This Week In The Senate: Senator McConnell talks with Senators Knotts & Davis
March 27, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Senator McConnell talks with Senators Jake Knotts and Tom Davis about Statehouse security, spending transparency, and the fee increase moratorium.
Outhouses, poker laws outdated
March 25, 2009 by senatormcconnell
If you think our state’s gaming laws are ridiculous, just wait until you read them.
That’s what happened Monday at the North Charleston public hearing about proposed changes to the law. An attorney actually read one of the statutes aloud and it’s, well, jaw-dropping stupid.
Basically, the law that local police use to bust up poker games in private homes says you can’t play any game that uses cards or dice in a variety of places, including your barn, stable, kitchen … “or other outhouse.”
In other words, our state’s anti-gaming law was written before there were kitchens in houses. Read more
STATE HOUSE POLICE FORCE PROPOSED
March 25, 2009 by senatormcconnell
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Tuesday to establish a Capitol Police Force.
Senate President Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said the new force would ensure the safety of thousands of visitors, state employees and lawmakers who are at the Capitol each year.
The new force, which would consist of the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the marshal of the S.C. Supreme Court, would replace security now provided by the Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Public Services.
McConnell said the force is necessary because Gov. Mark Sanford stripped security from entry points to the State House grounds last year.
Senators who opposed the measure said it was unconstitutional and usurped the governor’s authority. The bill, which passed 17-5, goes to the full Senate.
SC Senate panel considers public ideas on kitchen poker
March 25, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Members of the public have told a state Senate panel that South Carolina needs to ditch its anti-card laws.
Dennis Rash of Goose Creek told a committee in North Charleston on Monday that golf tournaments, bridge games and fishing competitions offer prizes, so there’s nothing wrong with a poker game with a prize.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that about 60 people attended the hearing.
Miguel Betancourt of Hanahan says he worries that legalizing social poker could be a step toward bringing in profit-motivated casinos.
Charleston Sen. Glenn McConnell has offered two measures on the subject. One would overturn a 1802 law that could be interpreted to make any dice or card game of chance illegal. The other is a constitutional amendment to allow churches and charities to hold raffles.
Poker games and raffles a long shot?
March 25, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Backers say Upstate conservatives may block social poker legislation
Dennis Rash of Goose Creek spoke for a lot of poker advocates when he told a panel of lawmakers Monday that South Carolina’s anti-card laws needed to be dumped.
Adam Flaherty wore his feelings on his sleeve, almost, as he spoke Monday at a Senate public hearing at North Charleston City Hall. ‘I bought it (the shirt) at Tanger Mall helping to stimulate the economy after a good night of poker,’ Flaherty said.
Golf tournaments with prizes are legal, he said. So are bridge gatherings and fishing competitions that reward a record catch.
“What makes poker any less wholesome than those things?” Rash said.
A first step in the uphill fight to legalize games of cards and dice, but primarily social games of poker, in South Carolina began with a public hearing and a crowd of more than 60 who came out enthusiastically in favor of a bill to decriminalize them.
Still, state senators hosting the hearing tempered the enthusiasm with a dose of reality, saying social conservatives are poised to block the effort, and it will need widespread support from the House of Representatives if change is to happen.
“Unless they get involved in this process, we’re simply wasting our time,” said Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, during the gathering at North Charleston City Hall.
More info
To read the latest version of the bills, go to scstatehouse.gov and search for bill 535 and 560 in the bill search box.
State Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, has filed two bills addressing gambling issues in the state. The first would overturn an 1802 law that, taken to the literal extreme, makes illegal any game of chance played with cards or dice, potentially including children’s games like Monopoly. Read more
Senator expects court challenge
March 24, 2009 by senatormcconnell
McConnell urges action from S.C. attorney general
Senate leader Glenn McConnell sought Monday to head off any trouble South Carolina could face if a portion of the federal stimulus money gets tied up in a court battle.
The Charleston Republican sought an opinion by state Attorney General Henry McMaster on the controversial provision in the $787 billion federal stimulus package that allows the state Legislature to bypass Gov. Mark Sanford and request $700 million to help balance the budget over the next two years. Read more
Senate takes on gambling
March 24, 2009 by senatormcconnell
Bill seeks to legalize outlawed card, dice games
Played any whist lately? Or draughts? If so, you were well within your rights under S.C. law – as long as you didn’t bet on those games.
But if you made a charity poker run or any other kind of bet, you risked a $2,000 fine and 12 months in jail.
The leader of the state Senate is trying – again – to fix a law that some believe is antiquated, especially after a high-profile raid on a home poker game near Charleston three years ago that resulted in a royal flush of arrests.
A magistrate recently ruled that the Texas Hold ‘em game the perpetrators were playing is a game of skill, not chance, and dismissed the charges against some of the players. The case will probably go to the state Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, is sponsoring a bill that makes ordinary card games and those including dice, such as Monopoly, legal. The bill would also allow casino nights for charitable purposes. Read more
Bill creating Capitol Police Force advances
March 20, 2009 by senatormcconnell
South Carolina legislators have advanced a bill that would create a new Capitol Police force.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell’s bill won approval in a Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee Wednesday and now heads to the full committee for debate. McConnell chairs that committee.
The legislation is a response to security concerns at the Statehouse raised by the FBI and Secret Service and a reaction to Gov. Mark Sanford pulling the Bureau of Protective Services from checkpoints leading into the complex last fall. Read more
McConnell challenges gambling laws
March 20, 2009 by senatormcconnell
A state senate subcommittee is considering two bills authored by Republican Glenn McConnell of Charleston, that would change gambling laws. A meeting was held Wednesday. One bill would update existing gaming laws and the other calls for a constitutional amendment that would authorize churches and charities to hold raffles. State law now prohibits people from playing card games, including poker, even at home. It is also illegal for churches and nonprofit groups to hold raffles or casino nights. Read more
Sen. Ford to lead hearings on gaming
March 17, 2009 by senatormcconnell
McConnell: Meetings will generate needed support
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell is betting that hearings in North Charleston and Greenville will generate enough support to pass legislation that will legalize friendly poker games and church raffles in this state.
“I believe we can build a base of support across South Carolina that will make this General Assembly move,” said McConnell, R-Charleston.
Public hearings are scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in North Charleston City Hall and March 30, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in Greenville County Council Chambers. Read more
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