December 2023 Update
Sunday, December 30, 2023
Greetings Neighbors, Friends, and Patriots,
I hope all of you have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. In the Landing household, we were very blessed to have our daughter, Kristie home from London for two weeks over Christmas. Last year, she had applied for a post-graduate visa after finishing her Master's Degree in 2022, but it took so long and she was not allowed to leave the country over the holidays or would have forfeited her opportunity; thus, she missed Christmas with her family for the first time. I share this with you to detail how hard it is for people who follow the "Rule of Law" of a nation to actually be able to stay in a country for an extended time where they are not a citizen. Despite all the effort, expense, and hard work Kristie has put into staying in the United Kingdom, she may eventually have to come back home. Yet, somehow in the United States, all one has to do is show up at the border, claim asylum, and at the very most, have years before they have to prove whether their need is valid. It just doesn't make any sense at all, but then what does make sense coming down from the current federal administration these days?
Running for Re-Election for District 80:
As you may have read in last month's newsletter, I have decided to run for reelection. Two years is just not enough time to get everything done. It would be my honor to continue to serve our District for another two years. In addition to working hard and serving you, having enough funds on hand is the best way to help deter others from running in the Republican primary, as well as to win the General Election. The last financial report that will be available before the candidate filing date in March is based on any contributions that come in by Sunday, Dec. 31st. Please consider making a donation of any size up to $1000 by the deadline tomorrow by clicking here.
Looking ahead to year two of Session 125:
December 14th was our second pre-filing date, and we had another 83 bills pre-filed at this time. Rep. Mark Smith pointed out that when bills are pre-filed, they are all read across the desk in one day, which means there really are too many for anyone to hear what is being said. Meanwhile, my effort with the legal team to draft the EMP Protection Bill is waiting for some input from a key source. I will have this ready in the next two weeks and submit it the first week of session. We will also be submitting the bill regarding an indicator on license tags for vehicles who may have an autistic person on board, and a digital identity system for police to be able to quickly ascertain the particulars of a person with autism in a vehicle that has pulled over.
Here are some of the major topics we need to address as soon as possible:
1. Judicial reform, especially as it relates to the Judicial Merit Selection Committee
2. Election reform, starting with closing our primaries but also getting back to strict voter identification and other methods to reduce cheating and fraud.
3. Strict penalties for drug-induced homicide. A note on this - people need to stop referring to death by fentanyl poisoning as an "overdose" death. It is poisoning, not an overdose. An overdose sounds like the person was a regular illegal or prescription drug user who may have accidentally or intentionally overdosed. The majority of deaths I have learned about were not with regular illegal drug users; rather, the individual might have purchased one pill from a friend or other source that was laced with fentanyl, and died from this poison.
4. Integrity and Transparency in Education - this was passed by the House last year, but the Senate's watered down version was unacceptable to both our Education Chair and those on the conference committee. We need to pass this bill, and perhaps better clarify the processes so people cannot claim it is likely to frighten teachers. That is not the intent at all, but the language may need to be tightened up to avoid any confusion.
5. Expansion of early childhood programs to better prepare our children for kindergarten. (See my comments about the Boeing breakfast later).
6. Remove any support for DEI programs at our public institutions. Many states have already enacted such measures, and South Carolina needs to join this effort and send a strong signal that racial, religious, or any other form of discrimination will not be tolerated.
7. Ban Central Bank Digital Currency from ever being able to be used in SC at our banks or other institutions. This was my very first bill introduced last year, H.4373.
8. Expansion of our electrical production capacity, protection of the grid from cyberattacks, and protection of critical infrastructure from EMP and other risks.
9. Joint and several liability reform - parties to any accident should only be liable to the extent they are responsible for the damage. Going after the "deepest pockets" should not be allowed for many reasons, but among these is that it creates a moral hazard for those who would avoid having adequate coverage, and forces law-abiding citizens and businesses to have to carry more expensive insurance in the event they are held liable for something for which they have very limited responsibility.
10. Ban gender-affirming treatment for children under 18 as many states and the UK have done.
While these are some of the major issues, I am sure I have left something out. Feel free to email me if you know of something else that you want me to co-sponsor, or a bill that needs to be proposed.
Speaking to First Responders at the NYPD 10-13 Club of Charleston:
It was my honor to be asked to speak to the NYPD 10-13 Club of Charleston at the very end of November. If you are not familiar with this organization, 10-13 is the code for "officer down." Many local members are retired or former NYPD, but are also currently serving in our area now. I reviewed some of the legislation that was passed to support our police officers while on the job, as well as retirees. The group asked a number of great questions, and also for me to co-sponsor bills of specific interest to first responders.
Boeing, Trident Tech & CCSD Updates:
All three of these organizations held Legislative Update events in early December. While Boeing provided a lot of highly sophisticated aeronautical data, I found their team's answer to my question at the end most surprising. What was the one thing we could do to help them in SC? The answer - promote better early childhood learning from birth to kindergarten!
Trident Technical College hosted an appreciation luncheon for State Legislators and County Councilmembers from the Tri-County. Their primary message was about all the growth of highly technical training programs as well as the student body they have experienced. We need to continue to promote this excellent solution for preparing young people for great careers customized to employers right here in SC.
Charleston County School District hosted a breakfast for Legislators. With Interim Superintendent Anita Huggins presiding, it was a wonderful chance to meet many of the key staff members and hear about their priorities for focusing on improving math skills, better reading and writing at an earlier age, and preparing students for college and/or careers.
By the time I had heard all three of these updates, it seemed that at this time, no other committee could be more timely for me to serve on than Education, which is where I am now!
Around the District and Mount Pleasant:
On Thursday, December 7th, Councilman Gary Santos represented the Town of Mount Pleasant at a ceremony dedicating the new 9/11 Memorial at Waterfront Memorial Park. Gary was able to obtain a piece of the building from the Twin Towers, and wanted to recognize our first responders here in Mount Pleasant including a number who served on that day and eventually moved here. Although I had to miss the ceremony due to a required workshop out of state, I presented Councilman Santos in advance with a US and an SC flag flown over the State House along with certificates of authenticity that read, "Presented to the 9/11 Memorial at Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park that honors the heroes who gave their lives on September 11, 2001." My son Joseph represented me at the ceremony that day.
This coming week I will be meeting with a group of concerned citizens in the lower precincts of District 80 regarding election integrity. I am always open to smaller group meetings such as this one, so if you have a specific problem or concern that may interest a particular group, please let me know and I will do my best to come listen and also answer questions.
As always, please let me know any questions or concerns you have. Also, please continue to share our newsletter with anyone you think might have an interest. They can sign up to be included in these updates here. In January once Session starts, I will be sending weekly updates regarding legislation on which we are currently working.
I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and blessed New Year!
Warmest Regards,
Kathy
Representative Kathy Landing
South Carolina State House District 80