The South Carolina Policy Council Archive

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…

The recurring themes in the over 700 pieces of prefiled legislation this year are more spending, more legislative control, and eroding individual rights. Here is a broad overview of what…

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…

The budget process spelled out in state law is a thorough, deliberate process, designed to inform citizens at every stage and to maximize their input into the spending of taxpayer…

The new data warehouse – created by last year’s law and this year’s budget proviso – poses serious threats to the privacy of South Carolinians, especially if lawmakers override the…

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…

Download the PDF version here » Lawmakers created a statewide data tracking system via proviso in this year’s budget. The Governor vetoed it, but lawmakers could override the veto when they…

On July 5, the Governor vetoed 42 items and roughly $40 million from the state budget passed by lawmakers in the June special session. Most significantly, the governor vetoed the…

UPDATE: The conference budget passed the House (84-28) and the Senate (30-9) on Thursday, June 28. The budget goes to the Governor’s desk next for line-item vetoes.  HERE’S WHAT IS…

The South Carolina budget process has been eventful this year:  Overall spending has continued to climb; lawmakers have once again refused to follow the transparent budget process mandated by law;…

• Data warehouse would track adults and children alike for “workforce development purposes” • Lawmakers and staff would have direct access to individual data • State government could gather data…

Last June, SCPC revealed in an analysis that revenue from the proposed gas tax hike (now law) was written with the intent to divert the new revenue from the fund…

The energy crisis in South Carolina – triggered by SCE&G’s abandonment of the V.C. Summer nuclear construction project – has been in limbo for nearly a year. Despite months of…

A few weeks ago, the House passed their first version of the state appropriations bill. After it was amended by the Senate, the budget returned to the House for another…

By the time the legislative session ended last Thursday, a number of significant bills had either passed or failed. However, due to the sine die resolution which scheduled two special sessions…