End of November Update
Sunday, December 1, 2024
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! With the late date for the Thursday holiday this year, we have a shortened time frame between now and Christmas. So much to do...
Can you believe the General Election is finally over, and we as Republicans had a resounding victory?! What an exciting time it is to envision a near-term future where we can get back to common sense, conservative values by slashing government waste, getting rid of the weaponization of our justice system, closing our borders and deporting illegals, especially criminals, reducing the size of government overall, etc... The victories both nationally and here locally gave us plenty for which to be thankful this year, and hopefully will set our community, our state, and our nation on a far more successful path for the future for years to come.
Speaking of that, this coming Tuesday is Reorganization for the SC State House. We report in at 11:00AM, where we will be officially sworn in, choose our seats for the year, and be given committee assignments. Earlier this month, members of the Republican Caucus gathered in Columbia for a meeting to discuss our platform for the year. I am very excited to share the details of that platform with you in this newsletter. Also this month, I was the featured speaker at the Lowcountry Conservatives monthly meeting to share updates on my bill from last Session about protecting our critical infrastructure from an electromagnetic pulse, geomagnetic disturbance (caused by a solar flare), or other major power outage. The very next day, I hosted a meeting of members of the SC Emergency Management Division along with military experts in Columbia to raise awareness for the risks and vulnerabilities we have, as well as to discuss solutions for this problem. See details below.
Planning for South Carolina’s Future - 2025-2026 Legislative Priorities:
On Thursday, November 14th, my Republican colleagues and I met to outline our legislative priorities for the upcoming 2025-2026 session. While the House is not yet in session, we are hard at work preparing a robust agenda to address the needs of our state and our communities. These priorities were developed with input from members and, most importantly, from you—our constituents—through your feedback and shared concerns. House Republicans believe that these Six Pillars for Progress are key to South Carolina’s success, strengthening our communities, and enhancing the quality of life for all:
Deliver Historic Tax Cuts
Reduce the income tax rate for a simpler, fairer, and flatter tax system.
Lower the personal property tax burden on small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Promote Business-Friendly Policies
Sunset costly and burdensome regulations stifling economic growth.
Address rising insurance costs and limited competition for restaurants, bars, and VFW posts.
Remove barriers to support small business development and growth.
Fuel South Carolina’s Booming Economy
Invest in infrastructure to ease urban congestion and promote rural development.
Increase affordable, reliable electric generation capacity while protecting our natural resources.
Provide a workforce retention tax credit for businesses offering childcare programs.
Reform unemployment programs to encourage able-bodied adults back into the workforce.
Expand Educational Opportunities
Restore school choice and education savings accounts to empower families.
Promote workforce development and dual enrollment opportunities.
Remove harmful DEI programs from educational institutions.
Increase teacher pay, enhance school board transparency, and strengthen parental rights.
Invest in school safety to protect children and create safe learning environments.
Prioritize Public Safety and Law-and-Order Policies
Strengthen penalties for fentanyl-related crimes, retail theft, and juvenile crime.
Protect children from “deepfake” digital manipulation of images.
Crack down on illegal immigration and mandate local cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Support law enforcement needs and reform county magistrate selection processes.
Strengthen Families and Communities
Defend parental rights and support pro-life and Second Amendment policies.
Protect private property rights and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies in public health.
Ensure robust storm response and recovery efforts for fully restored communities.
New & Improved Version of H.4954:
You have heard me mention the risks to our way of life posed by factors that until recently did not get as much attention as cyber attacks or physical attacks on our electrical grid. An electromagnetic pulse attack, or a coronal mass ejection from the sun (seen as a solar flare such as the Aurora Borealis displays earlier this year) have long been thought of as "high risk, low probability" events. Because of this, very little has been done by our major power companies to protect us from the possibility that all of our electronics, from our major critical infrastructure facilities, to our homes, to our vehicles could all cease to have any power if one of these events were to occur. On Thursday, November 21st, I hosted a meeting of a number of members of the SC Emergency Management Division that included several County EMD's as well as well as our own Shannon Whitehead, Emergency Management Director for the Town of Mount Pleasant, our current Deputy Adjutant General for the SC National Guard, Maj. Gen. Jeff Jones, former Deputy Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Les Eisner, USA (Ret.), and former Joint Chief of Staff of the SC National Guard, Maj. Gen. Brad Owens, USA (Ret.). Our moderator was a national expert on this subject, Lt. Col. Tommy Waller, USMC (Ret.) who currently serves as the CEO for the Center for Security Policy. The above experts shared detailed information on why the time to act is now, and not to wait until it's too late because this type of event might be the end of our way of life as we know it. We also heard from numerous solution providers, some more high-end for major facilities, while others were more retail focused for homes and vehicles that can be installed by a local electrician. The meeting was held in a hearing room at the State House, followed by a luncheon for brainstorming and sharing ideas. Part of the new bill will focus on power resiliency in case any forms of protection fail. With the aftermath of Helene's fury in the Upstate and NC and TN mountains demonstrating clearly how dependent we really are on electricity, hopefully my fellow elected officials will recognize the critical need for passage of this bill.
Around the District and the Lowcountry:
On November 13th, many of our local Marines and other veterans and guests gathered here in Mount Pleasant to celebrate the 249th Birthday of the US Marine Corps. Maj. Gen. Jim Livingston, MOH, USMC (Ret.) was our host, and we were treated to great presentations including a letter read aloud from the Commandant of the Marine Corps. We also heard from the Commandant of the Citadel, Col. Gordon, as well as Col. Alex Pelbath, USAF (Ret.) who flew C-17's out of Kabul & commanded the evacuation effort. Traditions, including recognizing the oldest and youngest Marines present at the event, and then the oldest and youngest veterans, and serving them a slice of cake cut by Gen. Livingston with his sword made the evening especially memorable. Three of the Marines in uniform are NCO's (non-commissioned officers) who went back to school at the Citadel to earn their degrees and be commissioned. What a great night for all, and a wonderful way to also celebrate Veterans Day. Happy 249th Birthday (on 11/10) US Marine Corps!
The Passing of a Great Patriot:
Last week, we lost a true Patriot, Marine Corps Veteran, great leader, and wonderful friend to many of us right here in District 80 and Mount Pleasant. Maj. Ralph "Stoney" Bates, USMC, (Ret.), was known by so many of us because he truly cared about his community and his fellow man. In addition to a distinguished military career including serving in Vietnam, Stoney most recently volunteered for a number of years at Patriots Point on the USS Yorktown. We will miss Stoney terribly at the many Republican and non-political community events he often attended. You may recall the picture below, when Stoney was joined by Cdr. Paul Watters, USN (Ret.) to travel to the Upstate to honor a WWII veteran who was celebrating his 99th birthday. For more details about Stoney and his tremendous life, please click here.
Please let me know if you have any questions or input. If you think of anyone who might benefit from these updates on what we are doing in the SC State House, please send them to my website to sign up for our newsletter here. They can just scroll to the bottom of the page, enter their email addresses, and be added to the next mailing.
From our family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Year to all!
