August 16th Weekly Update

Sunday, August 16, 2026

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer. The weather tells us that summer is still very much present, but the school year says otherwise. It's truly hard to believe we are already through the first week for our students in Charleston County. 

We Finally Passed a State Budget, and Here’s What It Means for You
On Tuesday of this week, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the 2026–27 state budget conference report and sent it to the Governor. Getting to this point was not easy. The House and Senate had real disagreements over portions of the budget, but rather than allow those disagreements to hold up tax relief, teacher pay raises, road funding, public safety investments and other important priorities, we stayed at the table, worked through our differences and found a responsible path forward. The result is a budget that responsibly funds our state’s needs while putting South Carolinians first.

Here are some of the biggest ways this budget will impact you, your family and your community.

More of Your Money Stays in Your Pocket
Most importantly, this budget provides $422 million in new tax relief for South Carolinians. That includes:



• $325 million in income tax relief, reducing the top state income tax rate from 6% to 5.21%, as part of a responsible, phased approach that continues moving South Carolina toward ultimately eliminating the state income tax over time
• $81 million for the Homestead Exemption, increasing the amount of a home’s value that eligible seniors can exempt from property taxes to $75,000, helping lower their property tax bills.
• $16 million in additional tax credits and exemptions

Lowering the income tax rate allows South Carolinians to keep more of their hard-earned money in every paycheck. For eligible homeowners, increasing the Homestead Exemption shields an additional $25,000 of a home’s value from property taxes, helping lower costs for seniors and others who qualify. At a time when families are paying more for everyday necessities, returning more of taxpayers’ own money to their pockets is one of the most important things we can do.

• Investing in Teachers and Students
  The budget raises South Carolina’s minimum starting teacher salary to $50,500 and adds another $2,000 to the teacher minimum salary schedule, helping our state recruit strong educators and keep experienced teachers in the classroom. It also provides:$75 million for rural and charter school capital needs
• $38.3 million for K–12 instructional materials
• $30 million for school buses
• $20 million for school safety grants
• $23.2 million for the Education Scholarship Trust Fund program

Together, these investments mean safer schools, better classroom resources, more reliable transportation and greater educational opportunities for South Carolina families.

• Making College and Career Training More Affordable
  The budget freezes in-state tuition and fully funds South Carolina’s major lottery scholarship programs, helping families manage the cost of higher education. It also provides:$250 million for capital projects at public universities and technical colleges
• $95 million for SC WINS tuition assistance
• $15 million for readySC job training

These investments help South Carolinians earn degrees, credentials and skills for in-demand careers while helping our businesses build the workforce they need to compete and create jobs here at home.

Improving the Roads You Drive Every Day
The budget provides $344 million for roads and bridges through SCDOT and County Transportation Committees. This funding will help repair pavement, improve bridges, address congestion and move needed projects forward across the state. As South Carolina continues to grow, these investments help make the daily drive to work, school and home safer and more reliable while strengthening the infrastructure our economy depends on.

Supporting Law Enforcement and First Responders
The budget fully funds state law enforcement step increases, helping agencies recruit and retain experienced officers. It also provides $24.5 million to expand the Palmetto 800 statewide first responder communications system, strengthening the network law enforcement, firefighters and emergency personnel rely on to communicate during emergencies. That means better coordination and a stronger response when every second matters.

Strengthening South Carolina Communities
The budget provides $22 million for water and sewer projects through the Rural Infrastructure Authority. These investments help communities repair aging infrastructure and expand essential services, particularly in rural areas and smaller communities where major infrastructure projects can be difficult to fund locally. The budget also provides $80 million for land conservation and the Conservation Bank, helping preserve South Carolina’s natural resources and protect important land for future generations.

• Supporting Essential Health and Human Services
  The budget includes:$207 million for Health and Human Services funding requirements
• $46 million for Home and Community-Based Services
• $50.7 million to improve mental health and developmental disability services
• $34 million for DSS to meet new federal SNAP matching requirements

These investments help South Carolina meet its obligations while strengthening services for seniors, people with disabilities and families who need support closer to home.

A Responsible Budget for South Carolina
This budget reflects the priorities we hear about from South Carolinians every day: keeping taxes low, supporting our schools, improving our roads, backing law enforcement and making smart investments in our growing state. Just as importantly, we did it while maintaining a balanced budget and being responsible with taxpayer dollars. There is always more work to do, but this budget moves South Carolina forward on some of the issues that matter most to families and communities across our state.

A Few Words About Member Appropriation Requests
You have most likely heard these referred to as "earmarks,' or even "pork." Each year we as General Assembly Members are given an opportunity to request grants for our Districts. Last year, due to uncertainty regarding the economy and tariff concerns, Member Appropriations were cut off. This year, the Chairman of Ways & Means introduced a stricter system to provide better transparency and accountability. In the House, we were required to fill out a detailed form outlining the request, provide any available documentation of the request, have a letter from the organization on their letterhead describing the needs and scope of the project, and have the funds flow through either a State Agency or municipality to act as custodian of the grant. The Senate did not add any of these extra requirements; in fact, one of their Member Requests was written on a sticky note with a message saying, "Add this to the budget." None of us knew in advance how much the final number was, and we were not given any opportunity to lower our requests or even prioritize them until this past Tuesday. Yet, the Senate complained both in the Budget Conference Committee and from what I have heard, also on the floor of the Senate during their debate that we were "getting too much." When Chairman Bannister asked us to cut the number down from the original (over $300 million) to $225 million, none of us complained or said anything other than to simply adjust our forms, sign them, and give them back in. Yet, at the final hour the Senate said we were still asking too much without any opportunity to reduce the number further. Many of these requests are for public safety items for both law enforcement and fire departments, especially in rural areas where the tax base is low and it is hard for them to pay for additional equipment when needed. Many of them are important educational or historical projects that most taxpayers would likely support. Unfortunately, due to the contentious nature of how this was handled, all project grants were canceled across the board regardless of level of importance or urgency.

I believe this is the wrong way to handle this matter. While I was serving on Mount Pleasant Town Council on the Finance Committee, we approved a new system regarding non-profit grant requests of the Town. We created a transparent, fully vetted program where staff would carefully review all requests, rank them in order of how much they accomplished for our citizens, and then we would vote to reward grants as appropriate. Higher consideration was given to organizations whose work was more effective than what Town Staff including Law Enforcement could do already. In this way, everyone understood the criteria, and we also followed up after the fact to be sure the funds were properly utilized. This fall I will be writing a bill proposal for "The South Carolina General Assembly Community Grant Program" with strict guidelines and accountability measures. It is simply not reasonable to think that a State Agency in Columbia knows all the needs of our local communities better than the elected officials representing those areas. But the most important question should always be, "How would SC taxpayers feel if they knew their hard-earned dollars were spent for....?" 

Around the District and the Lowcountry
A Taste of Sweetgrass Gala Draws Largest Crowd Ever!
You may have heard about or even attended the Sweetgrass Festival, but did you know it all starts the night before with the Taste of Sweetgrass Gala? Joe & I have sponsored a table & attended this wonderful event from the beginning 5 years ago. This year's version was the biggest and best yet, with a great crowd of folks there to enjoy the music, the artwork, the storytelling, the silent auction items, and of course, the delicious food.

Live 5 News Anchor Ann McGill served as the MC for the evening's program. The menu featured Gullah Geechee cuisine flavored with some of its Caribbean roots and influence. We heard fantastic singing courtesy of Jarell Smalls. Rhoda Green, Founder & CEO of Barbados Carolina Connection deliivered an interesting presentation tying the Lowcountry to Barbados historically & culturally. There were several other fascinating storytellers and presenters.

All proceeds raised are going to support the 1904 Long Point Schoolhouse, the oldest African American Schoolhouse in South Carolina. The AASCHC has worked so hard to raise the funds to restore this building as an educational & cultural landmark here in Mount Pleasant. Thanks to President Freddie Jenkins, Treasurer Cheryl German, VP Ed Lee and all the rest of the Board for another fantastic event! If you would like to help in this effort, you can make a donation here.

Highway 41 Project Still Waiting for the SC Department of Environmental Services Permit
As many of you know, the SCDES is still working on the permits related to coastal wetlands, flooding, soil erosion and disturbance, and many other aspects of the Highway 41 widening project. Following up on their Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 22nd which a number of residents attended, I wrote to the Director of SCDES as well as the Supervisor for this project. If you follow my Facebook page (you don't need your own account to view it), I will provide the most recent updates as they become available. You can follow my page here.

Another Successful Year at the SCGOP Silver Elephant Gala in Columbia
Last Evening, the SCGOP held its annual Silver Elephant Gala as a fundraiser to support candidates and get out the vote. It was at the Columbia Convention Center, and the Keynote Speaker was Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana. He had worked with Attorney General and GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Alan Wilson for a number of years when they were both Attorneys General for their respective states, and had some great stories to tell. He also shared a few funny remarks about their incredibly smart and witty Senator John Kennedy. We heard from AG Wilson, who was very gracious in his remarks regarding the importance of coming together as conservatives to fight for our candidates in the General Election against the Democrats. SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick introduced all of the current Statewide Elected Officials as well as the candidates for those positions in November, the two Senatorial candidates, Congressman Ralph Norman and Senator Darline Graham Nordone, Congressional Candidates for the 1st District Jenny Costa Honeycutt and the 5th District Wes Climer, and all of the current State Senate and House Members. Thanks to all the SCGOP Staff Members who organized and delivered this very large event as we prepare for all the campaigns of our GOP nominees to win November 3rd!