Kevin Bryant

Mr. Will Phillips was kind enough to send me his notes from the Town Hall Meeting we had on Monday February 27, 2012 at the Historic Courthouse.

My mom and I attended your Town Hall Meeting at the Historic County Courthouse in Anderson on February 27. This meeting was to address an item that will assist Veterans. Veterans are so important for all of us. Because of our Veterans we have all of our freedoms, including freedom of speech. Veterans from various wars were recognized. These wars included WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc. The meeting was well attended. There were several other public officials at the meeting too. These included a representative from the local VA Office, Rep Ann Thayer from District 9, Tom Allen from Anderson County Council, a representative from Senator DeMint’s Office and a representative from Congressman Jeff Duncan’s office. The meeting opened with The Pledge of Allegiance.

Senator Bryant has introduced Bill # 1169. This Bill would allow Veterans to have a logo on their Drivers’ License that would let others know they have served our country. All Veterans do not qualify for a Veteran ID card. A lot of businesses offer discounts to Veterans, but some have no way to prove that they have served. This would help with that problem. There was a lot of discussion about the benefits of this.

Then there was also discussion about the fact that all drivers’ licenses in SC will likely be changing in the next few years. This has to do with the fact that our DL is very easy to reproduce. So there was discussion as to how much room will be available for the Veteran logo.

Other discussion included the Finance Committee. Our unemployment is in a mess There has been a lot of fraud in the unemployment system. There was also discussion about drug testing for unemployment benefits. If you must pass a drug test to keep a job, you should have to pass one to get unemployment benefits. I agree. Our SC retirement system needs a lot of work too. Senator Bryant is on the Finance Committee as well as the Agricultural Committee-water legislation which deals with Lake Hartwell. He also serves on the Medical Affairs Committee and as a pharmacist he has a lot of input on this committee.

One Veteran raised a possible problem with the POW license plates in SC. There might be more issued than should be. A lot of ID has to be shown to receive one of these license plates, so they want to make sure there is no fraud in this area. I enjoyed learning more about our Government. I hope to spend some time with Senator Bryant in Columbia one day this spring.

Hey guys! Yesterday I announced my plans to run for re-election to Congress, and since then I’ve received a flood of e-mails and phone calls from supporters asking what they can do to help. Because of the overwhelming response, I wanted to let you know about two events taking place this week:
Greenwood: A fundraiser reception at The Links at Stoney Point Club House, 709 Swing About, Greenwood, South CarolinaWednesday, March 14th 6:30pm Donations Encouraged
Laurens: A fundraiser reception at the home of Dr. Byron Verdin (father of Sen. Danny Verdin, who is also sponsoring the event), 475 Secession Drive, Laurens, South Carolina, Thursday, March 15th 6:30pm, $50 per person/ $75 per couple
For more information, to RSVP, or if you’re interested in being a sponsor contact: Jordan Sherer at 864-871-2711 or at Jordan@jeffduncan.com
We have had a great response from the email that I sent out yesterday, which is both humbling and encouraging to me. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope to see you around the district sometime this week! God Bless, Jeff Duncan

Wednesday 03.14.2012 The SC House unanimously passed their version of the budget 115-0. This budget will provide funding for abortions in the State Health Plan for exceptions. Not a single member of the House seemed to think this is a problem. To my knowledge, not a single Repsentative bothered to speak up for the taxpayer having to pay to abort perfectly innocent children. Somebody’s got to speak for this little one!

By Mark Basch and Karen Brune Mathis, Staff Writers
While Bi-Lo Holdings LLC promised to create 100 new jobs as part of an incentive package to move its headquarters from Greenville, S.C., to Jacksonville, its CEO said Monday that he hopes to add even more than that.

“We expect to create a lot more than 100. That’s a minimum number,” Bi-Lo President and Chief Executive Officer R. Randall Onstead Jr. said in an interview.

Bi-Lo completed its $560 million acquisition of Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie on Friday, creating a company with 688 supermarkets and 63,000 employees in eight states.

On Monday morning, it announced that the headquarters of the merged company will be in Jacksonville.

Mayor Alvin Brown and City and state representatives announced at a City Hall news conference that pending approvals, Bi-Lo could receive $6.6 million in incentives to move and that the company would add 100 jobs and invest $93 million in capital projects.

The deal also keeps 900 local Winn-Dixie jobs at the headquarters, which creates more than 1,000 jobs with the additional positions.

Brown and JAXUSA Partnership President Jerry Mallot said those headquarters jobs will pay an average $84,000 a year.

Onstead said a few people will be moving from Greenville but most of the additional jobs will be new hires.

“We’re mainly talking about new jobs created here,” he said.

Onstead would not give a timetable for adding those first 100 jobs or the additional positions, but he expects the company to grow.

Bi-Lo has said since the merger was first announced that Winn-Dixie supermarkets will continue to operate under that name and Bi-Lo stores would continue with their current name.

Onstead said customers won’t see anything in Winn-Dixie stores with the Bi-Lo name.

While the corporate name is now Bi-Lo, Onstead also said that the headquarters building on Jacksonville’s Westside will continue to have the Winn-Dixie name. Bi-Lo will continue to operate offices in Greenville with that name.

While not putting names on them, Onstead did say that he hopes to take the “best practices” from both supermarket chains and implement them in all the stores.

“I think both are doing certain things well,” he said, but he would not discuss specific programs.

Onstead said the incentive package was one factor in the decision to put the headquarters in Jacksonville.

“There were a lot of things that went into our decision-making and some carried more weight than others,” he said.

Other factors included Winn-Dixie’s facilities in Jacksonville, including its distribution center, and its central location for the eight-state store network, which stretches west to Louisiana and north to Tennessee and North Carolina.

Winn-Dixie has been operating in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Bi-Lo’s stores are in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The $6.6 million in incentives consists of:

• $1.04 million through Florida’s Quick Response Training program used for training costs for new and existing employees.

• $3.6 million in a state Quick Action Closing Fund to offset the costs of relocation expenses and equipment purchases.

• Up to $2 million from the City through a “Revenue Enhanced Value” grant over 10 years. A REV grant is based on the increased taxes generated by property improvements and is repaid to a company after it pays taxes.

That deal is scheduled to be introduced to the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission on March 21 and then Council. It could be approved by Council in late April or early May, said Paul Crawford, acting executive director of the JEDC.

South Carolina made an effort to keep the Bi-Lo headquarters, but Onstead wouldn’t provide details of that state’s offer.

“We received a very compelling offer from South Carolina as well,” he said.

Brown said at the City Hall news conference that South Carolina was “very aggressive” in trying to keep the headquarters. “That is why it was critical for the City and the state to get involved,” he said.

“South Carolina was very, very aggressive offering a whole lot more than we could come up with,” said Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll at the news conference. Read on

October Baby: Bringing Life
to Theaters March 23
If you believe that every life is beautiful and that a beautifully told story can touch hearts—and even save lives—then you will be excited about the impact that OCTOBER BABY can have when it opens in theaters on March 23.

OCTOBER BABY tells the story of Hannah, a young woman who learns that her life is much different than what she’s known up until now. After learning she was actually adopted—after a failed abortion attempt—Hannah embarks on an incredible journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her unknown future. Check out a powerful scene featuring Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) and a woman who knows about Hannah’s past (Jasmine Guide).

» Watch the “Finding Answers” Scene from OCTOBER BABY

Impacting Lives with a Movie
Three pregnancy resource centers have received an incredible gift from an anonymous donor who purchased Thursday evening showings of OCTOBER BABY in their towns. Each of the three centers, including ones in Denver and Houston, received 250 tickets that they are reselling to donors. That means even before it officially opens on March 23, OCTOBER BABY will be helping save lives!

Your group can also host a special Thursday evening showing on March 22 by purchasing 250 tickets. Take your church, invite your customers, or even offer a special gift to a local pregnancy center just like our anonymous friend!

» Learn More

Every Life is Beautiful
It seems so natural: the sanctity of human life is the linchpin of a healthy society. Yet when it comes to life, our society keeps drifting further and further from God’s Truth.

Can a movie make a difference? Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of Americans United for Life says:
“What a remarkable movie. This is a significant story, beautifully told. OCTOBER BABY weaves together an uplifting and inspiring look at redemption and the true meaning of love. It’s even funny too. It’s really a wonderful movie.”
» See the trailer at OctoberBabyMovie.net

Make a Statement with
October Baby
What will it take? For nearly 40 years since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, abortion has been deemed a right. Unfortunately, no rights are bestowed upon the unborn.

This month, starting Friday, March 23, a beautiful, compelling movie plays in theaters. What if you stepped up, knowing that your ticket—and every other ticket purchased for Opening Weekend of OCTOBER BABY—is a loud vote for the sanctity of life?

» Get Your Tickets Now!

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