Gas Tax Plans: More of the Same
S.C. POLITICOS HAVE PRODUCED AT LEAST FOUR MAJOR PLANS TO “FIX OUR ROADS.” NOT ONE OF THEM WILL ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. HERE’S WHY. How would a massive tax hike fix…
Imposing Regulations on the Recreational Vehicle Industry
With the introduction of S.771, the General Assembly is once again resorting to excessive industry regulation in order to “protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of…
ANALYSIS: Senate Compromise on Road Funding
A COMPROMISE? SURE. A COMPILATION OF ALL THIS YEAR’S BAD IDEAS? THAT TOO. Last week, a majority of Senate Republicans produced a compromise on the subject of road funding. At this…
More False DOT “Reform”
S.759 is another attempt at Department of Transportation (DOT) “reform” that would only entrench existing legislative control over DOT. The bill increases the size of the DOT Commission (the entity…
Cutting Income Tax Brackets by 1%
H.4152 would cut all South Carolina income tax brackets by 1% over four years. The first 0.25% cut to each bracket would begin in 2015 and would continue for three…
The Myth of the Tax Swap
STATE HOUSE ECONOMICS, CHAPTER II Following the governor’s lead on tax swaps, more than 20 Senate Republicans unveiled the outline of a compromise amendment to the Senate Finance gas tax…
How Does Road Money Get Spent?
WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM? WHO SPENDS IT? WHO ARE THEY ACCOUNTABLE TO? The debate over road funding has seen a number of outrageous and contradictory claims. On the…
FAST FACTS: A Tax Hike for Roads?
There has been endless talk about “road plans,” but in truth there is no plan to fix roads – the only debate in Columbia is over raising taxes. The promises…
UPDATE: State Budget on Senate Floor
LAWMAKERS’ PRIORITIES: MORE DEBT, HEEDLESS INCREASES TO STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES This week the state Senate is debating the state budget produced by the Senate Finance Committee. This spending plan, unsurprisingly,…
Mandating Periodic Management Audits for Institutions of Higher Learning
H.4081 directs the Legislative Audit Council to conduct management performance audits of every public institution of higher education in South Carolina every ten years on a staggered schedule. The cost…
Amending the Retirement Requirement for Solicitors
H.4065 makes an exception for the mandatory retirement age of solicitors. Under current law, solicitors are required to retire at the end of the calendar year in which they turn…
Requiring Law Enforcement Agencies have Written Policies for Investigating Officer Involved Deaths
S.649 would require all South Carolina law enforcement agencies to maintain a written policy for investigating officer involved deaths, defined as “the death of an individual that results directly from…
Requiring Officer Involved Shootings be Investigated by Uninvolved Agencies
Companion bills S.650, H.3973, H.3990, and H.3991 all attempt to remove conflicts of interests and reduce public skepticism in the investigation of officer involved shootings. The bills seek to achieve…
Police may not Harass Individuals Recording Them
S.647 would clarify that it is indeed legal for a private citizen to film the police in public. Citizens already have the right to record in public places. S.647 would…
Giving Charter Schools limited Enrollment Preferences
S.702 would give charter schools opening after July 1, 2015 the ability to administer enrollment preferences from an attendance zone specified by the local school district sponsoring the charter school.…
Closing DOT Contracting Loopholes
H.4056 would restrict contracting firms from bidding on DOT projects if a firm is owned, either fully or partially, by a trust that benefits a person, a person’s family, or…
Amending the Constitution to Lower University Trustee Qualifications
H.4051 aims to amend the Constitution by exempting persons seeking to serve on the governing body of a public college or university in this State from possessing the minimum qualifications…
Requiring Students to Complete Virtual Learning Classes
H.4042 could have a significant impact on the future of high school education in South Carolina. The bill would require successful completion of three high school-level “virtual learning credit units”…
The DOT must Prioritize Maintenance and Preservation of Roads
S.201 requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a process that prioritizes the maintenance, preservation, and rehabilitation of the state highway system and bridges. The bill further requires that…
Regulating How the Housing Trust Fund is Administered
S.686 is a bill that makes slight adjustments to current law regulating the Housing Trust Fund: Removes the dollar figure from the definition of “affordable housing,” leaving it more open…
Adding Flexibility to the Sunset Provision of Local Sales Taxes
S.683 (and companion bill H.5078) amends the sunset provision in current state law for locally-imposed sales taxes. Under current law, a locally-imposed sales tax must not last longer than eight years. If…
Who Holds the General Assembly Accountable?
ANSWER: NO ONE. CONSIDER A RECENT ATTEMPT TO RAISE REVENUE IN THE SENATE. The General Assembly has long dominated South Carolina politics. Members of the House of Representative and Senate…
Creating Special Purpose Districts to Finance Energy Improvements
S.668 gives local governing bodies the ability to create a clean energy financing program (C-PACE program – commercial-property assessed clean energy program). The program would work like this: The governing…
Swapping Property Taxes on large commercial vehicles for “road use fees”
H.3948 would exempt large commercial motor vehicles (vehicles weighing over 2,600 pounds used for the transportation of property on a public highway) from property taxes. In place of property taxes…
BILL ANALYSIS: House Roads Plan
• Bill raises taxes on gasoline and motor vehicle sales. • Enacts a roughly $360 million tax hike next year. • Allows Infrastructure Bank to fund more projects, not fewer. • Gives…
Bill Would Impose Sales Tax on Web Purchases
LATEST ATTEMPT TO GET STATE HANDS ON NEW REVENUE MAY ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS OF LEGALITY, CONSTITUTIONALITY South Carolina’s sales tax is unfair in its imposition and isn’t producing enough revenue. At…
Fixing Our Roads: Real Answers, in Plain English
THROWING MORE AND MORE MONEY AT A BROKEN SYSTEM IS HOW WE WOUND UP WITH A DECREPIT ROAD SYSTEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE WAY FORWARD IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Over…
Weak, Confusing Ethics Bill Has One More Shot
● One last chance for this year’s omnibus “ethics” bill ● Self-policing provision makes little actual improvement ● Income disclosure provision contains loopholes, exceptions The Senate may take one more…
Lawmakers Continue to Raid Victims’ Funds
IT’S MONEY. THEY WANT TO SPEND IT. THAT SETTLES IT. ANY QUESTIONS? In a little remarked upon move, South Carolina House members scrambled last month to insert line items from…
Replacing the Income Tax with a Flat Tax
H.3164 replaces the income tax with a 3.5% tax on adjusted gross income, and allows a tax forgiveness credit based on income level and dependents. The bill creates a set…