On Thursday, August 23rd we will have a town hall meeting at the Powdersville Fire Department at 6pm. We\u2019ll go over a few highlights from the \u201907 session and what we can look forward to next near. As always, your comments, suggestions and even complaints are welcome.<\/p>\n
Treasurer – Upon the unfortunate news of our treasurer\u2019s drug charge, Ken Wingate was appointed to serve during the suspension. After the resignation of our treasurer, the General Assembly elected Converse Chellis to this position.<\/p>\n
Session Highlights
It has been a busy session working on new legislation. Our regular session is in recess so you are safe until January. It is great to be home for a few months!<\/p>\n
Worker\u2019s Compensation Reform (passed) \u2013 We all respect the need to support an injured employee, but reform will result in lower rates for employers; leading to more jobs in the Palmetto State. The General Assembly passed meaningful reform and Gov. Sanford has signed the bill into law.<\/p>\n
Ultrasound Requirement (In conference) \u2013 My bill has passed the SC House (H. 3355) and the Senate (S. 84). I\u2019ve always supported pro-life legislation, but this bill is different. The choice is still intact, but we are requiring the abortionist to offer ultrasound images before the mother can receive an abortion. Statistics show as high as 85% of mothers receiving an ultrasound choose life. The House & Senate differences will be worked out in a Conference Committee before being sent to the Governor. Hopefully, his pen will see this bill next session.<\/p>\n
Department of Transportation Reform (passed) \u2013 This bill has had an up and down ride; gone from a full cabinet agency to no real reform at all. At one point, the bill was amended to nothing more than \u201crearranging the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic.\u201d However, this bill was greatly improved in a conference committee and signed into law.<\/p>\n
Education Open Enrollment (vetoed) \u2013 I supported Jim Rex\u2019s plan of open enrollment, yet Gov. Sanford vetoed this bill because he did not believe the legislation offered enough educational options. This veto was sustained in the House. Perhaps, we will revisit this concept next year and have an opportunity to provide more choices for our children.<\/p>\n
Budget, Spending, Tax Relief \u2013 With more than 1 & \u00bd billion new dollars coming in Columbia, I can\u2019t imagine not sending YOU some of your money back. We\u2019ve eliminated the sales tax on groceries and eliminated the lower income tax bracket. I usually support tax cuts, but elimination is much better, don\u2019t you think? Unfortunately, the budget was still laden with pork barrel earmarks. Although I voted to sustain most of the Governor\u2019s 243 line item vetoes, most were over ridden.<\/p>\n
OPEB – Did you know our school teacher\u2019s and highway patrol\u2019s retirement benefits are in jeopardy? OPEB stands for other post employment benefits. These benefits are mandated by statute, yet have a $9 billion deficit. This year only a piddle ($50 million) was set aside for this future liability. This will be my focus next year. The earlier we can close this gap, the less tax dollars we\u2019ll spend in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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