that installation, repair and maintenance of billboard structures need not require a contractor's license, a change described by Smith as a straightforward cleanup to simplify permitting for sign companies; that bill received a favorable report.

Senate Bill 583, a cleanup package for the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation that would require certain funeral-director continuing-education hours to be in person, was presented with supporters from the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association and the South Carolina Mortuary Association in attendance. The committee adopted the subcommittee report and forwarded the bill with a favorable recommendation.

Representative Wooten presented Amendment 2 to merge cosmetology and barber statutes and boards, create a cosmetology hairstylist-only license with a 1,100-hour requirement, remove a physical test for barbers, allow portable cosmetology services, and limit duplicate penalties for health and sanitation violations. Wooten said the amendment removes an apprenticeship barrier that currently requires extensive on-the-job hours for barbers, and the committee adopted Amendment 2 and then approved the related House Bill 4752 as amended.

The Real Estate subcommittee advanced House Bill 5140 to equalize certain notary fees (raising a longstanding $5 limit to $10 for comparable notarial acts, reflecting parity for electronic notaries). Chairman Leggen said the measure corrects an outdated fee scale and the committee sent the bill forward with a favorable report.

Chairman Gagnon presented House Bill 5162, the "Trusted Contracts" bill, explaining it preserves current law allowing financial institutions to halt suspicious transactions involving vulnerable adults and extends protections to customers 55 and older by permitting a bank to accept a list of trusted contacts to consult when fraud is suspected; the measure includes a good-faith immunity provision for institutions. The committee approved the subcommittee report and forwarded the bill.

Finally, House Bill 3227 would require insurers to offer earthquake coverage on homeowners policies and to notify policyholders at renewal whether earthquake coverage is included. Sponsors said the bill resulted from broad cooperation with insurance stakeholders and was intended to inform consumers; the committee approved the measure and issued a favorable report.

Votes at a glance • HB 4709 (American Iron and Steel Act) — Motion for passage moved by Mark Smith; committee approved; favorable report to House. • Billboard contractor-license cleanup (referred as House Bill 4730 in committee discussion) — favorable report to House. • SB 583 (funeral directors continuing education) — favorable report to House. • Amendment 2 / HB 4752 (cosmetology and barbering statutory merger and licensure changes) — Amendment 2 adopted; HB 4752 as amended received favorable report to House. • HB 5140 (notary fee parity) — favorable report to House. • HB 5162 (Trusted Contracts — financial exploitation holds and trusted contacts for customers 55+) — favorable report to House. • HB 3227 (earthquake insurance disclosure/offer) — favorable report to House.

Committee process and next steps Most measures were advanced after subcommittee reports and brief Q&A; recorded votes in the transcript were by voice or show of hands, not roll-call tallies. Each bill advanced will appear on the House calendar for further consideration. The committee adjourned after thanking staff and moving to adjourn.