The state Ethics Commission charged Gov. Mark Sanford with 37 violations of state ethics rules. The charges centered mostly on overspending for plane tickets and misusing state aircraft. Meanwhile, the state House Judiciary Subcommittee was set to hold its first meeting on an impeachment resolution.

The state Department of Revenue sent out an announcement of South Carolina’s Second Amendment Weekend, which offers residents the opportunity to buy handguns, rifles and shotguns tax-free. South Carolina was the first state to have a tax-free gun holiday.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod released an economic development plan focused on tax credits for job creation, investing in rural areas, embracing green energy and taking down the Confederate flag.

South Carolina’s tax system is unfair to the poor and middle class, according to a report released by South Carolina Fair Share and conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. The study found that the richest state residents pay a lower percentage of their income in state and local taxes than then poor and middle class.

S.C. Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Bamberg, pre-filed a bill to ban the use of cell phones, Blackberrys and other hand-held communication devices while driving. “Too many accidents have occurred and lives lost for this issue to go unaddressed,” Sellers said. The proposal would introduce a 2-point penalty and up to a $125 fine.

Newly released housing data showed prices in Columbia declining but not drastically. Home prices declined 4.6 percent between September 2008 and September 2009, according to a First American CoreLogic report. The same report anticipates a 1.1 percent increase in local home prices between September 2009 and September 2010.