On October 20th the S.C. Ethics Commission held a hearing on Amelia McKie's violation of omitting her Richland 2 income in 2020 from her 2021 Statement of Economic Interest Report (SEI). The complaint was filed in October 2021.
In April 2022 the Commission announced that there was Probable Cause and a hearing was scheduled for June. On the day before that hearing, McKie called the Commission and told them she thought she had been exposed to COVID. The hearing was re-scheduled to October 20.
On October 20, 2022, a panel of three Commissioners heard the complaint and testimony from McKie. The Hearing Chair announced that the Decision would likely be announced in two weeks. That would have been by November 3rd. It still has not been announced.
Today I learned that Decisions and Orders must be announced within 60 days of a hearing. Ho-hum.
What is there to decide? McKie had failed to report her 2020 income. After she was notified of the Complaint, she filed an amended SEI and reported that income.
The hearing actually could have been quite short.
Q. 1 How much did you earn from Richland 2 in 2020?
A. $9,600
Q. 2. Did you report it, when you filed your SEI?
A. No.
Decision? Liable. (Guilty!)
Fine: Dollar cost of investigation ($550?) and penalty ($100?). Pay up.
And, no, we are not going to just add it to the $57,100 you already owe.
