The S.C. House of Representatives Education and Public Works Committee reported S 203 favorably out of Committee on Thursday, January 20. Now it's up to the full House to approve it and send it to the Governor for signng.
What can you do? Email your State Representative and the full House to pass S. 203 now.
What is S. 203?
A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 59-19-60 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO THE REMOVAL OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES AND FILLING VACANCIES, TO PROVIDE THAT DISTRICT TRUSTEES GUILTY OF MALFEASANCE, MISFEASANCE, INCOMPETENCY, ABSENTEEISM, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, MISCONDUCT, PERSISTENT NEGLECT OF DUTY IN OFFICE, OR INCAPACITY SHALL BE SUBJECT TO REMOVAL FROM OFFICE BY THE GOVERNOR
Is there any way this might apply to Amelia McKie as a consequence of failing to take the oath-of-office after filing her Statement of Economic Interests Report (SEI) with the S.C. Ethics Commission on December 4, 2018?
That SEI was filed three years ago. On that date (12/4/2018) McKie first became eligible to take the oath-of-office.
The only date when she did take an oath-of-office was November 13, 2018, and that was three weeks before she became eligible to take it. (The same is true of Teresa Holmes.) When you take an oath-of-office before you are eligible to do so, it has no legal merit.
Coming along in the S.C. Senate is S. 188. If it can get through the Senate and the House and past the Governor, that'll sink McKie's ship, for sure. It prohibits a person from running for school board, among other offices, if she owes money to the Ethics Commission.
McKie made the front page of the print edition of The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County this week. Pick up a copy of the paper at your favorite newstand.
