By Linda Hardman
DWGC, Legislative Chair
It was inevitable that legislators in Columbia would take their cues from their party heroes, President Trump and his minion, Elon Musk. Goose-stepping right along, the SC House has begun making plans for a cost-cutting commission.
House Speaker Murrell Smith (R–Sumter) and Majority Leader David Hiott (R–Pickens) proposed creation of the commission. There are some doubts, however, about the effectiveness of the effort, since it may undercut popular programs such as tuition freezes, earmarks, and large-scale economic development funding. Lawmakers are also looking toward an income tax cut, and they need funding for the proposed school choice scholarship program through the state lottery. If the U.S. government eliminates federal grants to states, South Carolina might have second thoughts about cost-cutting efforts this year.
In addition, Representative Doug Gilliam (R–Buffalo) has sponsored an anti-DEI bill which duplicates Trump’s executive order to “end illegal discrimination” and ”restore merit” in hiring, employment and training policies. There’s an article from the Post and Courier on the subject: https://tinyurl.com/2apa7sd8. If you would like to read the DEI bill in its entirety, see https://tinyurl.com/mr44pn52.
Lottery-funded tuition vouchers seem to be moving swiftly. Senate Bill 62 has passed the Senate and moved to the House. Called the “Education Scholarship Trust Fund”, it is intended to avoid a negative reception in the SC Supreme Court, primarily because the funding mechanism would not take money from the general fund, but rather will pull it out of the Education Lottery which is currently supplying funds for college scholarships and funding support. In the House, watch for changes in the maximum amount of a scholarship and the qualifying family income.
A few other Education items to watch
The legislature is moving forward with other pro-religion matters. One bill incorporates the teaching of the Bible into history classes and English language arts study. Another, House 3217, mandates that a poster of the Ten Commandments must hang on the wall in every public school classroom. The bill doesn’t differentiate between Jewish, Catholic, and Christian versions of the Commandments. Muslims follow virtually the same precepts but in a different format, which they believe were delivered by Allah, not Moses.
Abortion Update
While lawmakers continue to debate issues of reproductive freedom, the SC Supreme Court appears ready to take another swing at abortion-related legal proceedings.Planned Parenthood–Atlantic is taking on the definition of a fetal heartbeat. The current law uses the sets six months as the point at which a mother must protect a fetus. Planned Parenthood is pushing for 9 months as the benchmark.
Meanwhile, the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act, awaiting consideration in the House, defines “person” to include an unborn child at any stage of development, and extends equal protection to unborn children under assault and homicide laws. The bill, H 3537, establishes and life begins at conception and brings abortion under the state’s homicide statute.
Have your say
Remember, when you disagree about some legislation, call or write your legislator, tell them you are a constituent, and explain your point of view.
Don’t know your legislator? Go to scstatehouse.gov and follow the prompts!