Kevin Bryant

I am currently co-chairing a Senate Finance sub-commitee that is giving oversight to the South Carolina Retirement Investment Commission along with Sen. Joel Lourie (D-Richland). Other members are Sen. Darrell Jackson (D-Richland) and Sen. Ray Cleary (R-Georgetown).

Thursday afternoon, 45 minutes after adjournment will be our 3rd hearing. Our meetings are focusing on the fees that are paid for investments, a recent investigation by the South Carolina Inspector General (as prompted by Treasurer Curtis Loftis), and the recent lawsuit with the Bank of New York Mellon. This meeting will give us the opportunity to hear from Treasurer Curtis Loftis.

The hearing will be streamed online here

Today, the legislature begins the second half of the 120th Session. There is an opportunity to pass two massive reform bills that could move South Carolina’s antiquated government antiquated into the 21st Century.

The first of these bills is the restructuring bill, S.22. This legislation has passed both chambers and is sitting in conference committee. One contentious issue for S. 22 is where procurement for the state will go. Last year, legislators touted the perfect record of procurement under its current home, the Budget and Control Board. However, a major failure in the Budget and Control Board procurement process was discovered a few years ago, involving a multimillion dollar no-bid that went to a company with ties to a former legislator. Once the contract was put out for bid, taxpayers saved millions. Unfortunately, no one was ever held accountable for the failure. If procurement were placed under the Department of Administration, voters would finally be able to hold decision makers accountable in this crucial area of government.

The second opportunity for historic reform is a much needed ethics reform bill. Unlike like every other office holder in South Carolina, legislators campaign spending is not governed by South Carolina’s Ethics Commission. Instead, their campaign spending is governed by other legislators. This is a classic case of “the fox guarding the hen house.” Allowing the Ethics Commission to investigate potential ethics violations of legislators would remove the shroud of secrecy that currently covers the House and Senate Ethics committees. We would also like to see legislators disclose their private sources of income. Currently, legislators are only required to disclose any income from the state. Adding an additional layer of scrutiny will make sure there are no conflicts of interest.

This week marked the first time in South Carolina’s history that individuals and corporate taxpayers can receive a dollar for dollar tax credit for (up to 60 percent of their 2014 state tax liability) by donating to a Scholarship Funding Organization or SFO. The SFOs award exceptional needs students grants of up to $10,000 for tuition, books and transportation. There is a statewide cap on this program of $8 million in tax credits. To learn more about donating please visit IndependentED.org.

Additionally, Governor Haley released the 2014-2015 Executive Budget, which included a proposal to eliminate the 6 percent bracket for income taxes. If this proposal were adopted income previously taxed at the 6 percent rate would be taxed at 5 percent. Obviously, this would be welcome relief for hard-working taxpayers.

We are looking forward to the second half of this session. We have a chance to make South Carolina a better place to live, work and play.

New ‘Stand Your Ground’ Legislation

I’ve introduced a bill s.837, which is a new amendment to the famous SC ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law. Currently, any appeals based on a judge’s denial of ‘stand your ground’ have to come after a person undergoes trial and is found guilty. In other words, a person cannot appeal their denied verdict until they pay for a lawyer and go through an entire trial. This new amendment allows a person to challenge a denied ‘stand your ground’ verdict before a murder trial continues.

The new bill simply states, an order concerning a defendant’s motion for immunity from prosecution (under Article 6, Chapter 11, Title 16) is immediately appealable. A defendant who does not immediately appeal an order, denying a request for immunity, has nevertheless preserved the issue for appeal after conviction and sentencing.

Of all the things South Carolina Government should be worried about, now you can sleep at night to know that a country store selling hotdogs on waxed paper has been shut down by dhec. In a recent raid, inspectors have issued a “cease and desist” order to the Red Top Quick Stop.

You ask what kind of high crimes are being committed in this Townville South Carolina country store? Well, there’s a laundry list, but their 7-up drink cooler is not mounted on casters. They have a 50 gallon per minute hot water heater instead of a 90 gallon tank (to wipe off the waxed paper I guess). The popcorn machine is not mounted on 4 inch legs! Gasp! There’s more if you want to see the report with cross referenced code section and regulations, click here. (We added the cross references.)

Why the hub bub? Well, here’s the rest of the story. The store is owned by morning political talk show host Rick Driver. As you may know, Rick’s show is a no-holds-barred bare knuckle free for all. The WAIM 1230 am host probably has more enemies than you can shake a stick at. I’ve personally been subject to the conversation of Rick and his audience, but have always had an opportunity to voice my side of the story. This is free speech as our fore-fathers envisioned. “All we do here is put forth information” is Rick’s mantra.

Rick told me he may sell as many as 25 hotdogs a day. This doesn’t sound like tremendous threat to the public, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a victim of some retribution stemming from who knows where.

packIQ to expand Anderson County facility: $2.1 million investment expected to create 50 new jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Due to increased demand for returnable packaging solutions, packIQ is expanding its existing operations in Anderson County. The $2.1 million investment is expected to generate 50 new jobs. The expansion will include a complete shipping rack fabrication facility with powder coat paint and polyurea coating systems.

packIQ manages and executes the entire packaging lifecycle from 3-D CAD design, prototype, fabrication to storage, maintenance, real-time tracking and just-in-time delivery of packaging assets. Founded in 2000 as a supplier of packaging solutions to the automotive industry, the company now also services clients in other major manufacturing industries such as aerospace and defense, armed forces, heavy truck and power sports.

“We have been very fortunate to have the opportunities for growth, and Anderson County has been very supportive in helping us expand to meet our customers’ requirements,” said Mark Beck, chief executive officer of packIQ.

packIQ operates locations in Michigan and Georgia, including its headquarters in Anderson, located at 1 American Way. As a domestic and international supplier, packIQ provides industrial packaging solutions for some of the world’s top brands, including BMW, Daimler, General Dynamics, BAE, Rolls-Royce, many Tier 1 suppliers and the U.S. Navy and Marines.

“It’s always exciting to see an existing business grow its footprint in our state,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “We celebrate packIQ’s decision to invest $2.1 million and add 50 new jobs in Anderson County.”

Some of packIQ’s products and services include Clip-Lok™ custom wood crates, steel shipping racks, bulk containers, totes and custom dunnage and returnable packaging management. The company utilizes a zero waste philosophy to help its clients better manage their packaging processes to reduce the amount of transportation, which lowers associated greenhouse gases and, ultimately, saves money.

“In South Carolina, we know how to make things, and we make them well – whether it’s cars, tires or the appropriate packaging for these things. Companies like packIQ play an important role in the manufacturing process, and we welcome their continued commitment to our state,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

Since January 2011, South Carolina has recruited more than $200 million in capital investment and more than 650 jobs in the packaging sector.

Anderson County Council Vice Chairwoman M. Cindy Wilson said, “packIQ’s decision to continue to grow in Anderson County is a tribute to the value of collaboration in our state. With our partners at the South Carolina Department of Commerce, we were able to ensure the necessary infrastructure improvements to make this expansion a reality. We look forward to packIQ continuing to be an integral part of our community.”

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved a $159,845 set aside grant for infrastructure improvements related to the project.

For more information on packIQ, go to www.packiq.com or call 864-356-5578.