Constitutional Carry, Hate Crimes Act, Tax Conformity, Education
by Bill Hixon

Dear friends and neighbors,

Happy April! I hope everyone enjoyed the Masters. The days are getting longer and warmer, and Spring is in full swing. We are 13 weeks into the 2021-2022 Session but we are not slowing down at the State House.

Last week was ‘crossover week’, meaning the week was spent pushing important bills out of the House. This deadline is important as it makes the bills passed by our chamber more likely to be considered by the Senate this session. Some of the issues of focus last week were advancing our gun rights, establishing tax conformity, enhancing penalties for heinous crimes, and improving education.

Unfortunately, I missed voting on some of these issues. I had an approved leave of absence due to a prior engagement. If you have any questions about how I would have voted, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Sincerely,
Bill Hixon

Constitutional Carry

In the House last week, there was a huge success in advancing our gun laws in South Carolina! Just a few weeks ago, we took a first step in expanding our firearm laws with H. 3094, a bill that allows open carry with training. On Wednesday, I voted in favor of a second expansion to our Second Amendment rights. This bill, H. 3096, allows permitless carry in South Carolina and ensures our right to bear arms is not limited by frivolous permitting and training. This bill passed by a vote of 69-47 and now moves over to the Senate. I am very proud to have been a co-sponsor of this bill. It is a HUGE step in advancing our Constitutional rights!

Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act

By a vote of 79-29, the House passed the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act on Wednesday. This bill does not criminalize anything that is not already a felony but increases the penalty for a felony found to be motivated by a person’s discrimination against another’s race or gender. This motivation must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and a jury decides (not a judge). This does not criminalize acts against property or crimes committed by minors who may not know better. It allows the people of South Carolina (as jury members) to decide when a hate crime has been committed and protects our state from the most heinous criminals.

Rep Weston Newton (District 120) captured the issue well when he said, “Protecting against violent criminal acts motivated by proven hatred is not a liberal or conservative issue. It is not a Republican or Democrat issue, it is not a white or Black issue, and it is not a gay or straight issue.” 

Tax Conformity

Each year, the House passes a tax conformity bill that puts the State and Federal tax codes in line. This is an important bill to ensure when you go to file your taxes, our State rules match those of the Federal Government. This year we had a very large amount of people file for unemployment in SC due to the pandemic conditions and shut-down. This bill exempts the first $10,000 of benefits these folks received from State tax income, ensuring that these people are not penalized for the hardships they involuntarily faced. This bill, H. 4017, unanimously passed the House.

Education Bills

Life Scholarships (H. 3588)- This bill amends the criteria for Life Scholarships, requiring certain English, Mathematics, and Computer Science coursework to be successfully completed for eligibility. This completion takes place during a student’s senior year to better prepare them for college. This bill passed on Thursday.

Non-Certified Teachers in the Classroom (H. 3590)- I voted in favor of a bill that allows public school districts to hire noncertified teachers (such as those who are retired or switched careers) for any school, career, and or technology center that have open teaching positions up until 5 days before the school year. Although these teachers may not comprise more than 25% of the staff and must have certain experience/academic requirements, this ensures that students have a teacher in the classroom no matter what. This passed by a vote of 99-17.

SC WINS (H. 3144)- This bill establishes the SC Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SC WINS). This means that certain students attending a two-year technical school are eligible for a scholarship upon meeting certain criteria and requirements. This passed the House on Wednesday by a vote of 105-1.

Other Legislative News

Training Firefighters (H. 3466)- This makes it more affordable for rural fire departments in South Carolina to operate. When a fire department trains a firefighter, they will be reimbursed for the costs of training if another fire department hires the trainee within a certain period of time. The reimbursement will come from the new employer of the firefighter. This protects the smaller departments that lose firefighters to larger, more desirable departments.  This passed by a vote of 108-2.

COVID-19 Rent Assistance (H. 3770)- This gives access to millions of dollars in federal rent assistance and relief. It authorizes distribution and provides a manner for distribution. It gives aid to those who have experienced hardships during COVID-19, are at risk for experiencing homelessness, make less than 80% of the area’s median income, etc. This passed the House and Senate with amendments. It came back to the House last week, where it passed the General Assembly and moves to the Governor’s desk. For more information, https://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article250447431.html

Weekly COVID-19 Update

  • South Carolina is in Phase 1C of the vaccination process. Under these guidelines, anyone 16+ is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine with an appointment.

  • Visit https://scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccine-appointments to make a vaccination appointment at a provider near you.

  • 34.5% of South Carolina citizens have started the vaccination process. 20% of SC citizens are fully vaccinated. 2,169,505 vaccines have been given to South Carolina residents to date.

  • Want to see how your area is doing in the fight against COVID-19? Visit the interactive ‘Vaccination Dashboard by following this link, https://scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-vaccination-dashboard.
    *Numbers updated April 8th.

I’m at your service!

It is my honor to be of service to you and to serve District 83. If you need assistance navigating through the flow of information on COVID-19, navigating state government, or have any thoughts or concerns about what we are doing, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Sincerely,
Bill Hixon
District 83 – SC House of Representatives
803-278-0892

Contact your Representatives
United States Congressman Joe Wilson — (202) 225-2452
United States Congressman Jeff Duncan — (202) 225-5301
SC Senator Shane Massey — (803) 480- 0419
SC Senator Tom Young — (803) 212-6000
SC House of Representative Bill Hixon — (803) 279-8855

Follow these links for more information about your state and national level representatives.
Have questions or comments on what I am doing in Columbia? Give me a call!
Home: 803-278-0892
Work: 803-279-8855

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