MORNING HEADLINES | Republicans in the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a new congressional map just after midnight in an unprecedented effort to remove Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn from his seat. The bill from a special legislative session now heads to a more skeptical Senate, where some Republicans have questioned whether redistricting could backfire.
In the late night vote, four Republicans — Reps. Nathan Ballentine of Chapin, Tom Hartnett of Mount Pleasant, Dennis Moss of Gaffney and Heath Sessions of Rock Hill — joined Democrats in opposing the quick, mid-decade congressional district overhaul.
More than 600 amendments were filed, but House members addressed only nine over three full days of debate, totaling roughly 20 hours. House Republicans also passed a resolution capping amendments at one per member and imposing time limits on discussion, reducing the total number of potential amendments to 124.
“Cheating in the middle of the game is not winning,” said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford of Richland County. “Now they’re giving us three minutes to talk about each amendment, so we don’t have a lot of time.”
The League of Women Voters of South Carolina and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit yesterday in Richland County accusing House leaders of violating the state’s open meetings law after calling a surprise hearing to change House rules earlier in the week.
The redistricting map is part of a national effort by Republicans to gain more seats to protect their power in the House.
Meanwhile, five of the Democratic candidates for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District debated about the ongoing redistricting efforts happening in Columbia.
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In recent headlines
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What to know about early voting next week. Eligible voters could head to the polls as soon as May 26. One Senate seat and all seven U.S. House seats are up for election. South Carolina’s governor is also up for election.
CARTA’s free seasonal beach shuttle to return this week. The shuttle operates Fridays through Sundays from May 22 through September, including holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
Bystanders in King Street shooting were tourists. The two uninvolved bystanders who were injured when a shooting broke out on King Street early on May 17 were Jibe Cycling instructors visiting the Holy City from Maine, according to the studio.
Charleston to rethink tourism policies. City leaders are rewriting the Holy City’s tourism management plan for the first time in more than a decade in an effort to balance visitor growth with residents’ quality of life.
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S.C. Aquarium awarded $10K grant for youth education. Grant funding awarded to the S.C. Aquarium will provide support for the aquarium’s Teen Conservation Crew, which helps teens discover careers in conservation.
Citadel, College of Charleston baseball headed to conference tournament. The Citadel and College of Charleston baseball teams are playing their best at the right time of the year as both schools head into their respective conference tournaments this week.
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