When writing the state budget: Follow the law
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…
Fact Sheet: Restructuring Done Right
The Budget & Control Board is the only agency of its kind in the nation – a legislative/executive hybrid with vast powers and virtually no accountability. After 61 years, lawmakers…
Executive Branch Reforms for 2011
The concentration of power in South Carolina’s legislature is such that the executive branch is generally unable to institute major reforms without the cooperation of the Legislature, whether stemming from…
7 for ’11: 7 Ways Lawmakers Can Make South Carolina Better – Now
Each year we review the best and worst ideas taken up during the legislative session, focusing on those bills that will either make South Carolina more free and more prosperous…
25 Ways to Unleash Capitalism in South Carolina
Want to know 25 ways we can unleash opportunity, freedom and hope in South Carolina? Here are 25 ideas taken from the pages of the Policy Council’s new blueprint for…
10 Reforms for the S.C. Retirement System
According to a recent actuarial valuation analysis performed for the state Budget & Control Board, South Carolina’s retirement system is carrying a$12 billion unfunded liability. These conclusions are similar to…
Who’s Got The Power? Not you…
SC state government has no balance of power. The legislature MAKES laws, EXECUTES laws and elects the judges who INTERPRET laws. Want proof? The SC Legislature controls more than 420 appointments…
Policy Report: Shorten South Carolina’s Legislative Session
Any way you measure it, South Carolina has one of the longest legislative sessions in the country. Such a lengthy session is not only unnecessary, it bars most citizens from…
Policy Report: Reform the South Carolina Legislature
South Carolina’s General Assembly has long enjoyed a virtual monopoly of power over the state’s government and economy. The Legislature overshadows the executive branch and controls judicial branch appointments. Likewise,…
Fact Sheet: Reform the Legislature, Shorten Session, Record Every Vote
Advocates of good government in South Carolina have long recognized that the state’s governing structure is outdated, inefficient and not transparent. At the root of the problem is a concentration…
The Best and Worst to Come: A Review of Restructuring Legislation for 2009-2010
As we review thebest and worst restructuring legislation of 2009,it’s also time to begin to consider what ideas are likely to resurface during the 2010 session. “Restructuring” generally refers…
25 Ways to Unleash Capitalism in South Carolina
25 Ways to Unleash Capitalism in South Carolina Want to know 25 ways we can unleash opportunity, freedom and hope in South Carolina? Here are 25 ideas taken from the…
Taxpayers Lose in Government-Funded Lobbying Game
When taxpayers were promised the $800 billion federal stimulus package was going to create jobs, few realized this meant more government jobs. Some government jobs – police officers and teachers,…
Fast Facts About the Budget & Control Board
South Carolina's Budget & Control Board (BCB) is a unique state agency, the only one of its kind in the country. While the Board itself is technically made up of…
Tech Schools Board Shells Out $200K for “Lobbying”
To entice legislators to send more money its way, the S.C. State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education will pay a Columbia advertising agency up to $200,000 to design a…
What is Network Neutrality?
Authors: SCPC and Neil Mellen Proponents of network neutrality want the government to regulate internet access through statutory limitations on service providers. In their effort to ensure freedom of content…