State House Week

Next year’s state spending plan is now advancing through the legislature. This week House budget writers approved a $10 Billion budget package that includes major spending increases in education, roads, public safety, and corrections.

For the past several years the issue that’s dominated the state legislature has been the future of Santee Cooper, the state-owned public power utility. Santee Cooper in effect produces electricity for over two million customers in the state. State lawmakers have been pondering what to do with the utility since the failure of the giant VC Summer nuclear project in the summer of 2017. Many have concerns about Santee Cooper’s Management, and the almost $7 Billion debt it's now carrying following VC Summer. The question is so large that last year the legislature passed a special joint resolution that laid-out just how it would go about making its' decision. It charged the state’s Department of Administration with securing bids from potential buyers or operators. After spending $15 Million on banking, legal and utility industry experts, DOA this week passed along the best three offers to be considered.

Teacher Bill of Rights Defeated

For the second year in a row, state lawmakers have the luxury of putting together the state’s budget with millions of additional dollars.

This year’s session of the South Carolina General Assembly got underway this week with the Senate beginning debate on the Public School Improvement Bill. Despite some twenty sub-committee meetings where Senators heard from numerous educators and citizens, the massive bill is still drawing the ire of many teachers.

Four weeks into this year’s session of the state legislature there has been lots of debate, but little movement on several education bills.

The next session of the S.C. General Assembly doesn’t convene until January, but Republicans in the State Senate are already working to try and pass a bill that essentially would prohibit abortions in the state. It’s known as the Fetal Heartbeat Bill.

In the final hours of this year’s session of the state legislature, Senate yesterday passed an economic incentives bill aimed at persuading the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to move it's headquarters and practice facilities from Charlotte to Rock Hill. A $250 Million investment for York County. Rock Hill Senator Wes Climer told the Senate it’s a huge win for the state's economy. Senators opposed to the tax credits, including both the Republican and Democratic Senate leaders were concerned that the

Some 10,000 teachers and supporters from across the state descended on the Statehouse this week sending a powerful message to lawmakers that they want more state support in funding and in education reforms, and they are not happy with the school improvement bill pending in the legislature.

School Improvement Bill Pushed To Next Year Leaders in the state legislature had hoped that the magnitude of deciding what to do with state-owned utility Santee-Cooper would not interfere with their efforts to pass a desperately needed school improvement bill this year. But with just two weeks remaining in this year’s legislative session Santee Cooper’s future is being debated on the Senate floor, and the education bill is being pushed to next year.