On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, members elected to the South Carolina House met to elect leadership positions and receive their committee assignments. This year there are 27 freshmen in the House with Republicans holding 88 seats and the Democrats holding the remaining 36 seats.
Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, was elected to be the Speaker of the House. As Speaker, one of Smith’s first responsibilities was to select which members serve on which committee. Once committee assignments were made the individual committees elected their respective committee chairmen.
One committee chairmanship race that was closely followed was the House budget-writing committee, Ways and Means. Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, was elected as the Ways and Means Chairman and will be responsible for the House’s version of the state’s budget. The House Education and Public Works Committee also has a new chairwoman, Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, after the former chairwoman Rep. Rita Allison was defeated in her primary.
