House and Senate Approve Redistricting Plans:

In my district 83, I mostly gained some and lost a little. The most notable proposed change is the extension all the way into the Merriwether 2 area. This proposed extension will extend from Deer Springs Road off Martintown Road up to Republican Road. Continue over to the east on Republican Road to Johns Road and then to Jacob Mackie Road onto Hwy 25. The other area that was added was the small area between Highway 1 and Interstate 520(Palmetto Parkway). This includes the Rivernorth Drive, Hamburg Road and Carpenterville Road.

Our other Aiken County Representatives had some changes in their districts as well. Bill Taylor's District 86 will extend east to include the Wagener, Salley, and Perry areas of the County.  Tom Young's District 81 will extend further into South Aiken including new neighborhoods such as Woodside – Reserve Club, Beaver Creek, Willow Woods, College Acres, Chukker Creek area, Cullum Farms, Stratford Hall, and Spring Stone.

Congressional Redistricting Plan: 

The House of Representatives passed its proposed Congressional districts. The new 7th Congressional District is proposed to include Myrtle Beach and all of Horry County with Florence County and other areas of the Pee Dee section of the state. For the past decade, Aiken County has been split with a portion of the county in each of the Second (Cong. Joe Wilson) and Third (Cong. Jeff Duncan) Congressional Districts.  Under the proposed House plan, all of Aiken County would be in the Second Congressional District with all of Lexington and Barnwell counties and portions of Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Fairfield counties.  As proposed, the Second District would no longer extend from Lake Murray to Hilton Head. 

Amendment to Place North Augusta in Third Congressional District: 

I proposed an amendment along with the Aiken delegation members to keep Jeff Duncan in Aiken County. The amendment offered would have placed a large portion of the City of North Augusta into the 3rd Congressional District giving Rep. Jeff Duncan a presence in Aiken County. That amendment initially passed by 1 vote (56-55) but then it was eventually reconsidered and tabled by a vote of 61-55. All of the Aiken delegation supported the amendment. I tried, period. Now it's the Senate's turn.

House Passes Final Budget:

The House approved a $6 billion final budget compromise (H-3700) reached by the joint House/Senate Conference Committee.  The FY2011-2012 state spending plan focuses on vital core functions of government and addresses top areas of concern like debt repayment and increased education funding.  

Gov. Nikki Haley asked the NLRB to dismiss case against Boeing:

Governor Nikki Haley testified at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight & Government Reform's NLRB hearing. She led an effort to get 16 governors organized and to demand that the NLRB dismiss its case against The Boeing Company. In a letter to NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon, who also testified at the hearing, the governors said,  

"When we, as governors, are fighting to improve the economic interests of our states, the federal government should not stand in our way. While governors are trying to break the ties that bind free enterprises from doing business, the federal government should not tell Boeing where it can build airplanes." 

READ the letter here…

WATCH her testimony at the hearing… 

SLED Has New Leader:

Governor Haley appointed Mark Keel this past week to head the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Keel will leave his post as head of the State Department of Public Safety. This appointment is widely praised by law enforcement officials around the state. Mark is a personal friend of mine and I will be glad to have him back at home as chief of SLED.

WATCH the video of the press conference here.

RBC and Boeing Sponsor The Heritage:

Nikki Haley, the PGA TOUR, Heritage Classic Foundation and RBC announced today that RBC has signed a five-year agreement to become the new title sponsor of The Heritage through 2016. In addition to RBC's title sponsorship, The Boeing Company, which has a significant presence in Charleston, S.C., will serve as local presenting sponsor for the RBC Heritage. This new sponsor deal will move The Heritage back to it's normal date the week after the Masters. 

WATCH the press conference that included PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.

Illegal Immigration Bill Passes House and Senate:

The House debated a final plan this week on the new immigration-enforcement legislation that has been amended and approved by the Senate. The bill allows state and local law enforcement officers to check immigration status if they suspect a person is an illegal immigrant. If that person is in the country illegally, the law enforcement officer would report his or her identity to federal authorities. The bill also would shut down businesses that refuse to follow the law. The House agreed to the changes and the bill will go to the Governor for her signature. 

Copper Bill Is Now Law:

Governor Nikki Haley signed into law Friday a bill that is meant to stop thieves from gutting air conditioning units and farm irrigation systems to resell the copper. The law would require a person to get a permit to sell copper and buyers or recyclers must pay by check, not cash. 

DHEC Veto Overridden: 

The House voted 112-1 to override Gov. Haley's veto of a proposal to give the state's health agency more oversight of methadone clinics and other facilities that distribute narcotics to treat addiction. The vote makes the bill law. The bill requires methadone facilities to get a certificate-of-need from DHEC as part of their application process. Without that approval, methadone clinics have been springing up in SC angering neighbors. Law enforcement agencies and DHEC supported the re-regulation. 

Leading By Example:

Speaker Bobby Harrell delivers SCGOP Weekly AddressSpeaker Harrell and our Republicans in the South Carolina House continue to lead by example in passing reforms that are growing South Carolina's economy, protecting small businesses, and streamlining state government.

WATCH the video… 

Government Restructuring Fails in the Senate: 

State Senators decided this week not to consider the bills to create a State Department of Administration which would oversee much of the day-to-day function of state government and replacing many of the duties of the state Budget & Control Board. The Senate voted to not amend the Sine Die Resolution to add this to the agenda. They needed two thirds of the Senate to be in favor of the Amendment for it to pass. The restructuring bills are a top priority for Gov. Haley. This is the same set of bills that led Haley to order a special session. That Order was over ruled by the State Supreme Court. 

Deepening the Port of Charleston:

The deepening of the Port of Charleston passed another major milestone with the signing of a cost-sharing agreement on the next phase of the project. Surrounded by members of the U.S. Congressional Delegation, as well as more than 100 business and maritime leaders, the agreement was signed by Jim Newsome, President & CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority and Lt. Col. Jason A. Kirk, Commander and District Engineer at the Charleston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). 

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. 

Please keep in mind that you can View Live Broadcasts of the South Carolina House of Representatives daily legislative sessions by clicking Here.

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You can also go to the new House Roll Call Votes Page to see how all the representatives have voted on the important bills.

Thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia.  If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don't hesitate to contact me at Home at 803-278-0892 or at work 803-279-8855.

Sincerely,

Bill Hixon

Representative Bill Hixon – SC House of Representative – District 83

www.billhixon.com
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