What’s coming in 2018, part two: Prefiled legislation
Over the past few weeks lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have been prefiling new bills for consideration in the upcoming session. Next year is the second half…
Senate Energy Solutions: An Analysis
In mid-November, the House prefiled and fast-tracked through committee six bills developed by the special energy investigatory committee, appointed by the House speaker (you can read our analysis of those…
What’s coming in 2018, part one: Bills from last year still in play
The 2018 legislative session is just around the corner, and lawmakers from both the House and Senate have prefiled a number of new bills for consideration when session begins on…
Who Controls Education Policy in South Carolina?
There is one question that we should all ask when analyzing elements of South Carolina government: Who controls it? Answering that question can often be a profoundly frustrating experience, as…
House Legislative Energy Solutions: An Analysis
THE HOUSE ENERGY COMMITTEE DRAFTED SIX BILLS TO “FIX” THE SYSTEM. HERE’S WHAT THOSE BILLS WOULD DO. UPDATE: The House passed H.4379 (ORS) and H.4378 (PURC) this week with no substantial…
Five Principles of Freedom: Achieving Prosperity in South Carolina
TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES FACING SOUTH CAROLINA, WE SHOULD FIRST ASK: WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? In January, lawmakers will reconvene to debate solutions for the problems facing our…
Legislative Energy “Reforms” Preserve Lawmakers’ Power
Over the past couple of weeks the House and Senate energy committees have begun drafting policy proposals to amend the energy regulatory structure. However, those proposals are premature as neither…
The State Budget Process: Law vs. Reality
On November 1, state law requires that the annual budget process begins. Every step is spelled out, but for decades South Carolina lawmakers have simply ignored the laws that don’t…
The “Legislative State:” How the General Assembly Controls South Carolina’s Government
Checks and balances are one of the strongest protections for individual liberty because they prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful. Concentration of power and lack of…
Six of the Lawmakers Investigating Utilities Also Oversee Utility Regulators
Shortly after Santee Cooper and SCANA abandoned their joint project to build two nuclear facilities, SC legislative leaders created special committees in the House and Senate to investigate the failed…
What to Ask Your Lawmakers About the Energy Crisis
Earlier this week the House energy committee held a public hearing on the failed nuclear construction project and the accompanying rate hikes. However, if you were unable to attend the…
University Enterprise Divisions: Vehicles for Dodging Accountability
A pair of bills filed last year would allow the creation of powerful mini-governments within public colleges and universities. These entities would function similarly to shell corporations by allowing universities…
Landess Interview: 75% of New Road Work Goes to Members of SC Alliance to Fix our Roads
SCPC President Ashley Landess was interviewed for a report aired on Columbia television station WIS investigating how contractors who are members of the gas-tax lobbying group, SC Alliance to Fix…
Best & Worst of the General Assembly 2017
SOUTH CAROLINA’S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF EVERY YEAR’S LEGISLATIVE SESSION Our guide to the 2017 legislative session – The Best and Worst of the General Assembly – has just been published. It’s the only…
Bechtel Report Evidence of Government Failure
The House energy committee met today to discuss the contents of an audit of the failed nuclear construction project. This audit was conducted by Bechtel Corp., the largest engineering and…
Santee Cooper: History, Crisis, and Accountability
When Santee Cooper partnered with SCANA to assume a 45% share in the assembly of two nuclear reactors, it borrowed billions of dollars to finance the project. Now that the…
Lawmakers Shift Blame at Energy Committee Meetings
Earlier this week the Senate V.C. Summer Nuclear Project Review Committee and the House Utility Ratepayer Protection Committee met to discuss the failed nuclear reactor construction project. Both are special…
SC Energy Crisis: Who is Accountable?
The decision by Santee Cooper and SCANA (the parent company of SCE&G) to abandon a multi-billion joint project to build two nuclear power facilities means that their customers were…
THE INSIDER – Quarterly Newsletter
Once a quarter, we update our supporters with news about projects, events, media attention, and – most important – our impact on policymaking in the Statehouse.
Who Runs South Carolina State Government?
POLITICIANS YOU DIDN’T VOTE FOR. THAT’S WHO. From education to road funding, from the judicial system to your electric bill, the important decisions are made by state lawmakers who represent…
How the DOT Commission Plans to Spend New Gas Tax Revenue
Last week the Department of Transportation (DOT) Commission and the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) met for the first time since the gas tax bill passed. Both meetings were focused…
Lawmakers, Corruption, and Accountability
The process of investigating and prosecuting corruption in the legislature is confusing and complicated – at best. At worst, it is specifically designed to shield lawmakers from legal scrutiny and…
Will New Gas Tax Revenue Go to Roads?
LAWMAKERS PROMISED THE MONEY WOULD GO TO MAINTAIN ROADS. STATE OFFICIALS SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. On July 1, the gas tax hike went into effect. Drivers across the state are now…
Mobile Barber Shops? Good Idea, But Never Mind.
WHY NOT JUST DEREGULATE? Ronald Reagan used to tell a joke that went like this: “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it…
Only Three Liquor Stores? A Tale of Regulation
HOW A SIMPLE, WELL-INTENDED REGULATION TURNED INTO A TANGLED MESS Earlier this year, a report at The Nerve detailed an attempt by a few lawmakers to insert a budget proviso…
The State Budget: What You’re Spending in 2017
GOVERNMENT OUTPACING THE ECONOMY – BY A LOT The General Assembly just passed a $27.42 billion budget – by far the largest in state history and a $1.1 billion increase from…
How Can Citizens Get Answers on Roads?
THE SYSTEM MAKES IT DIFFICULT – BUT IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE South Carolina’s transportation system is not accountable to any one elected official, and that’s by design. Even so, after several…
Why USC’s Budget Proviso Is Unconstitutional
SOUTH CAROLINA’S FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY GOES AROUND THE LAW Recently the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education found itself the subject of debate in newspapers and on the Senate floor. A…
The Gas Tax Hike Passed. Now What?
IF YOU WANT TO HOLD TRANSPORTATION POLICYMAKERS ACCOUNTABLE, HERE’S HOW. After three years of effort, lawmakers raised the gas tax (and a host of related taxes and fees). In the…