Dear friends and neighbors,

Parts of the state had a very frigid start to the week, with several inches of snow covering areas of the Upstate. I want to extend a huge thank you to our first responders and other front-line workers who braved the weather to keep our communities safe and our power on.

With the weather creating unsafe travel conditions for some of my colleagues, the Speaker canceled session on Tuesday. We returned to Columbia on Wednesday and began our work for the week. Various state agencies testified before budget subcommittees to make requests as deliberations begin over the state budget.  The budget will make its way to the House floor in March. Committee meetings are live streamed on the Statehouse website. You can see the schedule of committee meetings and tune in here: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/meetings.php?chamber=H.

Governor McMaster’s State of the State Address

On Wednesday evening, the House and the Senate joined together to listen to the Governor’s annual State of the State address. Governor McMaster illustrated the successes of South Carolina in the past year, indicative of what our state can accomplish when we work together. The Governor laid out a bold plan for our state and I look forward to what’s to come in 2022.

During his address, the Governor introduced many highlights from his executive budget. These are items that he would like to see the House and Senate include when we pass our state budget in March. I share many of these sentiments and will work hard to include many of the items that our Governor suggested, including the construction, expansion, and improvement to our State-owned roads, bridges, highways, and interstates, tax cuts on ALL income tax brackets, a ‘rainy day” relief fund and reserves for future economic uncertainties, pay raises for teachers, and fully funding law enforcement, public safety, and other first responders. For more information on his executive budget, visit: https://governor.sc.gov.

I share Governor McMaster’s pride in our state’s booming economy and business-friendly environment, which makes South Carolina the 10th fastest-growing state in America. And thanks to conservative planning and budgeting in the state budget that we voted to pass, we have the largest budget surplus, the largest rainy-day reserve account balance, and the lowest debt in our state’s history. South Carolina would not be booming without the billions of dollars of new investments from companies like Oshkosh Defense, Generac Power, and Gallo Winery — which I proudly voted to bring to South Carolina last spring. There is opportunity in South Carolina and I cannot wait to see what the future holds

The Governor took time to discuss one of my top priorities: our state’s students and education system. It was reassuring to hear the Governor support one of my top priorities for 2022–Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)–and recognize the importance of choice and particularly, parental choice in their children’s education.

Finally, Governor McMaster emphasized the importance of pushing back on the Biden administration — something the House has been working to do since President Biden took office a year ago. I will continue to fight against unconstitutional Federal vaccine mandates and any other constitutional infringement from the Federal Government. And like always, I will work to protect the right to life and support law and order. I am encouraged by the support of our Governor on these issues.

South Carolina is bursting at the seams with opportunity and promise for families and businesses alike. It has never been a better time to invest in our state. I look forward to 2022, as the momentum continues, knowing that we are resilient and prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead. It is my honor to serve you in the South Carolina House of Representatives. As always, if you ever have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please reach out