March 22nd Weekly Update

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Happy Spring! It is so wonderful to have the warm, sunny days of early spring upon us. Unfortunately, right now that is accompanied by plenty of yellow pollen all over everything. Still, I hope you have had a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Candidate Filing Begins in South Carolina

This past week, the SC State House was on furlough following Budget Week, but there is still plenty of news to share. The biggest news is that filing began for candidates for office in South Carolina. The first day of filing was Monday, March 16th. With my husband Joe and son Joseph by my side, I filed to run for re-election to continue to serve the people of District 80 in the South Carolina State House. It has been a tremendous honor to represent this community these past four years, and we have accomplished a lot in that time. Still, there is much more work to be done. I look forward to continuing to strive to tackle problems and bring common sense solutions to the biggest issues we face. Filing is open until March 30th, and there is already a Democrat who has filed to run against me to represent you. Thanks to all who have supported me in the past. I would greatly appreciate any support you can provide either in the form of a donation to the campaign or by volunteering your time. If you would like to donate, please either click the button below, or if you prefer to send a check, you can mail it to: Kathy Landing for SC State House, PO Box 273, Mount Pleasant, SC 29465. If you would like to volunteer, please just email me back and state your main area of interest.

I will be meeting with as many of the citizens in District 80 as possible to hear what you want accomplished over the next two years. If you would like to host a Meet & Greet event in your neighborhood so that I can hear directly from your neighbors about the issues that matter most to you, please reach out to me. Also, on Thursday, April 9th, Rep. Mark Smith is hosting a town hall meeting at Town Hall in Mount Pleasant from 5:30-7:00PM. I will be participating in this event, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions there as well.

Senate Finance Committee Votes to Advance Tax Conformity
The Senate was in Session this past week, and I am happy to announce that they passed H.3368 favorably out of the Finance Committee. That should go to the full Senate this week. If you have any provisions in your tax return that are affected by the Federal changes through the One Big Beautiful Bill, you will want to wait to file your taxes until this bill passes. Otherwise, in order to benefit from the changes such as the higher standard deduction for many tax filers over 65, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, etc..., you would have to file an amended return to the State of South Carolina. Hopefully the bill will pass in the next week and be signed by the Governor right away.

Senate Passes H.3924 Regulating THC Products
This bill was passed by the House last year, but the Senate waited until now to debate it. Since then, the House has had two other THC product bills pass favorably out of the Judiciary Committee, but neither have been fully debated on the floor of the House yet. I am not sure which bill will ultimately be passed by both bodies of the General Assembly, but one thing is very clear. It is completely unacceptable that minors can currently go into a retail store and buy a product such as a colorful, fizzy, fruit-flavored drink, gummies, or candy that looks just like Skittles and is made with THC. Furthermore, marijuana is not legal in South Carolina, and these products became available even in states that had not legalized marijuana only because of a loophole in the Farm Bill passed by Congress in 2018. I am well aware that a very popular version of the drink is made right here in District 80, but under no circumstances should a child or teenager be able to partake in any of these products. SLED has already made it very clear that the only way they can fully enforce an age limit regulation is to restrict the sale of these products to licensed liquor stores. The other two bills are H.4758 (a complete ban on these products) and H.4759 (the regulation bill that is stricter than the Senate's recently amended version). If you have an informed opinion on this subject, please email me back so that I can hear from as many of you as possible before we hear one or all of these bills in the House. That may happen as soon as this coming week.

Around the District and the Lowcountry 
On Thursday, Executive Director Beverly Hutchison arranged a visit to the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center for me, and Gordon Robertson hosted the tour. This wonderful organization that provides critical services for families sits right in the heart of District 80 on Long Point Road. My husband Joe & I have been supporters for years, but I had not gone in person to see the work being done. Caregivers can bring a child to the Center for a gentle, caring evaluation to determine if abuse has occurred and to recommend and provide next steps for helping that child heal and get into a safe environment. While the work being done is incredible and so necessary, it was heartbreaking to hear the answer when I asked the question of what the age range is of the children they serve - infancy to 18. The very thought of anyone abusing a helpless baby, as well as any child, is horrific. I am so grateful that Dee Norton Child Advocacy is here in Mount Pleasant to help children in desperate need of protection and healing! Thanks also to Leah, a recent College of Charleston alumnus who works at the Center full-time, helping run the office and greet clients. If you would like to donate to help support this organization, please click here. You can also sign up to volunteer at the Center.