Dear Friends,

I hope you weathered the winter storm safely. It is a sport in our state to criticize officials for closing things early, but as we saw pictures from cities like Atlanta on Wednesday, it is better to be safe than sorry. That said, I would like to thank our first responders, DOT workers and those who had a hand in keeping our roads clear and safe. While we hunkered down with our families they were out fighting Mother Nature.

The General Assembly closed last week because many of our House Members and Senators drive home each night and it was simply safer for members and our staff to not commute. 

On Wednesday, January 22, 2014, we heard from Governor Haley in her State of the State address. My Republican colleagues and I were excited to hear the governor's support for many of our priorities such as ethics reform, infrastructure improvements, and flattening our unwieldy personal income tax structure. She also pledged to continue flattening the massive Medicaid expansion that creates new cycles of dependency on government and eventually bankrupt our state. To see the full text that appeared in The State, click here.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – February 5, 2014

Unemloyment

The State announced on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, that our unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 percent. For the first time since 2008 that SC is below 7%, and the first time since 2001 that the national average is below 7%.

Nobody can take all of the credit for this reduction but a lot of people are trying. For more than a decade, my House Republican colleagues have made job creation a central plank in our agenda each year. We have lowered the taxes small businesses pay, enacted sweeping lawsuit abuse reforms, and worked to eliminate undue regulatory burdens. Government cannot create jobs, but we can create an environment where it is easier for the private sector– notably small business– to create them.

Despite this great news, 6.6 percent unemployment is still too high, and we need to continue working so everyone in our state who can work has a job. The House Republicans are always interested in your ideas about how to get government out of your way so you can create jobs. We look forward to working with the Senate and Governor Haley to keep this momentum!

Concealed Weapons

The House gave key approval to legislation that will allow people who have Concealed Weapons Permits to carry their weapons into bars or restaurants as long as they do not consume alcohol. Businesses will be allowed to prohibit firearms on their property by posting signs. This is a victory for law-abiding gun owners who want to carry while eating dinner in a restaurant, instead of having to leave their gun in a vehicle, where it is less secure. 

Leaving guns in vehicles is far less secure than keeping them on your person, and supporters say the bill would allow people who carry concealed weapons to carry while eating dinner in a restaurant, instead of having to leave their gun in a vehicle where it is less secure.

Budget

As is typical in January, much of the work done by House Ways and Means budget subcommittees as they tried to wrap up their work before the budget goes to the full committee next month. We tried to spend as little time as possible on the floor so they could have time to get their work done. Debating and crafting a state budget that wisely spends your hard-earned tax dollars is the most important thing we do each year.

Restructuring

The House of Representatives adopted the conference committee report on S.22, the "South Carolina Restructuring Act of 2014", legislation that provides for comprehensive changes to the organization and oversight of state government. The Senate subsequently adopted the conference report and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation abolishes the State Budget and Control Board and transfers the majority of the board's functions including facilities management, property services, vehicle fleet management, information technology, and human resources responsibilities, to a new Department of Administration that is established in the executive branch and headed by a director who is appointed by the Governor upon the advice and consent of the Senate. Composed of the same five public officials that make of the current Budget and Control Board (the Governor, Treasurer, Comptroller General, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee), the State Fiscal Accountability Authority is established to assume some of the board's key responsibilities relating to the state's finances. The State Fiscal Accountability Authority houses such offices as the State Auditor, the Procurement Services Division, and the Insurance Reserve Fund, and is given approval authority over all decisions that relate to the state's bonded indebtedness, lending, and major transactions involving state property. A Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office is created comprising the Board of Economic Advisers and other components of the Budget and Control Board that relate to state revenue forecasts, the preparation of the state government budget in the legislature, estimation of the fiscal impact of proposed legislation, economic research, and precinct demographics. In addition to various restructuring initiatives, the legislation includes new provisions for the legislative oversight of executive departments that empower legislative committees to conduct periodic reviews and launch special investigations for the purpose of determining which state government programs continue to serve worthwhile purposes and which should be scaled back or eliminated altogether.

Funding School Construction

Senators Tom Young, Nikki Setzler and Shane Massey filed a bill, S.940, to amend the "Education Capital Improvements Sales and Use Tax" legislation. This bill allows the Aiken County School Board to make a specific request of county voters in the November Election to agree to a one-cent sales tax referendum, which would raise up to $20 million a year for seven years to address school facility needs. You can view the entire article that appeared in the Aiken Standard by clicking here. 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.