South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Rep. Nikki Haley, candidate for Governor, today announced the pre-filing of three pieces of legislation in the South Carolina House of Representatives. The bills - the South Carolina Taxpayer Protection Act, the South Carolina Accountability in Government Act, and a Joint Resolution to establish term limits in the South Carolina General Assembly - are designed to bring a good, accountable, fiscally responsible government to South Carolina.

“There has never been a time where the people – of this state and this country – have so clearly expressed their frustrations with the way government spends their money with no responsibility,” said Rep. Haley. “These bills represent not just a legislative change for South Carolina, but a cultural change as well - a shift towards a government that protects the taxpayer, that works for our businesses, and that is constantly embracing new ideas that will move our state forward instead of fighting tooth and nail to hold us back.”

“Last year, in the fight to get legislators to vote on the record, the people of South Carolina demanded a government that was accountable to them,” Haley continued. “This is the next step in the process of bringing to our state a government that truly works for the people, and not the other way around.”

“Certainly not all of our problems in South Carolina can be laid at the foot of state government, but in order to make progress in South Carolina, state government must operate in a limited, effective, and honest way. The legislation I am introducing to limit spending, discourage self-dealing among elected officials, and give more control of state government back to the citizens of our state, will go a long way toward giving us the government we deserve.”

The three pieces of legislation are outlined below:

1. The South Carolina Taxpayer Protection Act

a. Establishes real spending caps, with annual General Fund state spending limited to the expenditure level of the year prior plus population growth and inflation. All excess state revenue will be returned to South Carolina taxpayers.

b. Establishes ‘zero-based budgeting,’ not just for the Governor but for the legislature as well, in which all agencies will be required to justify all expenditures, not simply increases on the expenditures of the year prior.

c. Establishes a three-legislative day waiting period prior to the legislature voting on final budget of the state’s budget, in which the budget in full must be available for viewing online.

2. The South Carolina Accountability in Government Act

a. Establishes a requirement that all members of the General Assembly fully-disclose their outside income, including the disclosure of client lists for services rendered.

b. Prohibits the awarding of state contracts to any local or state government officials, as well as to the spouses, children, and siblings of said officials.

3. Joint Resolution Regarding Term Limits for Members of the General Assembly

a. Establishes a ballot initiative that would allow the voters of South Carolina to change the state Constitution in order to:

i. limit the number of years served in the South Carolina House of Representatives to eight, or four full terms;

ii. limit the number of years served in the South Carolina Senate to eight, or two full terms;

iii. limit the total number of years served in the General Assembly to twelve.

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