Opinion ID: 2502158
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether Act 308 is a Special Provision in a General Law

Text: The State and General Assembly first argue that Act 308 is a special provision in a general law, acceptable under subsection X of Article III, section 34. [8] Therefore, they argue, Act 308 is not subject to the prohibition against local laws where general laws can be made applicable found in subsection IX of Article III, section 34. I disagree. Local laws and general laws are distinctly different session laws and are treated as such in the Statutes at Large published each year. The Statutes at Large, a publication of the Acts and Joint Resolutions passed by the General Assembly during a calendar year, is divided into two parts. The first part contains general and permanent laws that will ultimately be codified in the South Carolina Code. The second part contains local and temporary laws which are not codified, but are executed as session laws. It is my opinion that where the constitution states nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the General Assembly from enacting special provisions in general laws, S.C. Const. art. III, § 34(X), it is referring to special provisions that are contained within the codified general law. These special provisions may make a general law's effect different in certain counties, but they may not exempt a county from the general law's entire operation. Horry County, 306 S.C. at 419, 412 S.E.2d at 423. Here, Act 308 cannot be fairly construed as a special provision in a general law. The General Assembly passed Act 308 as an amendment to a local law relating to the manner of selection of the Board of Trustees of the Fairfield County School District. It will not be codified in Title 59 of the South Carolina Code as will other acts and resolutions involving education. If this Court found that acts passed as local laws can be considered special provisions in general laws, subsection X of Article III, section 34 would be left with few limitations. Such a reading would permit subsection X to essentially swallow subsection IX's prohibition on local laws where general laws can be made applicable. I do not believe this to be the intention of the constitution's drafters, and therefore, I believe Act 308 should be analyzed under the constraints of Article III, section 34(IX).