The South Carolina Policy Council Archive

 S.24 is a refiling of last session’s S.279, like last session’s bill S.24 would allow an annual state income tax deduction up to $2,000 for the parent(s)/guardian of each home-schooled…

 S.179 would make it illegal to use, sell, purchase, or even possess powdered or crystalline alcohol (powders that can be mixed with water to create alcoholic beverages). This product isn’t…

 H.3139 seeks to reign in South Carolina’s asset forfeiture laws; laws that currently allow law enforcement to seize and retain private property and monies law enforcement claims was connected to…

H.3110 proposes a constitutional amendment which would require that the General Assembly provide a “high quality education allowing each student to reach his highest potential.” Currently the constitution only requires…

H.3092 is a refiling of a bill from 2011. The bills prohibit the total value of a severance package given to a superintendent in connection with terminating his contract from…

H.3078 would allow nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists to perform an increased number of medical services/acts without the express written approval of a state board or…

H.3049 is a reintroduction of least session’s H.4875. Like the bill introduced last may H.3049 would require the Department of Revenue to complete a study every four years to assess…

H.3021 and H.3867 would require that any health insurer who provides for directly payable benefits to preferred healthcare providers also allow directly payable benefits to non-preferred licensed providers who have a written…

THE ABBEVILLE DECISION IS JUDICIAL IMPERIALISM IN SUPPORT OF DISCREDITED POLICY The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a momentous decision on November 12. In a case that’s been going on…

S.104 would extend the prohibition on former legislators holding judicial office from one to twenty years after they leave legislative office. This reform is made vital in South Carolina due…

H.3160 is a reintroduction of last session’s H.4737. H.3160 would mandate that any medication containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine be available for purchase only with a prescription. Pharmacists would store…

H.3153 and S.222 are companion bills that require all police interrogations or questioning concerning felonies and class A misdemeanors be electronically record in audio or video form. The recording should…

H.3025 would allow any individual over the age of 21 who is not legally barred from owning a handgun to carry a concealed handgun on their person in public. Individuals…

H.3029 would allow lower income taxpayers to apply a credit to their South Carolina income taxes worth a designated percentage of the federal earned income tax credit (EITC). The credit…

 H.3003 would forbid the use of mopeds on any public highway or street in South Carolina. Currently mopeds are a relatively low cost means of personal transportation for South Carolinians.…

House members have introduced a number of bills that seek to increase funding for infrastructure by either raising or implementing new fines, fees, and taxes. H.3004 and H.3065 both require…

H.3171 would require all candidates for public office receive written approval from the appropriate supervisory office for any reimbursement to themselves from their campaign account for more than $500. Once…

H.3180 would suspend the statutory requirement to fund the local government fund at a rate of 4.5 percent of last year’s general fund revenues. The General Assembly has been shortchanging…

H.3174 would remove references in the state code to the legislative ethics committees and their powers. The bill would also delete sections of law that exempt legislators from the oversight…

H.3085 and H.3163 would both abolish the state corporate income tax by gradually lowering the rate of the tax over four years until the tax is finally eliminated in 2018.…

H.3077 is an attempt to delete newly added language to the House Rules which prohibits House members from establishing leadership PACs. Leadership PACs allow public officials to fundraise outside their…

H.3072 is an attempt to codify a school choice program that provides a limited amount of tax credit scholarships to exceptional needs children. The program currently exists as a one…

S.264 would amend the Senate rules to allow any bill or resolution that has 27 or more cosponsors to be placed on the Senate calendar without reference, i.e. to skip the…

S.263 would amend the Senate rules to require that any Senator making an earmark request in any budget bill do so through a form designed by the Senate Finance Committee.…

S.247 would require the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) to submit to the full General Assembly the names of all candidates it finds qualified for judicial seats. Currently the JMSC…

S.239 just like last session’s S.898 and H.4478 would mandate that public teachers and administrators in South Carolina be paid, at minimum, the Southeast region’s average salary for their positions. Presumably the thinking behind…

S.200 would eliminate language in the state code which currently allows legislators to operate leadership PACs (political action committees). Leadership PACs are PACs that are “directly or indirectly established, financed,…

Although it contains a few caveats the core of S.194 is the same as 2012’s deplorable dilapidated buildings act. Like its predecessor S.194 would empower government to seize private property,…

Mandating Paid Sick Leave S.172 is identical to last session’s S.906. Each bill would mandate that all South Carolina employers provide earned paid sick leave to employees, and outlines what…

S.2 establishes the Interstate Lane Expansion Fund that will annually receive non-tax revenues equal to the amount of revenue projected from the sales, use, and causal excise taxes derived from…