Delivering on Our Promise to Promote Business-Friendly Policies:

This week, my House Republican Caucus colleagues and I took major steps to deliver on the promises we made to you—reducing burdensome regulations, providing relief to small businesses, cracking down on crime, and ensuring property owners have the rights they deserve. We passed legislation that touches every part of our “Pillars for Progress” agenda under our commitment to promoting business-friendly policies. Whether it’s tackling government overreach, protecting businesses from skyrocketing insurance costs, or ensuring property owners aren’t left defenseless, we are taking bold action to get results.

Cutting Red Tape and Ending Overregulation:

Government overreach hurts small businesses, limits job creation, and slows down our economy. That’s why my House Republican Caucus colleagues and I took a major step forward this week by passing the Regulatory Freedom Act (H.3021)—a bill that puts citizens and businesses, not unelected bureaucrats, back in charge.

✅ Ends outdated and unnecessary regulations.

✅ Stops unelected agencies from creating new rules without legislative oversight.

✅ Requires a regulatory budget—ensuring that for every new regulation, two outdated ones are repealed.

✅ Strengthens transparency and accountability to protect small businesses.

South Carolina should be a national leader in business-friendly policies, not a state where excessive regulations stifle growth. The House Republican Caucus promised to tackle red tape, and this week, we delivered.

Smash-and-grab thefts and large-scale shoplifting rings aren’t just inconveniences for businesses—they’re a serious public safety and economic issue. H.3523, a bill the House passed last month, was just passed by the Senate and sent to the governor’s desk to finally crack down on organized retail crime.

✅ Makes organized retail theft a felony, ensuring repeat offenders face real consequences.

✅ Allows law enforcement to prosecute thefts across multiple counties as a single crime, making it easier to dismantle these crime rings.

✅ Gives law enforcement new tools to fight back against organized criminals who have long exploited legal loopholes.

This is about keeping businesses safe, protecting jobs, and ensuring law and order. South Carolina is not a place where criminals can operate with impunity, and with this bill, we are making that crystal clear.

Property owners should never have to jump through legal hoops just to remove someone who is illegally occupying their home. That’s why H.3387 was passed out of the Judiciary Committee this week, setting up a House floor debate soon. This bill creates a clear and fair process to remove squatters, giving homeowners the ability to take action quickly instead of being forced into lengthy legal battles. It also allows law enforcement to assist property owners in securing their homes.

The House Republican Caucus is fighting to protect the rights of property owners, ensuring they have the legal tools to defend what’s theirs. I will continue to support this bill as it moves through the legislative process. As a side note, I pre-filed H.3418 to solve this problem, a bill which I was a primary co-sponsor on last year. While it would have been nice to see my version be taken up in committee, I'm just glad we are addressing this unfair problem for our citizens.

Next week, the South Carolina House will begin debating the 2025-2026 State Budget. As we move forward, I am committed to keeping my promises and passing a budget that reflects our conservative values—one that invests in the priorities that matter while ensuring your tax dollars are spent wisely.

💰 A balanced, conservative budget that funds law enforcement, safer schools, better roads, and tax relief for hardworking families.

💰 No wasteful spending—the House Republican Caucus isn’t in the business of throwing away your money.

💰 A strong financial foundation for South Carolina—protecting against economic slowdowns while keeping our state a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

I’ll be working hard to pass a responsible, fiscally conservative budget that puts taxpayers first. Stay tuned next week as we take this important step forward.

This week, we proved once again that House Republican Caucus members are keeping our promises. Every bill we passed aligns directly with our commitment to promoting business-friendly policies that cut red tape, lower costs for small businesses, and strengthen South Carolina’s economy.

✔️ H.3021 - Cutting regulations to create a business-friendly environment.

✔️ H.3497 - Providing real relief for small businesses by fixing our broken liquor liability laws.

✔️ H.3523 - Cracking down on organized crime and protecting retailers from theft rings.

✔️ H.3387 - Standing up for property owners and putting an end to squatter abuses.

These aren’t just empty promises—they are real results. The House Republican Caucus is proving once again that we are getting things done and putting South Carolina on the right track. 

On Wednesday, the House convened a Joint Assembly with the Senate to welcome two important guests. The first was the National Commander of the American Legion, the Honorable James A. LaCoursiere, Jr., who addressed the gathered legislators and other guests in the Chambers. Commander LaCoursiere spoke about two major topics. He described the Salute to Heroes Ball, held on January 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C., which highlighted a recent Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne, USA, MOH. Sgt. Maj. Payne was a Delta Force whose actions during a rescue mission in northern Iraq saved the lives of 70 hostages being held by ISIS. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 11, 2020 by President Donald Trump, exactly 19 years to the day when he was inspired by the attack on 9/11 to enlist in the US Army. He is the first MOH recipient from Operation Inherent Resolve. Commander LaCoursiere reminded us that there are only 61 MOH recipients still with us today, which naturally brought to my mind why it is so critical that we build the National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center as soon as possible. More on that very soon. He also talked about our veterans, and the terrible plight of veterans who take their own life. He described "Buddy Checks," a part of the American Legion's regular practice, where members check on veterans in their area to see how they are doing and to promote camaraderie and wellness. The sad statistic of 22 suicides per day by veterans must be eliminated, so that everyone who served this nation will know that they are worthy and very much appreciated for their courage and actions.

Our other distinguished guest was SC Supreme Court Chief Justice the Honorable John W. Kittredge, who assumed office last year. He described the entire Judiciary System in South Carolina, pointing out the enormous work load of most of the various levels and branches of the system. In addition to making it clear that there is a need for more judges as our state continues to grow, he also described, "The Most Difficult Journey." This is what he calls the distance between the heart and the mind. In administering justice, judges must follow the Rule of Law but in non-violent crimes, newer approaches are having a profoundly positive effect. The one he highlighted was Drug Court, one of many different types of treatment courts. He described numerous examples, and showed a video of how Drug Court is responsible for rehabiliting many individuals back into a normal life. Many of them, dressed in cap and gown were thanking Drug Court for saving their lives. We in the General Assembly are grateful that Chief Justice Kittredge is a true conservative, and it was apparent on Wednesday that he also has a big heart.

Please remember the upcoming Municipal Election to fill Sheriff Ritchie's former seat on Town Council. I cannot stress enough how critical it is for our District, as well as Carolina Park, Charleston National, Tupelo, and any neighborhood north of the IOP Connector to get out and vote on March 25th. We must have representation from this end of town, and it is urgent that this also be a conservative, common sense individual. Sheriff Ritchie was that representative for us before, and now there is no one in that role. If there are no Council Members from our end of town, and no additional conservatives, there will be issues where the balance may lean 5-4 in the other direction. Before Councilman Ritchie, we had my voice on Council. Please do your homework on this and vote on Tuesday, March 25th. Mailers do not tell the whole story.

On Tuesday, our Legislative Affairs Manager, Princess Lang brought her daughter, Tiffany to the office to shadow her all day. Her class had taken off for a half-day field trip, and that just wasn't going to work. We loved having her there, and she greeted guests who came to the office to see all the Representatives in our suite.

Thanks as always for your interest in what is happening in the State House that affects all South Carolinians. Please share with anyone you know who might also want to keep up with what's happening.