Year: 2017

A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO RESTORE THE BALANCE OF POWER The most frequent criticism made of South Carolina’s form of government – it’s also the most accurate one – is that…

THAT’S A EUPHEMISM FOR ‘PORK BY COMMITTEE’ [Update: This proviso was struck from the House budget when the bill went to the floor.] Buried in this year’s state budget bill…

THIS ONE’S A STRAIGHT-UP TAX HIKE [Update: A quick side-by-side comparison of Senate and House bills is available here.] This morning the Senate Finance subcommittee took up H.3516, the gas…

It’s understandable that many South Carolinians want to push back at the federal government’s regulatory overreach. It’s understandable, too, that their Statehouse politicians want to respond to that desire. But…

RESOLUTION WOULD ALLOW HOUSE TO BYPASS ROLL CALL ON BUDGET SECTIONS In 2008, the Policy Council released a study revealing that the South Carolina General Assembly passed bills with recorded…

S.256 would allow the county legislative delegations to remove their appointees or recommendations for appointment for neglect of duty, misconduct, or malfeasance. While the ability to remove appointments for cause…

MODEST REFORM MEASURE INTRODUCED, BUT PREMISE STAYS THE SAME On Tuesday the House considered the gas tax hike bill (H.3516). House leadership proposed an amendment that would divert 20 percent…

S.386 would amend the state constitution by having the governor appoint the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Circuit Court judges rather than having them elected by the legislature. The…

BUSINESS LICENSE TAXES ARE CONFUSING AND PUNITIVE. A REFORM BILL IN THE LEGISLATURE WOULD DO NOTHING TO CHANGE THAT. By any reckoning, one of the most widely hated taxes is…

H.3700 is a full constitutional carry bill. Anyone over 21 who is legally allowed to own a handgun in the state could carry that handgun in public, either openly or…

SOUTH CAROLINA IS A LOW INCOME STATE — SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT South Carolina politicos sometimes claim that ours is a “low tax state” and that it has the “lowest taxes in…

SOUTH CAROLINA’S PENSION SYSTEM IS IN THE RED BY TENS OF BILLIONS. A NEW BILL WOULD TINKER WITH THE SYSTEM. After months of deliberations and expert testimony, the Joint Committee on…

S.370 would amend the state constitution by having the governor appoint Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals, and Circuit Court judges rather than having them elected by the legislature. It…

H. 3650 attempts to streamline and simplify business licensing in the state. It would create a uniform business license tax, that would expire on the 30th of April of each year.…

LAWMAKERS’ ANSWER TO THE ROADS PROBLEM IS STILL THE SAME: YOU HAVEN’T SENT ENOUGH MONEY TO COLUMBIA [The text of this analysis has been updated to reflect the bill’s most…

H.3443 would expand Medicaid to cover adults sixty-five years of age and younger who are at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. This expansion is one that legislators…

H.3473 is a resolution calling for an Article V Convention of States to amend the US Constitution. The resolution attempts to limit potential amendment subjects to a spending cap and…

H.3468 would allow an individual, partnership, limited liability company, trust, or estate to transfer an unclaimed textile mill site rehabilitation tax credit to another recipient, provided the Department of Revenue…

H.3352 creates a new judicial branch under the Administrative Law Court that would oversee Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeals and challenges and would institute a number of reforms to…

S.301 would eliminate the Commission of Transportation and transfer the Commission’s authority to the Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary would be a gubernatorial appointment with Senate confirmation. The bill would…

S.27 is a companion bill to S.137, a joint resolution that proposes that the superintendent of education be appointed by the governor instead of elected. S.27 would adjust the necessary code…

SEN. HUGH LEATHERMAN HOLDS A BEWILDERING ARRAY OF STATE OFFICES. HE IS ACCOUNTABLE TO ONLY ONE SENATE DISTRICT. THE RESULT IS PREDICTABLE. Two of the most powerful offices in South…

S. 54 increases the existing 16 cent per gallon gas by 4 cents every year from 2017 through 2019, nearly doubling the current gasoline tax. The bill would also allow…

H.3473 calls for an Article V convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution to mandate a federal balanced budget. Article V of the Constitution establishes two ways to amend…

S.158 and S.159 create additional roadblocks to obtaining a firearm. When a firearms dealer performs a federal background check on a buyer or transferee through the National Instant Criminal Background…

S.155 would protect the right of individuals to record or photograph law enforcement officers while performing their law enforcement duties, provided the officer is in a public place, public view,…

H.3218 expands the definition of “dam” to include dams which could cause serious damage to property or roads if they fail, and removes the specification that the Department of Transportation…

H.3408 would allow police officers, volunteer firefighters, or state guard members who are South Carolina residents to obtain three-year fishing or combination license (a combination license covers big game and migratory waterfowl…

H.3409 would allow police officers, volunteer firefighters, or state guard members who are South Carolina residents to enter the State Museum for free. It is unclear why public servants should not…

H.3417 would require mobile barbershops to obtain a permit from the State Board of Barber Examiners before operating. The bill imposes regulations and permitting fees as well as allowing the board…