The South Carolina Policy Council Archive
Limited Government | Free Enterprise | Individual Liberty
Three bills (S.251, H.3433 & H.3447) would prohibit lawmakers or legislative candidates from accepting campaign contributions from regulated utilities – including SCANA and every electric cooperative. However, under H.3447, the…
Two bills (S.270 & S.337) would prohibit the spouse of a sitting lawmaker from being elected to judicial office, and this extends up to a year after that lawmaker leaves…
H.3250 – would create a state entitlement program to supplement federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) dollars in an attempt to incentivize SNAP recipients to buy fruit…
UPDATE: The Senate Finance Committee amended this bill to require LGF appropriations to increase or decrease by the same percentage as the general fund, capped at a 5% change. The…
S.295 would make it a felony for public officials and employees to use their office for personal gain. This would include the enrichment of themselves, friends or family members, and…
S.289 would impose thorough transparency requirements on local governments. Under this bill, counties, municipalities and school districts would have to post the following information on their websites: elected officials’ contact…
S.285 would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot allowing the governor to appoint judges with the advice and consent of the Senate (currently they’re elected by the General Assembly).…
This bill would create a powerful mini-government within the Tri-County Technical College for the purpose of driving economic development. This new entity – called an “enterprise authority” – would have…
S.207 – would allow seniors who move to a nursing home or residential care facility to retain the homestead property tax exemption for their homes, as long as they intend…
S.214 – is an attempt to capture sales tax from online retailers like Amazon or Ebay, based on a Supreme Court case that was decided last year. The case (South…
S.326 is a resolution ordering the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to pay $250,000 out of their current budget to the SC Firefighters Association. This money would go to reimburse…
S.13 would make it illegal for an individual or business to display a barber pole for the purpose of offering barber services without a barber’s license, with penalties of up…
S.217 – would allow the revenue from local hospitality and accommodations taxes to be used by local governments in the repair and mitigation of flood or tidal damage. The funds…
S.76 would extend a tax credit and exemption for manufactured homes bought in South Carolina that reach energy efficiency standards. The credit and exemption are currently set to sunset this…
S.227 (and identical bills S.113, H.3168 and H.3457) would allow the 60 municipalities in South Carolina that do not currently have a property tax to impose one. State law currently…
S.309 would essentially double the budget of the SC Research Authority, a state-owned venture capital firm by doubling the cap on available tax credits for the “Industry Partnership Trust Fund”.…
S.109 would impose regulations on electric fences used in security systems. Installers would be subject to fence height and power limitations, sign posting rules and even a requirement that the…
S.156 would codify Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) current policy by making it illegal for a person to bring a telecommunication device (including cellphones, laptops and handheld radios) into any state…
S.5 would divert gas-tax-bill revenue away from road repair and into a new interstate widening fund. The fund – controlled by the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) – would be…
S.1 would undercut the Governor’s power to make interim appointments when the legislature is not in session. If this bill becomes law, the Governor will not be able to make…
UPDATE 10/5/18: The Senate’s version of the tax conformity bill passed both houses this week and was signed by the Governor. Lawmakers left one major question unanswered when they…
Each year, the state spends millions on duplicative administrative positions that could be used in the classroom. Instead of overhauling South Carolina’s antiquated school district model, lawmakers have historically taken…
Lawmakers often wait until the closing weeks of session to drop their most controversial bills. This year was no exception, with H.5218 and H.5219 aiming to censor gun violence in…
UPDATE: The House passed this bill by a vote of 107 – 0 on 4/24/18 with one minor amendment. Upon the governor’s signature, this bill will become law. If the goal…
This joint resolution would allow the executive director of the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) to file for a circuit court order requiring V.C. Summer documents and/or witnesses to be…
This bill would shorten the legislative session by around four weeks. Instead of ending on the second Thursday in May, it would end on the second Thursday in April. All…
S.854 allows members of the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS), the Police Officers Retirement System (PORS), and the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) that become disabled due to a job…
Over the last several weeks, South Carolina’s pension system has drawn even more attention from lawmakers, prompting them to propose bills that would significantly change the state’s retirement landscape.…
Just in case it wasn’t abundantly clear, South Carolina lawmakers want to make sure citizens know that it is not illegal to pick up sea shells by the seashore –…
UPDATE: When the Senate’s version of the budget returned to the House, the latter readopted the original House budget with additional amendments. The total budget spending approved by the House is…