Clarendon County's senior legislator was recognized recently by the South Carolina Association of Clerks of Court and Association of Registers of Deeds.
During an awards luncheon held during the group's spring conference held in Myrtle Beach, Sen. Kevin Johnson was recognized as the group's choice for Legislator of the Year.
"Being honored by the Clerk of Courts Association and the Association of Registers of Deeds was a huge honor for me," said Johnson. "While it is not within me to talk about a lot of the work that I do on behalf of the people of South Carolina, it’s very meaningful when others recognize it and bestow upon me the honor that I just received. This recognition serves to strengthen my resolve as I continue to provide quality services to our citizens."
Johnson worked heavily with the organization over the last year on Senate Bill 516.
"This bill deals with certain reporting requirements between the clerks and (the State Law Enforcement Division)," Johnson said.
Senate Bill 516 calls for two things:
It gives clerks of court 10 days to report the disposition of a crime to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and 48 hours to report restraining orders, or orders of protection.
It extends the time to complete a background check from three to five days.
"There is no timeliness set forth in our statute for reporting, and there is no consistency," said Sen. Martin Kimpson, D-Charleston.
Part two is where Kimpson's bill could run into resistance with Republicans in Columbia.
The extension of the waiting period is an attempt to close what has become known as the "Charleston Loophole". A phrase coined in the wake of the Emanuel AME Church shooting in June of 2015.
Supporters of the bill say the Charleston Loophole is what allowed Dylann Roof to get the gun he used to kill nine people. Critics contend a clerical error would have prevented him from being flagged, and the additional wait time would not have made a difference.
Johnson has served Clarendon County in five public offices. He was a board member for Clarendon School District 2 from 1988-2000; he was a member of Manning City Council from 1994-2000; he was mayor of the city of Manning from 2000-2011; he was a member of the House of Representatives of South Carolina from 2011-12 and he joined the state Senate in 2013.
