[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6255756,"mediaKeyId","3161788-533fbdf14fa7ee4466410e54d64a31db","parentId",3161788,"title","Committee advances S.256 (CPACE) after adopting name and grid‑compatibility amendments and rejecting energy‑code repeal","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",442000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3161788-533fbdf14fa7ee4466410e54d64a31db&start=442&end=442","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3161788-533fbdf14fa7ee4466410e54d64a31db/thumbnail_442000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6255756/South-Carolina/Committee-advances-S256-CPACE-after-adopting-name-and-gridcompatibility-amendments-and-rejecting-energycode-repeal","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6255756-a4224f7c749b6730125999ac7bf6b3f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167228&Signature=K-H67lhgQRWwoqaxW~HcqYzKdu1Yb0uLTpdUeDdUpxBGrpHEteGfBkQ0Ckx5LA4oCUc0HyQQiZtr6znsjHPo0H50j4hRY6sa-C5EEoMC5wrUtDZ40CaEbXoLaLhiqQSRqxRnzJL6HP4aA83RTyFoSjDd65fsG9V3K2oSr8ctu1a-RAXwXmB4HGm5wBrHgfPRQXoxBdsoyY2Dr6gEDBNB9RV2gvxFXC8-BOBasvKFgDyCJH2rpXwzIvsm9CqnNmx7YH4VMVagp4ZIIxU2X1sYnnd0f5P1x~vdkKJNR-sYfRRhnbUe8MNZRpsZlMuPKoanMvvxY9WjqSpSRPhK~yWMug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-04-30T00:00:00Z","article","A legislative committee advanced S.256, the South Carolina Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resilience Act (commonly called CPACE), after adopting two amendments and rejecting a subcommittee amendment that would have repealed a statutory reference to the state’s 2009 energy code.

Rebecca, committee staff, summarized the bill as authorizing local governments to establish commercial property assessed clean energy and resiliency programs by ordinance. “Under a CPACE program, a local government may enter into a voluntary assessment agreement with the record owner of a qualifying property within a designated PACE area to finance certain clean energy improvements on the property,” Rebecca said. The assessment would be repaid through an assessment levied on the property and recorded by the local government.

Committee members and witnesses discussed mechanics, protections and costs. Rebecca said the program requires the consent of any senior mortgage lienholder before a PACE assessment can take priority, and that administration costs would typically be borne by the lender or borrower. She told the committee that “36” states have adopted similar programs, according to testimony in the record.

Lawmakers and witnesses also debated a separate, contested amendment that would have deleted the statutory reference to the 2009 energy code (section 6‑10‑30). Advocates for repeal, including Adrienne Monterre, executive director of the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, argued that the repeal would let the Building Codes Council and the regular regulatory process review and adopt newer energy codes on a three‑year schedule. She said the current statutory language effectively frozen the state at the 2009 energy code and prevented that public regulatory review process.

Representatives of the Home Builders Association of South Carolina, including Alex James, opposed the repeal. James told the committee that the 2009 energy code became law after the state accepted federal funds and that raising the mandatory minimum to a more recent energy code could increase housing costs. He cited a committee exhibit estimating that adopting the 2021 energy code without modifications could add about $22,000 to the price of a median‑priced home, and that a net‑zero variant of the 2021 code could add substantially more (figure cited in committee discussion: about $68,000).

Other senators raised concerns about consumer protection and fraud in lien‑based financing structures. Senator Garrett asked whether eliminating attorney or title‑company involvement could open “the door for fraud,” and committee staff responded that lenders would generally require title searches and first‑mortgage consent, and that a PACE obligation could not be placed without mortgage holder consent.

The committee voted to remove the amendment that would have repealed section 6‑10‑30, keeping the 2009 statutory reference in place for now, and adopted two other amendments: a CPACE Alliance requested nomenclature change to rename the act the Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure Improvement Act and a technical accommodation requested by Santee Cooper to ensure certain infrastructure tie‑in standards. With those perfecting amendments adopted and the 6‑10‑30 repeal removed, the committee reported S.256 out favorably as amended by voice vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee -- Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee Wednesday, April 30, 2025 9:00 am ","oneSentenceSummary","The committee advanced S.256 to authorize voluntary commercial PACE programs; it adopted two amendments — a nomenclature change and a Santee Cooper technical accommodation — and voted to remove a proposed repeal of the 2009 energy code reference from the bill.","taxTitle","2025 Legislative Meetings, South Carolina","taxId",78666,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6255761,"Committee adopts amendment, sends licensure-compact bill forward to address social‑work workforce shortages",281,139000,420000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3161788-533fbdf14fa7ee4466410e54d64a31db&start=139&end=420","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3161788-533fbdf14fa7ee4466410e54d64a31db/thumbnail_139000.jpg","/articles/6255761/South-Carolina/Committee-adopts-amendment-sends-licensure-compact-bill-forward-to-address-socialwork-workforce-shortages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6255761-56a1d6d7fa00b0a143ba5855f7b4a193/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167228&Signature=jXvE06-B2QfDfaa~B0GkiD-PUtQI-NA4w6N9pc5FWgT1KximImJ0Pss5Tr34YAo8NfIzf-W20DIo~~pwMknhCVIjzekho5O6yenvC1cd61T5QKc5Xi04TgK1Q2c74tWIABXYfsYYi66pZFjBNoTjfwIZjGJTqJA4nYmprqEeVrFeD9nL4h2RF77NRa4zOIPb6kzKyzrwxqmZO3yctyv5QrFtSu2tV-Avc~ayKRCW~mErejzCspoeV0bS9dRnVWFhYu-7ceFBPmz5gujy4NnZqkroCbPNrI5VSIIiMMZFLMEKBs1rP3Jo39Ly9n8AEStioHMLnEqAc7Va3oZKPRsnag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A legislative committee voted to adopt a subcommittee amendment and reported a bill favorably that would allow participation in an interstate licensure compact aimed at easing workforce shortages in social‑work and related behavioral health professions.

The bill, as discussed and amended in subcommittee, responds to testimony that licensing costs and multi‑state credentialing requirements are barriers to recruiting social workers and counselors. Senator from Dorchester said the change is designed to address workforce shortages and the “cost of getting licensed in multiple states,” which she described in committee as sometimes “a thousand dollars for each state.”

The committee heard testimony that the measure would not lower South Carolina’s professional standards. “Important to know that this is not lowering the standards of South Carolina, at all,” the senator from Dorchester told members. She also told the panel that South Carolina has previously entered and exited interstate compacts, including a recent insurance compact, and that the state can leave a compact if it no longer serves state interests.

Committee members referenced the bill’s workforce rationale: witnesses described post‑COVID increases in youth and family behavioral‑health needs and testified that permitting compact participation could make it easier for licensed professionals to practice across state lines without repeatedly paying licensing fees or obtaining multiple state credentials. The subcommittee reported the bill unanimously and recommended favorable passage to the full committee.

Formal actions taken in the meeting included adoption of the subcommittee amendment and a motion to report the bill favorably as amended. The motions were approved by voice vote; the meeting record shows the amendment was adopted and the bill was reported out favorably as amended.

No statute or bill number was specified on the transcript for this item. The committee did not adopt any language that, in the transcript, lowered licensing standards; discussion repeatedly framed the compact as preserving South Carolina’s existing standards while easing administrative burdens on practitioners.

Members did not finalize implementation details at the hearing. Committee members and witnesses said additional rulemaking or follow‑up would be needed to define enrollment processes, reciprocity criteria and how compact participation would interact with existing state licensing systems.

The committee moved on after reporting the measure out favorably; there were no recorded roll‑call vote tallies in the transcript for this item.","A legislative committee adopted a subcommittee amendment and voted to report a bill favorably that would allow interstate licensing compact participation to ease social‑work workforce shortages while maintaining South Carolina standards.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances S.256 (CPACE) after adopting name and grid‑compatibility amendments and rejecting energy‑code repeal

Committee adopts amendment, sends licensure-compact bill forward to address social‑work workforce shortages