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H 3767

Florence-Darlington Technical College

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jason Luck and 3 co-sponsors

Shifts FDTC millage budget approval to the Darlington County Council and caps tax collections to last year's Florence County contribution.

Recommitted to Darlington Delegation
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Bill Summary · H 3767

Summary — H 3767: Florence‑Darlington Technical College

Status: Recommitted to Darlington Delegation
Introduced: Feb 27, 2025
Primary sponsor (as filed): Orlando Ramos
Related bill: HD 792 (replaces)
Hearing scheduled: 11/04/2025, 1:00–5:00 PM (A‑2)

Note on source materials: The bill filing materials provided include text from multiple filings (including an unrelated Massachusetts draft concerning antique motor vehicle registration). This summary focuses on the Florence‑Darlington Technical College content (amendments to Act 571 of 1965) described in the version materials.

Purpose / intent

Amend Act 571 of 1965 to change local governance and fiscal controls over the Darlington County millage levy that funds Florence‑Darlington Technical College (FDTC). The bill transfers budget approval authority from the county board of education to the Darlington County Council, limits the maximum tax collections from the millage, and prescribes how collections must be distributed among FDTC campuses (with an emphasis on Hartsville).

Key provisions

  • Change in budget approval authority

    • Requires the Florence‑Darlington Technical Education Commission to file its annual itemized operating budget with the Darlington County Council (formerly the county board of education).
    • The county council will examine and (with any adjustments) approve the budget; approval authorizes the county auditor to levy the tax under Act 571.

  • Limit on millage levy / tax collections

    • The county council may not approve a budget, and the county auditor may not levy the tax, if doing so would produce tax collections that exceed the amount Florence County contributed to the Commission in the immediately preceding fiscal year.

  • Distribution of collected funds

    • A portion of funds collected must be transferred for institution‑wide use across FDTC campuses. That percentage equals the share of FDTC students who are from Darlington County.
    • The remaining funds must be transferred for use at the Hartsville campus only.
    • If the county council determines that funds earmarked for Hartsville were not actually used there or were used to supplant prior Hartsville funding, then for the next fiscal year:
    • No transfers may be made for the Hartsville allocation; and
    • The county auditor must reduce the levy accordingly.
    • The prohibition remains until the county council determines that remedial measures have been implemented.

  • Effective date

    • The act takes effect upon the Governor’s approval and first applies to Fiscal Year 2025‑2026.

Who is affected

  • Florence‑Darlington Technical Education Commission and FDTC (institutional budgeting and campus allocations)
  • Darlington County Council (new authority to review/approve the budget and direct millage levies)
  • Darlington County auditor (responsible for levying or reducing the tax)
  • Darlington County taxpayers (subject to the millage levy and any changes subject to the new cap)
  • Hartsville campus beneficiaries (specific protected allocation); other FDTC campuses receive the portion tied to Darlington County student share

Procedural / timeline notes (as provided)

  • Introduced and read first time: 01/16/2025 (filed multiple times 01/16–01/28/2025)
  • Referred to Darlington Delegation: 01/16/2025
  • Delegation report: Favorable (01/28/2025)
  • Debate adjournments and sponsor additions noted in January–February 2025
  • Recommitted to Darlington Delegation: 02/20/2025
  • Referred to committee on Transportation and other procedural entries are listed in the record
  • Hearing scheduled for 11/04/2025 (A‑2, 1:00–5:00 PM)

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Shifts local governance: moves budget approval power from the county board of education to the county council, increasing direct county government control over FDTC millage-driven revenues.
  • Fiscal restraint: ties Darlington’s millage-based tax collections to Florence County’s prior‑year contribution, potentially limiting annual revenue growth from Darlington taxpayers.
  • Targeted accountability: creates a formula linking campus funding to student residence patterns and a mechanism to prevent supplanting of Hartsville campus funding — with the county council empowered to suspend transfers and reduce levies if misuse is found.
  • Administrative effects: places new duties on the county auditor to adjust levies based on the council’s determinations.

If you want, I can prepare a side‑by‑side comparison of current Act 571 language and the proposed changes, or a short memo outlining likely fiscal impacts for Darlington County taxpayers and FDTC campuses.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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