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Transparency Act on Brink of Becoming Law

House moves Roll Call Voting Bill toward legislative finish line

(Columbia, SC) – Today, the SC House of Representatives voted to accept the Senate’s amendments to the House bill (H. 3004 Roll Call Voting) that delivers increased transparency and government accountability by making mandatory Roll Call Voting in both legislative bodies a state law.

Today’s action by the House moves this issue closer to becoming law than it has ever been in the past. This progress adds to the House’s strong record of supporting Roll Call Voting – adopting the transparency measure first as a House Rule in 2009, and twice approving it unanimously as a bill enacting a state law in both the 2010 and 2011 legislative sessions.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the following statement about the bill’s progress:

“With today’s action by the House, the finish line to making mandatory roll call voting a state law is now in sight.

“A state law putting every important vote on the record will give our citizens a powerful and permanent tool to hold government officials accountable for the decisions they make. A well informed public will produce a more restrained and responsible government.

“With a strong voice, our citizens called for more transparency and accountability from our state government. Since that call rang out, the House has been a leader in supporting this movement – first by enacting mandatory recorded voting by House Rule and then by twice unanimously passing it as a statewide bill.

“When signed by the Governor, this transparency measure will carry with it the strength of a state law. I will be very pleased to see these accountability measures, which we have been operating under by House Rule for two-years now, become the law of the land.”

By accepting the Senate’s amendments to the House’s transparency bill, the measure will now be set for Ratification and then sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

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