South Carolina Statehouse Blog

 Karl Allen                    Nathan Ballentine        Eric Bedingfield

Grady Brown               Derham Cole               Kris Crawford

Greg Delleney              Jeff Duncan                 Shannon Erickson

Marion Frye                 Laurie Funderburk       Wendell Gilliard

Anton Gunn                 Nikki Haley                 Cathy Harvin

George Hearn              David Hiott                  Lonnie Hosey

Chip Huggins               Ken Kennedy              Herb Kirsh

Patsy Knight                Lanny Littlejohn          Deborah Long

Phillip Lowe                Jay Lucas                     Joe McEachern

Joey Millwood             Steve Moss                  Ralph Norman

Steve Parker                 Anne Parks                  Gene Pinson

Rex Rice                      Tim Scott                     Gary Simrill

Murrell Smith               Garry Smith                 Roland Smith

Leon Stavrinakis          Tommy Stringer           Michael Thompson

Mac Toole                   David Weeks               Bill Whitmire

Tom Young

 “We continue to believe that it is not prudent to use tax dollars to favor one retailer over another, and we’d ask taxpayers to continue making their voices heard, and, in this instance, thanking the legislators above for their vote. We’d also urge legislators to reaffirm this vote for the taxpayer when it is taken up again next week.”

Proactive job growth strategy created by private sector input

(Columbia, SC) – Today, to make South Carolina more attractive to new industry and help our state’s existing businesses grow, the House passed the Economic Development Competitiveness Act of 2010. This plan was developed by recommendations from an Economic Development Group of private sector leaders House Speaker Bobby Harrell created this past summer.

Some of the major recommendations included in the bill (H. 4478) are the elimination of the Corporate Income Tax, restoration of the Closing Fund and various improvements to our economic incentive tools. The Group also expressed its 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.

Speaker Harrell issued the following statement about the passage of this job creation strategy:

“We landed a giant by bringing Boeing to South Carolina. And after the dust settled from the biggest economic development win our state has ever seen, many asked ‘Where do we go from here?’ Today, House members provided that answer by passing the Economic Development Competitiveness Act of 2010.

“Our state’s future hinges on the strength of our economy and the private sector’s ability to grow and create jobs. Our economy is the biggest issue facing our state for the next two decades, and the job creation strategy we passed today addresses the heart of securing our economic future.

“We’ve worked very hard over the years to create a low-tax, pro-business climate in our state. This plan takes the next step in making South Carolina more competitive in job creation. Examining how South Carolina and other states address economic development – and weighing those policies with what works and doesn’t work – the Economic Development Group incorporated the direct needs of the private sector and suggested implementing a proactive job creation strategy that promotes our favorable economic climate to business and industry around the world.

“This outside prospective on job growth is innovative and is crucial to our future economic success because it’s the private sector – not government – that will lead our state to economic recovery. These are recommendations from the private sector telling us exactly what potential industries and existing businesses need to locate, grow and expand in South Carolina. This bill shows that lawmakers are listening to the needs of the private sector and that we want their business here.”

Columbia, SC – Rep. Nikki Haley today announced her opposition to H. 4112. The bill would expand the ability of public officials who possess a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) to carry their weapons in areas where the general public cannot.

Haley, a CWP permit holder herself whose staunch support for gun rights has earned her a lifetime “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, remarked, “The state legislature was elected to represent the people of this state, not the special interest and convenience of themselves. This type of arrogance has to stop.”

“Instead of giving perks to elected officials, we should be passing a law that expands the carrying rights of every citizen of South Carolina,” Haley added. “If the current laws are an inconvenience to legislators - which they undoubtedly are - they are an inconvenience to everyone. It’s time that legislators stop treating themselves as a privileged, ruling class, and start working to benefit all South Carolinians.”

If the bill makes it to the House floor, Haley will introduce an amendment to change H. 4112 so that every CWP holder in South Carolina is covered by its provisions.

Balanced Reform protects citizens & allows businesses to grow

(Columbia, SC) – Today, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a comprehensive Business Tort Reform Bill (H. 3489) aimed at protecting both our state’s businesses and our citizens. The measure will lower the cost of doing business and make our state more competitive by reducing frivolous lawsuits and limiting punitive damages to a realistic level.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the following statement about the passage of this key piece of legislation:

“Today, by passing our comprehensive Business Tort Reform Bill, the House took another major leap forward in making South Carolina a great place to do business. Maintaining our low-tax and pro-business climate is key to our state’s economic recovery.

“This reform bill will help secure our state’s economic future by reducing the cost of running a business, creating a more fair court system and making South Carolina more competitive. Our neighboring states have already enacted such Tort Reform provisions, putting our state at a disadvantage. Unlike a business in a neighboring state, a business in our state is too often one lawsuit away from being put out of business.

“This lawsuit abuse reform bill will provide the same fair balance and results our successful Medical Tort Reform efforts produced a few years ago. Businesses will be able to operate and grow without the constant threat of a costly frivolous lawsuit or overly inflated settlement putting them out of business. With the fair balance this system creates, businesses will still be held accountable and our citizens will be protected from wrongdoing.

“I would like to thank all those who participated in this debate for working together to produce this fair-minded and much-needed reform bill.”

New State Representative Has Become Known as Job Advocate

Spartanburg, SC - March 3, 2010 - After just one year in the State House of Representatives, Mike Forrester has become known as a strong advocate for job creation through conservative reforms. Forrester has been a consistent voice for restrained spending, lower taxes, and government restructuring, doing what it takes to support the business community and to empower South Carolina’s workforce. In announcing his bid for re-election today, Forrester released the following statement:

“I’m going to run by doing the same thing I did last time. I’m going to walk to as many doors as possible to talk directly with voters about the tools it takes to grow our economy and create jobs.

Businesses won’t expand or relocate here just because we cross our fingers and hope. The groundwork needs to be laid beforehand. The departure of many jobs from the Upstate means we have to rethink the sort of jobs we’re going to have. We’re already seeing growth in the high-tech manufacturing industry, creating new workforce requirements and a new demand on our education system.

One of my goals is to work to make two- and four-year colleges more affordable so that people can go back to school and adapt to the changing economy.

As well, we can’t ignore basic infrastructure needs – one of the last things a business owner wants to hear is, “You can’t get there from here.” When the government spends money, it should be on necessities like keeping up our roads. South Carolina’s location, in addition to the Port of Charleston, sets up our area to be in a good position when it comes to transportation. We need to ensure that those trucks have good roads to travel on.

And, those roads should lead to Spartanburg County. That particular task is not as easy as it once was, and not just because of the economy. Over the past two elections, the Upstate has lost a lot of its clout in the General Assembly. That means it’s even more important for Upstate legislators to band together to look out for your interests in Columbia.

There are few interests more important than having a good job. A number of bills are already in the works to facilitate job creation – lower taxes, government restructuring and spending caps. Big government is as bad for business as it is for your wallet. By cutting away bureaucracy, we’re able to save your money and keep to Thomas Jefferson’s axiom that, “government is best which governs least.” With common-sense government reforms like zero-based budgeting and spending caps, the stage is set for legislators to control and limit the growth of government.

Efforts to bring about spending caps and pass meaningful tax reduction on businesses haven’t been too successful lately. It’s past time for the General Assembly to act and provide meaningful results to South Carolina companies. Legislators also need to stand up for small business.

While bringing in big companies like Boeing and BMW is not something to discount, it’s also important to pay attention to the small businesses that supply the big ones. We need to look at creative ways to help our smaller companies grow their businesses and remain competitive. Additionally, we need to focus on ways we can help entrepreneurs on the road to opening new businesses. Bringing in jobs from out-of-state and helping existing businesses prosper is good, but we need to allow people the opportunity to grow companies from the bottom up.

Let’s not forget about tort reform, either. The increasingly outrageous cost of insurance – health and otherwise – is being driven by frivolous lawsuits in the civil court system. Businesses are bearing the brunt of these costs and addressing and fixing the tort system in our state will go a long way to making South Carolina a more hospitable place to do commerce.

It’s a full plate, but the work is needed, and so much remains to be done. That’s why I’ve decided to run again to represent District 34 in the State House. We need to keep up the fight in Columbia to make this a great place to work. ”