July Summary Update

Sunday, August 4, 2024

I hope you are enjoying a relaxing summer! Unfortunately, I am writing this on the eve of what models project to be a gigantic amount of rain due to Tropical Storm Debby. We all certainly hope that the worst predictions, while preparing us, do not come true and that the Lowcountry will be spared from the most dire outcomes.

We certainly are experiencing "the dog days of summer," officially the time period when Sirius, the dog star, rises with the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. In case you are not familiar, Sirius is in the constellation "Canis Major," which is the great dog that Greek mythology considered to be the hunting dog of Orion, the Hunter. Why am I spending any time on this in our update newsletter? Well, as many of you know from my writings in the past, my bill submitted in the 125th Session to protect the citizens of the State of South Carolina from the effects of an electromagnetic pulse was not heard due to the priority set of passing the energy bill first. In May, our world experienced a G4 coronal mass ejection from the sun, better known as a "solar flare" that created incredible Northern lights, or Aurora Borealis. We are entering the peak of the 11-year solar cycle where flares can become more common. More about the EMP bill later in this newsletter. While there is much debate on the subject, some scientists believe that higher sunspot activity can contribute to a higher temperature on Earth.

Upcoming Meeting of the Republican Caucus:
During the week of August 19th, SC State House Republican legislators will convene in Myrtle Beach for a meeting to discuss priorities for the upcoming 126th Session beginning in January. (In case you are wondering, we pay for our own rooms and expenses to travel there. The Caucus also raises money, so I do not believe any taxpayer funds are involved). I welcome any input you have that I can share at that time. Here are some of the key problems that we still need to solve:
  • Drug-induced Homicide
  • Integrity and Transparency in Education
  • Joint and Several Liability (including businesses and organizations that serve alcohol)
  • Continued Reform on Judicial Selection Process
  • Protecting Our Grid, Including From an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack or Occurrence
  • Parental Bill of Rights
  • Changing Our Judicial Laws to Require Minimum Penalties for Crimes (most have maximums, but not minimums, which is one reason why so many criminals end up out on the street on bail with little to no time served)
  • Lowering Our State Income Tax Rate (my goal is 5% so that we will be on the low end of our neighbors in the Southeast)
  • Ban of Any Possible Central Bank Digital Currency
  • Further Enhancing Election Integrity
  • Personal Property Rights Against Squatters
  • Anything else I may be forgetting, but not because it isn't important
The Latest Update on EMP and Grid Protection:
At the end of June, I participated in a conference with Emergency Management officials from Aiken and elsewhere regarding EMP Protection and my bill to be resubmitted next Session. It was decided that we needed a larger meeting of some of the federal experts on this subject both to discuss steps that can be taken at the grassroots level as well as verbiage for the new bill. This meeting is scheduled for late September. We have heard just recently that Iran may only be weeks away from having a nuclear device. We have also heard that Hezbollah now has drone-based nuclear capability to deliver an EMP. Protecting your own home from a massive power surge either via lightning, a man-made EMP, or a geomagnetic strike from a solar flare, combined with an alternative power source that does not rely on the grid could potentially keep your own household safe. The purpose of the bill is to make this mandatory for all state and Municipal entities and offer alternatives for homeowners as well. You don't have to wait for the bill to take steps on your own if desired. 

Around the District and the Lowcountry:
It is becoming rare to meet an actual WWII Veteran, but last week, two of Mt. Pleasant's most active retired military went way out of their way to do just that. A 99-year-old fellow named John "Jack" MacDade recently was moved to a Hospice Care facility in Greenville. Mr. MacDade served from 1942-1946 in the US Navy on none other than our own USS Yorktown! Through an organization called Veterans Last Patrol, Cdr. Paul Watters, USN (Retired) and Maj. Stoney Bates, USMC (Retired) carried both an American flag and an SC flag, along with the Certificate of Authenticity verifying that they were flown over the State House, plus a letter from me to be delivered to Mr. MacDade. Paul said he read the letter aloud to Mr. MacDade with pride & joy. Mission accomplished, the two gentlemen sent me pics right after. Wish I could have been there. Thanks to Paul & Stoney for brightening the day of this member of "the Greatest Generation." We can never do enough to thank him as well as the two of them for their service to our country!


While there has not been a major news announcement on the subject yet, my appropriation request to provide a grant to build the National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center at Patriots Point was approved by the General Assembly as part of the 2024-2025 budget bill on June 26th. On July 3rd, Governor McMaster announced 21 vetoes, and the grant to the NMHLEC prevailed. This $5 million grant was co-sponsored by my Republican colleagues Rep. Tom Hartnett, Jr., and Rep. Matt Leber. In speaking with the President of the NMHLEC, Tom Mundell, the awarding of this grant is now serving as a catalyst for a number of corporate and major private donors to move forward with serious commitments to get this project done. Many people thought that the National Medal of Honor Museum left when the earlier group went to Texas, but this is not true. The 1999 Congressional Act naming official National Medal of Honor sites in the United States specifically referenced Patriots Point as one of three places that are authorized for this distinction. The museum on board the USS Yorktown was recently remodeled with tremendous help from the Board of the NMHLEC (mentioned in an earlier newsletter), and the plans for the landside facility along with enhancements to the Vietnam Experience will all contribute to an incredible installation to honor the sacrifice of our most courageous military heroes, and inspire generations of young and old to "meet their moment." We will have an official presentation ceremony of the grant in the near future. Also, a major fundraising event for the NMHLEC will be held on October 17th on board the USS Yorktown. I will share more details soon.

The 3rd Annual Taste of Sweetgrass Culture at the Cooper River Room in Mount Pleasant was a fabulous kickoff for the Sweetgrass Festival at Waterfront Memorial Park last weekend. Our family had a wonderful time learning more about the history of Sweetgrass baskets as well as Gullah Geechie food and customs. President Freddie Jenkins & Community Outreach Director Cheryl German of the African American Settlement Community Historic Commission welcomed the sizeable crowd. Octavia Mitchell of News 2 was the evening's emcee. Mayor Miriam Green of Awendaw was there serving her delicious traditional Gullah Geechie food from Buckshot's Restaurant. My favorite part of the evening was a presentation by Henrietta Snype, who shared 5 generations of Sweetgrass basket history & creations. Henrietta also led classes in basket making on Saturday at the Festival, and I was able to stop by and thank her for the lovely history lesson from the night before. All proceeds of this fantastic weekend will go to help renovate and restore the 1904 Long Point Schoolhouse.

Speaking of the 1904 Long Point Schoolhouse, I had also requested a grant to help complete the renovation of this building into an educational and cultural enrichment center. This is the oldest known African American schoolhouse still standing in the state of South Carolina, and happens to be right in the heart of District 80. My grant request was accepted and passed, but unfortunately, the organization had fallen behind on their tax filings, and the Governor had to veto the grant. He actually expressed disappointment in having to do this, but by law, the Secretary of State's office has to be able to confirm that all tax filings are up-to-date. I have spoken with the new Board who had just taken over and were blindsided by the news that their documents were not in order, and they are rectifying this situation now. They expect to have everything corrected in the next couple of weeks so that their efforts to preserve and promote this facility as well as the culture and history of the Gullah Geechie community East of the Cooper will continue to grow and thrive.

Please continue to share your feedback, as well as any issues or problems you may have or hear about. Also, please share this newsletter with friends, family, and neighbors who may have an interest in keeping up with news from the State House and here in the Lowcountry. Have a wonderful August, and good luck to all our students as they head back to school!