South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Dear Friends:

This week ends our fourth week in session and next week is our first furlough of the session. We are going on furlough to reduce our spending for this fiscal year. We are expected to have several other weeks of furlough before this session is over. Undoubtedly, the State’s unemployment, budget, and education problems put us in dire straits so we all need to do our part to bring these things in line. I am doing my best to work with leaders in both parties to address these issues.

I would have liked to report that we have made significant progress on many of the issues that I think are important to you and the people of this state, like rebuilding our economy, reforming our budget and tax processes and increasing transparency, ethics and accountability in our state. Sadly, we made very little progress on any of these issues. Instead we wasted much of our week on “process” and not “progress”. We debated a meaningless Senate Resolution that was about “reaffirming our 2nd, 9th and 10th amendment rights to the Constitution that seemed to be a debate with much ado about nothing. It is this myopic obsession with symbolic resolutions rather than the determined focus on accomplishing substantive public policy that frustrates me. It is also frustrating to other colleagues who are also focused on making progress.

The frustration I feel was exemplified on Wednesday afternoon, in a Joint Assembly of the Senate and House, when we elected a number of judges to the circuit courts, family courts, and administrative law courts. The process to elect judges in South Carolina is archaic and is questionable in terms of ‘checks and balances’. There are so many flaws with this system that I don’t have time to lay out my ideas for judicial election reform in this email, but I will tell you what I watched happen over the last month was embarrassing and disgusting at the same time. If you want to know what’s wrong about the selection process just stay tuned to my email updates or my blog on www.RepresentativeGunn.com, I will have more to say soon.

I think it’s irresponsible how we decide who serves in the judicial branch of our government. What is even more irresponsible is the behavior of some of my colleagues when it comes to choosing judges. Over the last month it was outright nasty in one judicial race. Members became visibly upset and verbally lashed out at other members because they supported a different candidate. I was surprised that some of my colleagues spent all of their time and political energy fighting each other over a judicial race but won’t spend any political energy trying to improve education, create jobs, reform our fiscal policies or bring more accountability to state government.

Again, I will have more to say about it later but I do want to let all of you know that the process of electing judges in our state is like watching a middle school popularity contest. It should be a process based upon qualifications but it is really based on everything but qualifications. It’s time for this to change.

Nonetheless, here are some positive highlights of this week:

Budget Reform

I have been a strong proponent of better budgeting, and increasing the predictability of our budgets. Two interesting bills on this matter were H. 4525, which would increase reserve funds and use capital reserve funds to replenish them in years when the state funds run short, and H. 4562, which was a resolution that proposed making a Constitutional Amendment to accomplish the same goal.

Tax Reform

South Carolinians deserve accountability and fairness in how their property taxes are calculated. One bill introduced this week that addresses this issue was H. 4482, which would allow the Tax Re-Alignment Commission (TRAC) to study the local real estate taxes and specifically the non-homestead property tax exemptions for the purpose of broadening the property tax base and therefore allowing for overall property tax rates to be lower.

Financial Reform

The most significant investment most South Carolinians make is in their homes. Two bills were introduced this week to encourage accountability and fair dealings between homeowners and mortgage companies. The first, H. 4533, would require mortgage companies and other mortgagors to apply at least thirty percent of a homeowner’s payment toward the principal loan balance, unless otherwise required by contract or law. The second was H. 4534, which would provide a mandatory minimum grace period of twenty (20) days for mortgage payments.

Rural Infrastructure

One key component to economic development and the growth of jobs in South Carolina is access to infrastructure such as electrical power, gas, water, sewer, and paved roads in rural areas. A significant bill introduced this week was H. 4511, which would enact the “South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Act,” which would help coordinate loans and other funding sources for municipal infrastructure projects.

Making South Carolina Safer

Safety and human dignity are at the core of South Carolina values. One important bill introduced this week was H. 4522, which would fight human trafficking in this state, by strengthening laws on the matter and establishing an inter-agency task force to fight serious offenses related to trafficking in persons, labor safety standards, and illegal immigration.

That’s it for this week. If you have a comment or opinion concerning the issues discussed in this update, or if I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call my legislative office in Columbia (803-212-6794); or reply to this email, please visit me at RepresentativeGunn.com to follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.

Representative Anton J. Gunn

Statement from the Governor’s Office on the State’s Role in Haiti Relief Efforts

Based on conversations with the Department of Defense and the state Emergency Management Division (EMD), this office wanted to relay the following information.

The federal government has designated South Carolina as a likely staging area for victims of the earthquake and consequent humanitarian disaster in Haiti. Specifically, our state will fill two roles.

One, the federal government has chosen Charleston as a “repatriation site” for American citizens who were living in Haiti during the earthquake. For the next couple of weeks, we expect the Charleston airport will serve as a hub for transporting potentially thousands of Americans to their final destination in the United States - likely to their former hometowns or to relatives across the country. Charleston County and our state EMD - supported by federal funding and working in conjunction with law enforcement, the state Department of Social Services and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control - will assist in providing triage, food and shelter, and help with travel plans for these American repatriots as they enter South Carolina and continue on their way home.

Two, the federal government has activated the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to deal with Haitian patients needing advanced medical care in the United States. This means there is a chance that some NDMS hospitals in South Carolina, like hospitals in Florida and around the Southeast, may accept a limited number of patients over the coming weeks. If this happens, the federal government would provide financial support for these medical evacuees, along with support for their day-to-day living expenses.

On both these fronts - the repatriation of American citizens living in Haiti and the possibility of Haitian medical evacuees - the issues of security and legality will be paramount, with SLED and local law enforcement involved in all steps in the process.

South Carolinians are helping aid the situation in other ways as two South Carolina Air National Guardsmen are stationed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with an air traffic control unit.

Finally, it is worth emphasizing the indeed profound impact that citizens can have in helping those in need in Haiti. Whether it’s through the Red Cross, Water Missions International in the Lowcountry, or a variety of other avenues, each of us can make a real difference in the lives of those still suffering in Haiti, and we’d encourage you to do so.

Lawmakers send a strong message to Congress

(Columbia, SC) – Today, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a measure that affirms rights given to states expressively defined by the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. Recent overreaching by the federal government has pushed the limit of federal accumulation of power at the expense of the states it collectively represents. This bill reaffirms rights granted to the states and implores the members of Congress to abide by the Constitution they took an oath to uphold.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the following statement about the passage of today’s bill that moves to protect our state’s rights:

“Today, we sent a message to Congress – South Carolina believes that the federal government is engaging in an unprecedented takeover of power from the states. While there is no law we can pass to stop them, it is important to make our position and the position of our constituents known to the federal government.

“The opposition to this simple statement of principle was astounding. Over four days of debate, Democrats threw up multiple roadblocks and spent endless hours talking against the resolution in an effort to kill the measure - Republicans spent less than 16 minutes speaking in favor of the resolution. Most members wanted to vote and move on, because issues like job creation, ESC reform and education were sidelined while the Democrats debated themselves for four days.

“Our freedom is what makes our country great. Our founding fathers made it clear that the protection of those rights and freedoms set forward in the Constitution were paramount to the survival of our nation. This core belief is what moved the South Carolina Legislature to take up this measure reaffirming those rights.

“Over the past several years, we have witnessed an incredible expansion of power and influence taken by the federal government. From the passage of a national Real ID to the recent attempt to socialize health care, the federal government is eroding away our constitutionally granted rights that empower individual states.

“This piece of legislation is a key component of our ‘Protecting State’s Rights’ 2010 agenda item. Last year – in an effort led by Rep. Mike Pitts and others – the House passed H. 3509, a bill affirming South Carolina’s 9th and 10th Amendment rights that powers not expressively granted to the federal government by the Constitution shall be left up to the states to decide. Because of increased federal overreaching, the Senate further expanded this bill (S. 424) to include even more rights defined in the Bill of Rights.”

Columbia, SC – South Carolina Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land, III (D- Manning) today issued the following statement after the state Senate reached a compromise on election reform legislation.

“This is a good compromise that protects the voter’s access to the polls and the integrity of our elections. Democrats’ priority from the beginning of this debate was to ensure that all registered voters would have uninterrupted access to the polls. I believe this plan keeps the polls open to all citizens and goes a long way to making voting more efficient in our state,” said Land.

Bill created by private sector input on improving SC’s economy

(Columbia, SC) – In an effort to make South Carolina more attractive to new industry and improve our state’s economic climate for existing businesses, House Speaker Bobby Harrell created an economic development group to examine this highly important issue and suggest legislative solutions to the General Assembly. This group’s work and recommendations were drafted into legislation (H. 4478) and introduced today in the House.

“South Carolina’s economy is the biggest issue facing our state for the next two decades,” Speaker Harrell said. “Lowering unemployment and increasing per capita income are issues that directly affect the lives of South Carolina families. This legislative session will focus intensely on our state’s economic priorities. The Economic Development Competitiveness Act lays out steps we need to take to make our state more competitive in today’s global economy.”

Comprised entirely of private sector industry leaders, the economic development group worked closely with business leaders, industry experts, the Department of Commerce and other economic development entities to address this unified goal of growing our state’s economy. The economic development group members are:

April Allen – O’Neal Inc.

Lewis Gossett – South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance

Nick Kremydas – South Carolina Association of REALTORS

Burnie Maybank – Nexsen Pruet, LLC; Former Director of the Department of Revenue

Otis Rawl – South Carolina Chamber of Commerce

George Wolfe – Nelson Mullins - Chairman, Economic Development Practice Group

Speaker Harrell said, “This represents another major step the General Assembly is taking in our ongoing effort to grow South Carolina’s economy and create jobs. Over the past several years, we have worked hard to create a pro-business climate in our state. We now need to implement a proactive economic development strategy that promotes our favorable economic climate to business and industry around the world.”

Some of the major recommendations included in the bill are the elimination of the Corporate Income Tax, Restoration of the Closing Fund and various improvements to our economic incentive tools. The economic development group also expressed their support for other legislative initiatives being sought by the House this year – Tort Reform, ESC Reform and Dual Rail access at the Port of Charleston.

“This job creation strategy was created by private sector input, because it’s the private sector – not government – that must lead us out of these difficult economic times,” Harrell continued. “I would like to thank the members of this economic development group for volunteering their time and expertise as we work together to improve South Carolina’s economy.”