axis

Petra,

Yes after sleeping on it, I've calmed a little - I racked my brains trying to think of the options as I'm sure you and many others like us have too.

The AOS did come to mind, and your post has simply clarified all the questions floating around in my frustrated mind today! Add me to the waiting list, for I daren't get myself into anything that could complicate matters worse.

Funny how when you think you're making progress, something always comes up to kick you in the teeth huh? - I thought that getting my EAD would open up a whole world of opportunities for me, State ID, DL etc. Ahhh.. how it must feel to be a "real person"..

I do however get some comfort in the fact that we are not waiting on simply one thing to happen. Either the AOS comes through or the DMV get things straight, either way I expect one of these solutions will come soon. (666 days?.. hmm I'll keep my fingers crossed I get "lucky" on that one, "go Charleston.... go Charleston.. !")

Meantime I will keep my fingers crossed for everyone else who's going through this, if you like you can come visit me and we'll take a spin around my rather large parking lot or something..



Many thanks, and good luck

Petra

House Bill H4670 - When can we drive? - Status Report

Okay, talked to someone in J.J. Gentry's office (803-734-3053) and here's the deal.

They are having budget meetings, so everything is put on hold for now. Hopefully next Tuesday (March 19th) but more likely on Wednesday the 20th, the Education and Public Works Committee will have their meeting, and the amendment on the House Bill H4670 is on the agenda.

I inquired what will be the next steps and how long things are going to take, and then we sort of played the what-if-game. I'll give you a short impression.

IF H4670 passes without further amendments, the bill will be sent to the House, where it needs to be read twice.

IF The bill is still unamended and approved, it will be sent to the Senate, where it will be read again.

IF still unamended and passed, the only thing that has to happen, is that the Governor has to sign the bill, and it will take effect immediately.

Of course, then the people from DMV need to be educated, and that's a whole different story....

So, people.... IF everything goes well, we could be driving by Mid-April! Please, keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best? Oh, and... don't blame me if it doesn't happen the way we dreamed up this fairy tale... please?

In the mean time, emailing all the SC Reps, reminding them how important it is to vote for this bill, can't hurt *hint*
And... while you're at it, email the members of the Senate too?

Petra

P.S.

Here are the names of the people on the Education and Public Works Committee. You can probably find their email addresses at http://www.scstatehouse.net

JoAnne Gilham
Glenn Lewis Hamilton
Jesse E. Hines
Chip Huggins
Walter P. Lloyd
Joel Lourie
Becky Rogers Martin
Vida O. Miller
Bessie Moody-Lawrence
James M. Neal
Joseph H. Neal
Edith Martin Rodgers
Donald C. Smith
Harry C. Stille
Elsie Rast Stuart
Ronald P. Townsend
Robert E. Walker
Byron Kenneth Webb

tara

Great job Petra! And welcome to the world of driving in South Carlolina Axis.
I am back from Italy, and see you have been busy!
I had a letter waiting for me that gives the next agenda.

Bill 4670 (Reps. Harrison and Haskins)
Driver's Licenses-Residents of SC (abbreviated title)
will be read at Education and Public Works Committee
Wednesday, March 20, 2002 2PM
433 Blatt Building

You may email the Reps:
James H Harrison [email protected]
Gloria A Haskins [email protected]

and track the bill at:

http://www.leginfo.state.sc.us/work/...llinfonew.html
......type in 4670

zoom zoom..................

Petra

I hope you had a nice trip overseas...
Thank you for the compliment, but please, don't forget that you're the one that sent me in the right direction *S*
Will you be going to the reading on Wednesday?
Petra

P.S. I don't think we'll need to email these guys you mentioned, Tara... they seem to know what our problem is, and drawn up this amendment *S*
I think we'd better email the other members on the committee, and maybe we can convince them to cast a vote that will be favorable to this bill?

tara

i would love to be there but my patients are crying that i have been away for 2 weeks already. Are you able to make it?

Let me know who spoke well for us, i would like to send "thank you's" to them. It took a long time to get thru to them and i am grateful that they listened. Persistance paid. Did Rep, Mike Easterhouse speak? What did you get to say? And i will send to the "others" who seem to need a bit of education.
zoom zoom.........................................

Petra

Tara,
I'm sorry, but I won't be able to make it either, does anyone else?
You ask me to tell you who spoke well for us. Well... actually, neither of the reps did! I haven't seen or heard Easterday.
As far as my opinion, the representatives from both the INS and DMV did a great job. If you want to send 'thank you' letters, these guys certainly deserve to get one!
I'll send you my speech by email.
Petra

Petra

Goeiemorgen Allemaal!

Just got off the phone with someone in J.J. Gentry's office, and they told me that bill 4670 passed!
There were no further amendments, and the bill was sent to the House.

I'm not sure if it will be read for the first time today (it needs to be read three times).
I tried to find something about it on their website, but it won't give me the crucial pages...

Anyway, I think it's very good news, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next week!

Your Impatient
Petra

Andrew Defaria

What's bill 4670? Got any pointers?

Petra wrote:

    > Goeiemorgen Allemaal!
    >
    > Just got off the phone with someone in J.J. Gentry's office, and they told me
    > that bill 4670 passed! There were no further amendments, and the bill was sent to
    > the House.
    >
    > I'm not sure if it will be read for the first time today (it needs to be read three
    > times). I tried to find something about it on their website, but it won't give me
    > the crucial pages...
    >
    > Anyway, I think it's very good news, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen
    > in the next week!
    >
    > Your Impatient Petra
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Petra
    >
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

axis

Andrew .. read back up the thread a little, it's posted on the first page.

Petra.. WONDERFUL news!! I emailed a few of the names in your list above, nothing back yet - however I did recieve a really nice e-mail from Cherith Norman, (she's a very nice) basically mirroring what the procedure would be as the bill goes forward.

Can't wait.. Thanks for the update, I'll post anything I find out meantime!

Thank you

Petra

Will we be driving any time soon?

Since I asked to be kept posted, someone in J.J. Gentry's office asked their webmaster to put me on a tracking list, so every time something changes, they notify me. This is the message I got this morning:

Current Status

Bill Number: 4670
Type of Legislation: General Bill GB
Introducing Body: House
Introduced Date: 20020206
Primary Sponsor: Harrison
All Sponsors: Harrison, Haskins and Martin
Drafted Document Number: l:\council\bills\ggs\22307cm02.doc
Residing Body: House

History

Body Date Action Description
_____________________________________________ ____________
House 20020321 Co-Sponsor added (Rule 5.2) by Rep. Martin
House 20020321 Committee report: Favorable 21 HEPW
House 20020206 Introduced, read first time, 21 HEPW referred to Committee

Petra

Bill 4670, For those of you who don't know the content:

TO AMEND SECTION 56-1-40, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PERSONS WHO MAY NOT BE ISSUED A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR HAVE THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSE RENEWED, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT ALLOWS PERSONS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE PRESENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON A STUDENT VISA OR ON A WORK VISA OR THEIR DEPENDENTS TO OBTAIN A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR HAVE THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSE RENEWED, TO DEFINE "RESIDENT OF SOUTH CAROLINA" FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY TO OBTAIN OR RENEW A DRIVER'S LICENSE, AND TO PROVIDE THAT RESIDENTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THEIR DEPENDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO OBTAIN A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE RENEWED.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 56-1-40(7) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 497 of 1994, is further amended to read:

"(7) who is not a resident of South Carolina,

(the following is stricken) except for persons from other countries who are present in South Carolina on a student visa or on a work visa or the dependents of the student or worker who may be issued a license.

(the following took it's place) For purposes of determining eligibility to obtain or renew a South Carolina driver's license, the term 'resident of South Carolina' shall expressly include all persons authorized by the United States Department of Justice, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, or the United States Department of State to live, work, or study in the United States on a temporary or permanent basis who present documents indicating their intent to live, work, or study in South Carolina. These persons and their dependents are eligible to obtain a motor vehicle driver's license or have one renewed pursuant to this provision."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Petra

Are We Driving Any TIme Soon?

I think so! Here's the latest update:

02/06/02 House Introduced and read first time HJ-36
02/06/02 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works HJ-36

03/21/02 House Committee report: Favorable Education and Public Works HJ-5
03/21/02 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Martin

03/26/02 House Read second time
03/26/02 House Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day

03/28/02 House Read third time and sent to Senate

Petra

Current Status Bill Number 4670
Senate 20020328 Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee
_____________________________________________

Okay, so it looks like things are starting all over again!

I called my contact at the House, and he told me that referring to a committee is a standard procedure, but what makes me scared is that I discovered that -unlike in Europe- legislators are not on the job all year 'round!

He told me that it would be wise to look up my Representative (in my case Senator Tommy Moore) and make him aware of the urgency of this matter. We don't want to have this bill die in committee before session is over, do we?

I guess we're back to sending e-mails again!

Petra

Okay, it seems that things are back on track again.
Here's the latest announcement from the Senate.
I've put in a call to see if it is possible to fax or email them my
statement to have it read, and I'm awaiting their return phonecall.
Petra

MEMORANDUM

TO: Senator Luke Rankin
Senator Arthur Ravenel

FROM: Senator John Hawkins

As Chairman of the Transportation Committee's Subcommittee to
Study H.4670, I am calling a meeting for Tuesday, April 16, 2002,
at 2:00 pm in Room 207 of the Gressette Building.
This bill concerns the issuance of a driver's license to foreign
persons who are in South Carolina on a work or study visa.

Any person who wishes to testify for or against this legislation
should contact Gale Kennedy at (803) 212-6400.
Each person will be given 2 minutes in which to testify.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGENDA
SUBCOMMITTEE ON H.4670
Senators John Hawkins, Luke Rankin and Arthur Ravenel
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
2:00 pm … 207 Gressette Building

1. Call to Order … Senator John Hawkins, Chairman

2. Testimony on H. 4670, a bill relative to the issuance of a
driver's license to persons and their dependents from a foreign
country who are in South Carolina on a work or study visa.

3. Subcommittee questions and deliberations

4. Adjournment

axis

Wow, this is great Petra, let me know if you can have your fax or email read - as I wish to send one myself also.

Did you notice the memo from Sen. Hawkins states :

"This bill concerns the issuance of a driver's license to foreign
persons who are in South Carolina on a work or study visa. "

Hey! What about issuance of a DL to people like us??!!



Great work, thanks for keeping us all informed.