Category: Research

The Senate is currently considering legislation (H 3066) that would eliminate the Budget & Control Board (BCB), devolving the BCB’s responsibilities to a cabinet-level Department of Administration and a newly…

The new legislative session has officially begun, and scores of bills are scheduled for consideration. Here are just a few we’re keeping our eyes on. TRANSPARENCY H.4432 wouldn’t kill the…

A WEAK LIMIT IS WORSE THAN NO LIMIT If the last few legislative sessions prove anything, it’s that almost nothing can compel state lawmakers to exercise spending restraint. A report…

Thursday, November 10, 2011 – Today the South Carolina Policy Council, in conjunction with the Washington D.C.-based American Council of Trustees and Alumni, released a study concluding that the state’s public…

The Goal We want to make South Carolina the most free state in the nation. To accomplish that goal, we’ll focus on three American principles: Self-governance. Ideas and policies that…

Every year, South Carolina becomes more dependent on the federal government, and every year the state loses more control over its own affairs to Washington DC. The federal government has…

For decades, South Carolina lawmakers have cobbled together the state budget with little input from anyone but lobbyists and bureaucrats. Except for vetoes on the back end, the governor had…

Our taxpayer-supported colleges and universities should get back to their mission of educating young people – and leave economic development to the market.

ACTA's hope is that this report will be an urgent call to action to help the citizens and policymakers of South Carolina strengthen the state's public higher education system and…

With a $14 trillion debt and a $1.3 trillion deficit threatening to bankrupt the federal government, the nation’s attention is focused on Washington DC. But it’s vital that we understand…

The Policy Council and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni recently took a look at the state’s higher education system. What we found was bad news for taxpayers .…

In South Carolina, the law requires the governor to submit the state budget to the legislature at the beginning of each legislative session. Yet what happens in practice, as SCPC…

Can South Carolina set up its own independent, free market version of a federal “health exchange”? Don’t be fooled.

Section 11-11-20 of the S.C. Code of laws stipulates all state agencies submit their budget requests for fiscal year 2012 – 2013 on or before November 1st. Now that the…

The South Carolina Citizens’ Guide to Following the State Budget

The South Carolina Health Care Planning Committee continues to meet, but whether it’s accomplishing anything is open to question.

For decades, South Carolina lawmakers have cobbled together the state budget with virtually no input from the governor. The state’s spending priorities were largely dictated by members of the General…

When Congress originally passed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” the plan was for the federal government to set up a national “health exchange” – a single government-run “market”…

A vast number of new federal healthcare regulations are introduced in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), most of which will be enforced through state or federally run…

In a recent piece on Slate.com, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer calls a pair of South Carolina politicians “hypocritical” for, on the one hand, criticizing Obamacare's individual health insurance…

At issue, of course, is the law Now Child Left Behind (NCLB), now in its tenth year. To understand what the news is all about, you need to understand what…

What’s the Committee doing? Over the last few months (check out our video coverage), we’ve watched a roomful of policymakers and health care officials struggle to come to grips with…

More than a third of our budget depends on a source that’s headed for financial ruin. The federal government is now $14 trillion in debt and running a $1.3 trillion…

It’s easy to criticize the federal government’s attempt to boost economic growth by promoting “green” technology. The idea has a certain superficial charm, and it goes something like this: Since…

Last session, legislative leaders argued South Carolina needed every dollar of the state’s $2.8 billion federal stimulus package to save jobs for teachers and law enforcement personnel. Faced with such…

With the official end of the 2011 legislative session, we’re releasing the third installment in our annual series chronicling the best and worst legislation of the year. The South Carolina…

Online learning can help address South Carolina’s high dropout rate. The vast majority of dropouts – 88 percent – don’t drop out because of failing grades. They do so largely…

Online learning allows the public education system to move beyond brick and mortar buildings and connect with students on a one-to-one basis – making a high-quality education accessible to students…

Last week, we demonstrated that South Carolina’s improved employment picture hasn’t really improved much at all. Rather, government hiring and a shrinking labor force are making the job numbers look…

Legislative leaders are claiming that South Carolina “has the lowest state taxes in the nation.” If only it were true. Unfortunately the claim confuses tax collections and tax rates. It’s…