ATV Bill Signed Into Law: 

Governor Haley signed into law the bill making parents liable for ATV safety. It's called 'Chandler's Law' (H-3562) and requires training and safety gear for riders 15 and younger. Parents and guardians of children can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $200 if they let their child operate an ATV in violation of the standards. The law brings SC into line with some 45 other states. 

Point of Sale Tax Reform: 

The House passed a bill providing fixes for the Point of Sale reassessment that was part ofAct 388. While that Constitutional Amendment slashed homeowners' property tax bills by as much as 50 percent, a provision in that bill allowed for reassessed property at various stages of ownership. 'Point of Sale' has had a negative effect on our state economy. The Point of Sale repeal should also impact jobs. A recent study by economists hired by the South Carolina Association of Realtors showed that repealing the 'Point of Sale' provision could create as many 5,000 jobs and have a $4.2 billion total impact on economic activity in our state. The bill now goes to the Senate. 

School Choice Bill: 

The House Ways and Means Committee passed the Educational Opportunity Act (H-3407) last week and moved it to the House calendar. The bill gives tax credits to donors that finance K-12 tuition scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools. It will also give tax credits for families paying out of pocket for independent school tuition or home-schooling. However, only new students transferring into independent schools or entering Kindergarten would be immediately eligible. I welcome any comments that you may have about this bill. 

Illegal Immigration Bill Advances:

Another major piece of legislation that moved last week was the illegal immigration bill. The bill has two major parts. The first part requires that if a South Carolina law enforcement officer has reasonable suspicion that a person stopped, detained, or arrested is an illegal immigrant, the officer or his agency must verify the person's immigration status. The bill also makes it illegal for an illegal immigrant to ask for work or attempt to ask for work. In 2008, the House led the way in passing the toughest illegal immigration bill in the nation. Since that time, the number of illegal immigrants has fallen in the state, according to several studies. This new bill should make it even more difficult for illegal immigrants to live and work in our state – freeing up jobs for American citizens and legal immigrants. Immigration and the ideal of a better life has made our country great, but it is important that we reward those who take the time to come to the United States legally.  

Plug-in Hybred Tax Credit: 

The House passed bill (H-3059) Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Tax Credit. This bill calls for renewing a $2,000 tax credit for a person who buys a plug-in hybrid car. The supporters for this bill stated the incentive helps buyers purchase alternatives to gas guzzlers. The chamber rejected the bill the first time, 67-24. I feel this bill was unnecessary and is a largely unused tax break. According to the Department of Revenue, 10 taxpayers claimed the credit for a total of $18,910 in 2008-09. I feel the cost of gas is incentive enough.  I voted against this bill both times. 

Tort Reform Push: 

Gov. Haley and legislative allies are putting more pressure on the Senate to pass a bill capping damages in civil lawsuits. Gov. Haley said she had spoken with companies that are waiting on the Senate to cap lawsuit awards before announcing new jobs in the state. The House-approved version of the bill (H-3375), dubbed tort reform, would cap punitive damages at $350,000 or three times compensatory payments, whichever is greater. Senate Democrats are threatening a filibuster to hold up the bill. 

Speaker Bobby Harrell Sent a Letter to U.S. Energy Secretary: 

Last month, the nine members of the Aiken County legislative delegation wrote to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to lay out concerns about the effects of shifting funding away from H Canyon, as is proposed in the federal budget. Bobby Harrell also sent a letter to Steven Chu. Speaker Harrell wrote that DOE's proposed reduction of that facility "is a flawed decision that has significant negative consequences for the State of South Carolina and our Nation." 

You can read the letter by clicking here.  

Shorter Sessions in the Future: 

The house approved bill (H-4145) that will shorten the time that we are up here in Columbia. This will change the date to that we wrap up the session to the third Thursday of May. We adjourn now on the first Thursday of June. We need to prioritize the important legislation and get it done. This will save the state a considerable amount of money each year. Eventhough we were voting to trim the legislative session, we voted to extend this year's session by several weeks. We need the time in June to resolve the critical, once-a-decade redistricting of Congressional, State House and Senate Districts.  

Presidential Popular Vote Legislation: 

The National Popular Vote legislation (H-4154) has been introduced in the House. This bi-partisan initiative has been passed in 8 states and is gaining momentum. Under the current system of electing the President, a candidate may win a majority of the Electoral College without having a majority of the nationwide popular vote. The National Popular Vote bill would reform the Electoral College by guaranteeing the Presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia). The bill would enact the proposed interstate compact entitled the "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." The compact would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the membership of the Electoral College (that is 270 of 538 electoral votes). Under the compact, all of the members of the Electoral College from all states belonging to the compact would be from the same political party as the winner of nationwide popular vote. Thus, the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia) will be guaranteed a majority of the Electoral College, and hence the Presidency. Because the compact guarantees a majority of the Electoral College to the winner of most popular votes nationwide, the compact has the additional benefit of eliminating the possibility that a presidential election might be thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives (with each state casting one vote).  

The Fair Tax Act:

Note: The following is from Representative Bill Taylor's Straight Talk Website. The SC Fair Tax Act (H-3993) is a bill that I am co-sponsoring.  

From Rep. Bill Taylor:

The heart and soul of the South Carolina Fair Tax Act is job creation and tax reform. Both are urgently needed in the Palmetto State. Fair Tax momentum is building. Just last week at its state convention, the S.C. Republican Party overwhelmingly approved a platform resolution supporting the SC Fair Tax. That's mainstream endorsement of the Fair Tax. After the legislature adjourns this summer you will likely be reading and hearing a lot more about the S.C. Fair Tax. Governor Haley will ramp up and lead the discussion of true and meaningful tax reform. Here's your chance to get ahead of the discussion. The front page cover story in Sunday's Aiken Standard highlights the pros and cons of the S.C. Fair Tax. I invite you to check it out: http://www.aikenstandard.com/local/0515-state-fair-tax/ 

Fight over Boeing:

Gov. Haley went to Washington last week along with Republican senators demanding that the Obama administration weigh in on the National Labor Relations Board's complaint against Boeing, saying the complaint could jeopardize thousands of South Carolina jobs and the future of free enterprise in the country. The NLRB complaint alleges that Boeing decided to build a new 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina, a so-called "right-to-work" state, in retaliation against union workers in Washington state who had engaged in past strikes.  

View Gov. Haley's comments at the US Chamber of Commerce:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m03YMXyaFM4Gov. 

Haley on FOX and Friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IuX9J64vkA 

New School Busses:

The Senate's budget designates $12 million for the purchase of new school busses. The state school bus fleet is ancient with some vehicles dating back to the mid 1980's. Our buses lack many safety features that 1990 and later models have. The safety of our children is in question here.

More Jobs Announced:

Michelin Announces Expansion in Lexington County: $200 million Investment expected to create 270 new jobs

Amy's Kitchen Announces New Facility in Greenville County: $63 million investment expected to create at least 700 new jobs over the next six years

Walmart CEO Bill Simon announce 4,000 jobs: $400 million invest expected to create 4,000 jobs over next 5 years. 

Please be sure to stay up to date with all that is going on in Columbia. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, I am always available.