South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Columbia, S.C- Last year, Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler’s “Jumpstart Plan” passed unanimously in the S.C. State Senate. During a recessionary period, especially one in which South Carolina is among the top three hardest-hit states, it looked like the leadership in the General Assembly was finally going to help unemployed workers and small business, the backbone of our state’s economy.

Unfortunately, optimism for small business and unemployed working families was misplaced when the Jumpstart Plan moved to the House last year. Under Peeler’s plan any employer who hires an unemployed South Carolinian will receive a $100 per month tax credit for each employee hired beginning July 1, 2009. The tax credit is available for 24 months, a maximum of $2,400 per employee over two years.

One would think that such a common sense plan would get serious consideration in committee. However, the bill isn’t flying through the General Assembly as expected.

The plan passed the Senate with a unanimous vote. It has been stuck in the House since last year, but a lot of bills have been held up, only to receive quick passage this year. This bill has not been among them. Instead of its merits being seriously debated in subcommittee, it was killed after only 30 seconds of debate.

That’s right. A jobs plan that passed unanimously in the Senate never even received consideration in the House before being killed. This comes on the heels of the House last week completely eliminating the state’s Corporate Income Tax. This is an insult to small business owners and unemployed families across the state.

South Carolina needs people working to make sure that small businesses in Cheraw, Effingham, Hickory Grove and other parts of our state are ready to lead the recovery. That would have been easier if the House hadn’t killed the Jumpstart Plan. Instead, they decided to give the big boys of corporate America a tax break while not even considering one for small business owners.

“We know what creates jobs and it isn’t government” Senator Peeler said. “Conservative ideas, fewer taxes and less government is what our economy needs. We need to get government out of the way of our small business owners so they can put South Carolina back to work. I’d ask the House to pass the bill, but at this point, I just ask that they give unemployed families the courtesy of looking at what these tax cuts can do.”

Senate Guarantees Right To Secret Ballot Elections in Union Votes, Makes Spending Caps Top Priority

Columbia, SC – March 10, 2010 – South Carolina’s Republican Senators today moved two key bills being pushed by the state’s business community. The Senate passed the anti-card check bill protecting workers from union intimidation. It also set legislation on special order creating a constitutional cap on state spending.

H.3305, introduced by Rep. Eric Bedingfield, is a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a worker’s right to voting by secret ballot during union organization. The legislation is a reaction to the deceptively named federal “Employee Free Choice Act,” which would strip workers of their right to vote for unionization by secret ballot, opening them up to intimidation and harassment by unions. The legislation is being pushed on the federal level by union bosses and their liberal allies in Congress.

The bill was passed on the heels of an announcement by Boeing executive Jim Albaugh that union work problems were the top reason for their departure from Washington. Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee), lead sponsor of the Senate companion bill stated” Boeing’s decision to expand its facility near Charleston serves as a reminder why we must protect our tough right-to-work laws. We are sending a strong message to the world: We want your business, and we’re committed to getting it.”

President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell(R-Charleston) said “I don’t know of anything more basic to the essence of our nation than the right to a secret ballot election.”

Click here for a video statement from Senator Larry Martin (R-Pickens).

While Washington liberals continue growing our nation’s debt with explosive spending, South Carolina’s Republican Senators are working hard to protect taxpayers, limit spending, and grow our economy. S.2 is a bill developed by President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell creating a spending cap and budget stabilization fund. The amount of money state legislators could spend each year would be limited to the average revenue growth of the previous ten years and any additional funds would be placed in a rainy day account for budget shortfalls like we are now facing.

Click here for a video explanation of S2 by Senator Glenn McConnell.

Sets in place policies that will save lives

(Columbia, SC) - Today, the South Carolina House of Representatives approved a measure that will make our state’s roadways safer. Passed with widespread public support, the Distracted Driving Bill (H. 4282) prohibits the dangerous activities of driving while texting and emailing that far too often are contributing factors in many automobile accidents.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the following statement about the passage of this roadways safety bill:

“Simply put, this new measure sets in place policies that will save lives. This bill represents a much needed step in protecting our citizens and maintaining safe roadways that people across our state have uniformly supported.

“As technology changes so must our laws. Our state’s teen drivers are the most avid cell phone users and the most inexperienced drivers on the road. The combination of the two is a formula for disaster. Multiple studies have clearly demonstrated the dangers of distracted driving - several concluding it to be more hazardous than drunk driving.

“A successful infrastructure system requires both good quality and safe roadways. Infrastructure is critical to our state’s future and this bill will help ensure that our citizens have a safer environment to travel our state.”

Republicans Working To Guarantee Right To Secret Ballot Elections

Columbia, SC – March 10, 2010 – South Carolina’s Republican Senators are pushing a bill on the State Senate floor that guarantees a worker’s right to a secret ballot election in the workplace, but liberal Democrats have been working to block that right. Will they continue their fight to deny workers of their rights to secret ballot elections today?

H.3305, introduced by Rep. Eric Bedingfield, is a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a worker’s right to voting by secret ballot during union organization. The legislation is a reaction to the deceptively named federal “Employee Free Choice Act,” which would strip workers of their right to vote for unionization by secret ballot, opening them up to intimidation and harassment by unions. The legislation is being pushed on the federal level by union bosses and their liberal allies in Congress.

In arguing for the constitutional amendment, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) said “I don’t know of anything more basic to the essence of our nation than the right to a secret ballot election.”

Just last week Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told the Seattle Times “The overriding factor was not the business climate. And it was not the wages we are paying today. It was that we can’t afford to have a work stoppage every three years. And we can’t afford to continue the rate of escalation of wages.”

Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) is the lead sponsor of a Senate companion bill. ” Boeing’s decision to expand its facility near Charleston serves as a reminder why we must protect our tough right-to-work laws. We are sending a strong message to the world: We want your business, and we’re committed to getting it. I want to continue sending that message by defending workers’ rights to secret ballots when deciding whether to unionize,” said Senator Peeler.

Peeler continued, “We’ve seen what happens when unions control the economy. It’s called Detroit. And we’ve seen what happens when unions fail. Congress bails them out on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. It’s unfortunate that the Democrats can’t see this clear fact.”

The Democrats argue that the bill is unconstitutional, but Senate President Pro Tempore argues otherwise. “The fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution creates a floor for protections. It does not prevent South Carolina from reaching for the stars in protecting our citizens. In fact, it lets us give our citizens more freedoms than guaranteed by the federal government. We have soldiers fighting overseas to grant others rights that are being filibustered at home.”

Republicans Working To Guarantee Right To Secret Ballot Elections

Columbia, SC – March 9, 2010 – South Carolina’s Republican Senators are pushing a bill on the State Senate floor that guarantees a worker’s right to a secret ballot election in the workplace, but liberal Democrats are continuing to block that right. H.3305, introduced by Rep. Eric Bedingfield, is a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a worker’s right to voting by secret ballot during union organization.

The legislation is a reaction to the deceptively named federal “Employee Free Choice Act,” which would strip workers of their right to vote for unionization by secret ballot, opening them up to intimidation and harassment by unions. The legislation is being pushed on the federal level by union bosses and their liberal allies in Congress.

In arguing for the constitutional amendment, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) said “I don’t know of anything more basic to the essence of our nation than the right to a secret ballot election.”

Just last week Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told the Seattle Times “The overriding factor was not the business climate. And it was not the wages we are paying today. It was that we can’t afford to have a work stoppage every three years. And we can’t afford to continue the rate of escalation of wages.”

Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) is the lead sponsor of a Senate companion bill. ” Boeing’s decision to expand its facility near Charleston serves as a reminder why we must protect our tough right-to-work laws. We are sending a strong message to the world: We want your business, and we’re committed to getting it. I want to continue sending that message by defending workers’ rights to secret ballots when deciding whether to unionize,” said Senator Peeler.

Peeler continued, “We’ve seen what happens when unions control the economy. It’s called Detroit. And we’ve seen what happens when unions fail. Congress bails them out on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. It’s unfortunate that the Democrats can’t see this clear fact.”

The Democrats argue that the bill is unconstitutional, but Senate President Pro Tempore argues otherwise. “The fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution creates a floor for protections. It does not prevent South Carolina from reaching for the stars in protecting our citizens. In fact, it lets us give our citizens more freedoms than guaranteed by the federal government. We have soldiers fighting overseas to grant others rights that are being filibustered at home.”