. . . A LOT THAT YOU’LL NEVER KNOW ABOUT. HERE’S WHY. Over the last two years, the Policy Council has repeatedly stressed the importance of a law that…
…BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT YOUR MONEY AND WHO’S ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPENDING IT If the General Assembly is going to restructure government, it’s worth remembering the point of restructuring – separation…
THE HOUSE GOP ‘ALTERNATIVE’ TO OBAMACARE AND THE WINNERS & LOSERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA’S HEALTH CARE DEBATE We recently reported that House Republicans introduced an alternative plan to ObamaCare in a…
A BILLION AND A HALF … WAIT – WHAT? The House Ways and Means Committee has just passed its version of the state budget, and it’s been reported as a $22.7…
“ALTERNATIVE” TO GOVERNMENT SPENDING PLAN TURNS OUT TO BE LESS AMBITIOUS GOVERNMENT SPENDING PLAN. IS THERE A PLAN C? Yesterday the House Republican Caucus met with reporters about a…
CURRENT DOA BILL WOULD FURTHER FLOUT CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES [UPDATE: Late yesterday the full Senate passed S.22 by a vote of 35 to 10. The version passed by the Senate…
Earlier today the Policy Council filed a complaint with Attorney General Alan Wilson against House Speaker Bobby Harrell. The Attorney General agrees with us that the House Ethics Committee is…
INCREASED FEDERAL HANDOUTS AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT … HAVEN’T WE TRIED THAT BEFORE? Through the heated national and state debates over health care policy and the implementation of the Affordable…
IF YOU GIVE AN AGENCY A COOKIE . . . [Note: Parts one and two of this series were published earlier this week and last week.] If the governor’s executive budget…
IF IT DOESN’T WORK, KEEP DOING IT … ? Part 2 of our series on the governor’s proposed budget of FY 2013-14 shines a light on the following four department…
JUST WHAT WE NEED: A NEW, MORE COMPLICATED INFRASTRUCTURE FUND A bill recently introduced by Senator Larry Grooms aims to create the “Palmetto Highway Improvement Fund.” The bill –…
WHY DO HOSPITALS WANT TO EXPAND MEDICAID? (HINT: IT’S NOT BECAUSE THEY’RE JUST NICE PEOPLE) Hospitals in South Carolina, both individually and under the auspices of the South Carolina Hospital…
LANDESS ASKS GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON ETHICS REFORM TO CONSIDER DEPTH OF PROBLEM [Note: the following is testimony by SCPC President Ashley Landess before Gov. Nikki Haley’s Commission on…
MORE OF THE SAME? The 2013 legislative session has just begun, and one of the first items unveiled was the governor’s executive budget. Whether or not the legislature will follow…
LAWMAKERS SHOULD QUIT MAKING EXCUSES AND FOLLOW THE LAW Two years ago, the Policy Council discovered a provision in state law requiring House and Senate appropriations committees to meet…
Lawmakers say it’s about accountability. The only trouble is: Their bill doesn’t achieve it. On Thursday, January 10, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee – the subcommittee dealing…
HOW THE STATES CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK . . . As the 120th session of the South Carolina General Assembly kicks off, the decisions to implement (or not implement)…
CAN SOMETHING SO SIMPLE REALLY BE SO DIFFICULT? Among the state’s commentators and editorialists, ethics reform is expected to be the issue of the 2013 legislative session. What exactly…
What’s in the S.C. State Budget?
. . . A LOT THAT YOU’LL NEVER KNOW ABOUT. HERE’S WHY. Over the last two years, the Policy Council has repeatedly stressed the importance of a law that…
Why Is Bonding Authority a Big Deal?
…BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT YOUR MONEY AND WHO’S ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPENDING IT If the General Assembly is going to restructure government, it’s worth remembering the point of restructuring – separation…
ObamaCare Light?
THE HOUSE GOP ‘ALTERNATIVE’ TO OBAMACARE AND THE WINNERS & LOSERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA’S HEALTH CARE DEBATE We recently reported that House Republicans introduced an alternative plan to ObamaCare in a…
The State Budget is $1.5B Bigger Than You Thought
A BILLION AND A HALF … WAIT – WHAT? The House Ways and Means Committee has just passed its version of the state budget, and it’s been reported as a $22.7…
“Alternative” Plan to Medicaid Expansion?
“ALTERNATIVE” TO GOVERNMENT SPENDING PLAN TURNS OUT TO BE LESS AMBITIOUS GOVERNMENT SPENDING PLAN. IS THERE A PLAN C? Yesterday the House Republican Caucus met with reporters about a…
Dept. of Administration Bill Gets Worse
CURRENT DOA BILL WOULD FURTHER FLOUT CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES [UPDATE: Late yesterday the full Senate passed S.22 by a vote of 35 to 10. The version passed by the Senate…
SCPC Files Complaint with Attorney General
Earlier today the Policy Council filed a complaint with Attorney General Alan Wilson against House Speaker Bobby Harrell. The Attorney General agrees with us that the House Ethics Committee is…
Is Medicaid a Job Creator?
INCREASED FEDERAL HANDOUTS AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT … HAVEN’T WE TRIED THAT BEFORE? Through the heated national and state debates over health care policy and the implementation of the Affordable…
The Governor’s Spending Plan (Part 3)
IF YOU GIVE AN AGENCY A COOKIE . . . [Note: Parts one and two of this series were published earlier this week and last week.] If the governor’s executive budget…
School Choice This Year?
NEW SESSION, NEW SCHOOL CHOICE BILL – SAME BAD IDEA As was the case last year – and just about any year over the last decade – the current…
The Governor’s Spending Plan (Part 2)
IF IT DOESN’T WORK, KEEP DOING IT … ? Part 2 of our series on the governor’s proposed budget of FY 2013-14 shines a light on the following four department…
Road Funding: Another Bad Idea
JUST WHAT WE NEED: A NEW, MORE COMPLICATED INFRASTRUCTURE FUND A bill recently introduced by Senator Larry Grooms aims to create the “Palmetto Highway Improvement Fund.” The bill –…
Medicaid Expansion: Who pays?
WHY DO HOSPITALS WANT TO EXPAND MEDICAID? (HINT: IT’S NOT BECAUSE THEY’RE JUST NICE PEOPLE) Hospitals in South Carolina, both individually and under the auspices of the South Carolina Hospital…
Testimony before Commission on Ethics Reform
LANDESS ASKS GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON ETHICS REFORM TO CONSIDER DEPTH OF PROBLEM [Note: the following is testimony by SCPC President Ashley Landess before Gov. Nikki Haley’s Commission on…
The Governor’s Spending Plan (Part 1)
MORE OF THE SAME? The 2013 legislative session has just begun, and one of the first items unveiled was the governor’s executive budget. Whether or not the legislature will follow…
Why the State’s Open Budget Law Matters
LAWMAKERS SHOULD QUIT MAKING EXCUSES AND FOLLOW THE LAW Two years ago, the Policy Council discovered a provision in state law requiring House and Senate appropriations committees to meet…
What’s the Point of Restructuring?
Lawmakers say it’s about accountability. The only trouble is: Their bill doesn’t achieve it. On Thursday, January 10, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee – the subcommittee dealing…
Protecting South Carolina from Obamacare
HOW THE STATES CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK . . . As the 120th session of the South Carolina General Assembly kicks off, the decisions to implement (or not implement)…
Abolishing the Ethics Committees
CAN SOMETHING SO SIMPLE REALLY BE SO DIFFICULT? Among the state’s commentators and editorialists, ethics reform is expected to be the issue of the 2013 legislative session. What exactly…