Bill 552

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       552
Type of Legislation:               General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                  Senate
Introduced Date:                   19970319
Primary Sponsor:                   Land
All Sponsors:                      Land and Leventis 
Drafted Document Number:           res1350.jcl
Residing Body:                     House
Current Committee:                 Education and Public Works
                                   Committee 21 HEPW
Subject:                           Cotton modular vehicles,
                                   harvesting and transporting of
                                   agriculture products; width of
                                   increased, Motor Vehicles

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________
House   19970429  Introduced, read first time,             21 HEPW
                  referred to Committee
Senate  19970424  Read third time, sent to House
Senate  19970423  Read second time
Senate  19970422  Polled out of Committee: Favorable       15 ST
Senate  19970319  Introduced, read first time,             15 ST
                  referred to Committee

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

POLLED OUT OF COMMITTEE

MAJORITY FAVORABLE

April 22, 1997

S. 552

S. Printed 4/22/97--S.

Read the first time March 19, 1997.

To whom was referred a Bill (S. 552), to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding an appropriately lettered item to the end of Section 56-5-4140 relating to cotton modular loads, etc., respectfully

Has polled the Bill out majority favorable.

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING AN APPROPRIATELY LETTERED ITEM TO THE END OF SECTION 56-5-4140 RELATING TO COTTON MODULAR LOADS SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-160 RELATING TO PERMITS FOR COTTON MODULAR VEHICLES SO AS TO ALLOW THE WIDTH TO BE INCREASED FROM ONE HUNDRED SEVEN INCHES TO ONE HUNDRED TEN INCHES FOR PERMITTING PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-4140 of the 1976 Code, as amended, is further amended by adding an appropriately lettered item at the end to read:

"( ) Cotton modular vehicles are not required to conform to the axle spacing requirements of this section. However, the vehicle is limited to sixty-five thousand pounds gross vehicle weight and twenty-five thousand pounds for each axle plus scale tolerances."

SECTION 2. Section 57-3-160(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(A) Notwithstanding Section 56-5-4030 or another provision of Chapter 5 of Title 56, the Department of Transportation shall issue, under terms and conditions in the public interest for safety on the highways, a permit for the use on the public highways of cotton modular vehicles. The permit must be issued annually, and it allows movement on the highways at any time. For the purposes of this section, 'cotton modular vehicle' is defined as a single motor vehicle used only to transport seed cotton modules, cotton, or equipment used in the transporting or processing of cotton. This cotton modular vehicle may not exceed a width of one hundred seven ten inches and may not exceed a length of fifty feet extreme overall dimensions, inclusive of front and rear bumpers and load. To be valid, the permit must be carried on the vehicle, and it is unlawful for a person to violate a provision, term, or condition of the permit. The fee for the permit is fifty dollars and authorizes the use of only one properly described cotton modular vehicle. Loaded cotton modular vehicles must not be operated on interstate highways."

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.