South Carolina Code 2-17-100. Public officials and employees not to receive compensation for speaking before audiences; exception and rules for payment of expenses
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A public official or a public employee acting in an official capacity may not receive anything of value from a lobbyist‘s principal for speaking before a public or private group. A public official or public employee is not prohibited by this section from accepting a meal provided in conjunction with a speaking engagement where all participants are entitled to the same meal and the meal is incidental to the speaking engagement. Notwithstanding the limitations of § 2-17-90, a public official or public employee may receive payment or reimbursement for actual expenses incurred for a speaking engagement. The expenses must be reasonable and must be incurred in a reasonable time and manner in which to accomplish the purpose of the engagement. The payment or reimbursement must be disclosed by the lobbyist’s principal as required by § 2-17-35 and by any public official or public employee who is required to file a statement of economic interests under § 8-13-1110. A public official or public employee required to file a statement of economic interests under § 8-13-1110 must report on his statement of economic interests the organization which paid for or reimbursed actual expenses, the amount of such payment or reimbursement, and the purpose, date, and location of the speaking engagement. A public official or public employee who is not required to file a statement of economic interests but who is paid or reimbursed actual expenses for a speaking engagement must report this same information in writing to the chief administrative official or employee of the agency with which the public official or public employee is associated.
If the expenses are incurred out of state, the public official or public employee incurring the expenses must receive prior written approval for the payment or reimbursement from:
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 2-17-100
- Lobbyist: means any person who is employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by another person to influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: (i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official on any state agency, board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any covered gubernatorial actions. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
- Official capacity: means activities which:
(a) arise because of the position held by the public official or public employee;
(b) involve matters which fall within the official responsibility of the agency, the public official, or the public employee; and
(c) are services the agency would normally provide and for which the public official or public employee would be subject to expense reimbursement by the agency with which the public official or public employee is associated. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10 - Public employee: means any person employed by the State. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
- Public official: means any elected or appointed official of the State, including candidates for any such state office. See South Carolina Code 2-17-10
(1) the Governor, in the case of a public official of a state agency who is not listed in an item below;
(2) any statewide constitutional officer, in the case of himself;
(3) the President of the Senate, in the case of a member of the Senate;
(4) the Speaker of the House, in the case of a member of the House of Representatives; or
(5) the chief executive of a department of the State or any state board, commission, agency, or authority, including committees of any such body, by whatever name known, in all other cases.