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American Knife & Tool Institute
The full Judiciary Committee of the South Carolina Senate passed AKTI’s bill S968
unanimously on Tuesday, March 11. Then the full Senate passed it for the first time without
objection on Thursday, March 13. We are well on our way but there are key steps
remaining during a very short legislative session with a lot of bills clogging up the calendar.
Thank you to those who sent emails or letters to the Judiciary Committee. A bill does not
pass unanimously at any level unless lawmakers believe it has merit and they see
significant support.
The March 13 review and vote by the full Senate was the second “reading” for the bill and
the time when any significant debate in the Senate would have occurred. This second
reading in the Senate is when a senator could have declared a Notice of General
Amendment if he or she had any objections. The bill passed unanimously and we even
picked up an additional senate sponsorship from Jake Knotts, Jr., a retired police officer.
Please stay alert. I will be making future requests for contacts when the bill goes over to
the House, which is expected to happen on March 18th or 19th.
Now here’s your South Carolina civics lesson. A bill can be introduced in either the Senate
or the House. It then becomes a race to see which bill can pass its chamber first. A bill is
assigned to a committee, reviewed and voted on by a subcommittee of that committee,
then bounced back up to the full committee. That’s how far we’ve come with S968. The
Senate Judiciary subcommittee voted for it unanimously; the full committee did the same;
then the full Senate passed on it without objection.
In order to become law, a bill gets three “readings” in each chamber of the legislature, then
must be signed by the governor. The first reading is when the bill is introduced. The
second reading is the full debate on the chamber floor. The third reading is typically a
formality where any housekeeping issues such as spelling or clarity are resolved.
Once a bill passes out of one chamber, it retains its original bill number and goes through
the process in the other chamber. So if/when S968 moves out of the Senate, it will get
assigned to a committee in the House.
Palmer Freeman, our AKTI lobbyist, tells me he has assurances of support from several
House members once it gets to that chamber. Their original reluctance to sponsor the bill
has now apparently been replaced by greater understanding of its implications and the
realization that several Senators have examined it and found it worthy of support.
Once again, thank you for your support. If you have not taken any direct action yet, you will
get another chance soon. I will ask for emails to be sent next week to House committee
members. And once the bill gets to the governor, I will ask for another show of support then.
This is how laws get passed … one measured step at a time. In the process of taking
direct action on behalf of more than 21 million individual knife owners in several states to
change their knife laws, the American Knife & Tool Institute has learned that you need a
knowledgeable, professional lobbyist to talk directly to lawmakers. Lobbyists cost money
so that’s why we continue to ask for your financial support. We also need you, real people,
sending reasonable and rational letters and emails to lawmakers before critical votes. You
are voters, potential voters, or friends of voters so they listen to what you say.
David Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
715-209-7389
unanimously on Tuesday, March 11. Then the full Senate passed it for the first time without
objection on Thursday, March 13. We are well on our way but there are key steps
remaining during a very short legislative session with a lot of bills clogging up the calendar.
Thank you to those who sent emails or letters to the Judiciary Committee. A bill does not
pass unanimously at any level unless lawmakers believe it has merit and they see
significant support.
The March 13 review and vote by the full Senate was the second “reading” for the bill and
the time when any significant debate in the Senate would have occurred. This second
reading in the Senate is when a senator could have declared a Notice of General
Amendment if he or she had any objections. The bill passed unanimously and we even
picked up an additional senate sponsorship from Jake Knotts, Jr., a retired police officer.
Please stay alert. I will be making future requests for contacts when the bill goes over to
the House, which is expected to happen on March 18th or 19th.
Now here’s your South Carolina civics lesson. A bill can be introduced in either the Senate
or the House. It then becomes a race to see which bill can pass its chamber first. A bill is
assigned to a committee, reviewed and voted on by a subcommittee of that committee,
then bounced back up to the full committee. That’s how far we’ve come with S968. The
Senate Judiciary subcommittee voted for it unanimously; the full committee did the same;
then the full Senate passed on it without objection.
In order to become law, a bill gets three “readings” in each chamber of the legislature, then
must be signed by the governor. The first reading is when the bill is introduced. The
second reading is the full debate on the chamber floor. The third reading is typically a
formality where any housekeeping issues such as spelling or clarity are resolved.
Once a bill passes out of one chamber, it retains its original bill number and goes through
the process in the other chamber. So if/when S968 moves out of the Senate, it will get
assigned to a committee in the House.
Palmer Freeman, our AKTI lobbyist, tells me he has assurances of support from several
House members once it gets to that chamber. Their original reluctance to sponsor the bill
has now apparently been replaced by greater understanding of its implications and the
realization that several Senators have examined it and found it worthy of support.
Once again, thank you for your support. If you have not taken any direct action yet, you will
get another chance soon. I will ask for emails to be sent next week to House committee
members. And once the bill gets to the governor, I will ask for another show of support then.
This is how laws get passed … one measured step at a time. In the process of taking
direct action on behalf of more than 21 million individual knife owners in several states to
change their knife laws, the American Knife & Tool Institute has learned that you need a
knowledgeable, professional lobbyist to talk directly to lawmakers. Lobbyists cost money
so that’s why we continue to ask for your financial support. We also need you, real people,
sending reasonable and rational letters and emails to lawmakers before critical votes. You
are voters, potential voters, or friends of voters so they listen to what you say.
David Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
715-209-7389
South Carolina - Update March 14, 2008