Latest news with #CaseBrittain
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New bill aims to keep gun owners' information private
Columbia S.C. (WSPA) – A bill in the House aims to keep gun owner's information private. This new bill would limit banks from having what some supporters call 'financial surveillance.' 19 states have passed a bill called the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act. It would ban banks from tracking purchases of firearms and ammunition. 'Make sure that gun owners have their rights or fully stored and that, retailers also aren't being punished, or that credit card companies aren't offering incentives to flag these kinds of purchases,' said Representative Case Brittain (R – Horry). Supporters of the bill said they are worried banks could interfere because of their ability to keep track of gun purchases. 'It prevents Government entities that aren't doing the regular course of business and recordkeeping and criminal logs, ones that are already in existence, from creating their own list. It protects the data for the individual gun owners' rights,' Brittain added. Neil Rashley, General Counsel for South Carolina Bankers Association, said that his office is not in opposition, but is worried about the wording of the bill. 'I'm concerned because it creates a cause of action on our industry should this occur. However, we do feel fairly confident that at least banks are not doing this in the state or really anywhere right now. And right now, the card networks aren't.' Representative Jason Luck (D – Chesterfield) showed concern about the section which said 'The Attorney General shall investigate reasonable allegations.' Luck added, 'does that language give you any concern in terms of vagueness or mandatory investigation?' Rashley added, 'No, sir, I mean, we're very accustomed to similar language, and, with the Attorney General's Office and how they assess looking into allegations.' As it stands, the language in the bill did not change and the Attorney General's Office would be in charge of investigating violations of the bill. California has adopted the opposite language where credit card companies are required to track firearm purchases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would prohibit South Carolina drivers from holding phones while driving
COLMUBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – South Carolina lawmakers are once again discussing a bill that could change driving laws. Though it's been debated for years — the legislation has never passed. If passed, the South Carolina Hands Free Act would penalize drivers caught holding mobile devices while behind the wheel. 'We all are common sense people. We know what we're talking about,' explained Rep. Case Brittain. 'We have a handheld phone here, as long as this isn't here, and you're doing this, this isn't here, but this is here. You should be okay.' Lawmakers said each offense would be punishable, starting with fines. If a driver injured or killed someone while holding a phone, they would be charged with a felony, facing up to five years in prison as well as a fine of up to $5,000. Ralph Bell is the legislative coordinator for the South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Organization. He said the bill should be a top priority for lawmakers. 'The problem is that cell phones aren't a right when you're hurting somebody, if you don't have your seat belt on or not, that's not going to kill me,' Bell explained. 'But if you're literally on your cell phone going 60 miles an hour next to me, and you run me off the road, I probably won't survive.' Rick Todd, CEO of the South Carolina Trucking Association, said lawmakers are concerned the state is at risk to lose federal highway funding if they do not pass the bill for commercial vehicles. 'We do need to get into the act. Most states have done this,' Todd said. 'Truck drivers will tell you that that's their biggest concern. This is their biggest concern is distracted car drivers.' Rep. Joe White said lawmakers need to focus on other things like enforcing current public safety laws, education and infrastructure. '[We've] got the worst roads in the nation, and we hadn't done anything about it for the last 20 years,' said Rep. White. 'I think we should be concentrating on the things that are really bad for South Carolina. Our roads are bad, our schools are bad, and like I say, the judicial system that we currently have in place does not seem to be as effective as I think it should be. ' A provision in the bill would allow motorists to wear earpieces, use smartwatches or voice-based communication while driving. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
