Another landmark achievement was the passage of the 'Help Not Harm' bill. This critical piece of legislation aligns with conservative principles and prohibits gender transition procedures for minors, plus bans any Medicaid or public funding for such treatments for those under 26. This bill took great steps to ensure we maintain access for children to mental health services, protect our teachers from being responsible for diagnosing children, and hold doctors criminally accountable for performing these procedures. My dedication to protecting the physical and mental well-being of our youth remains unwavering. If you have seen any publications either through newsletters or social media posts about how many of us in the House were not "conservative enough" until certain amendments were brought, please know that this is simply not true and misses a lot of the story. The "sausage making" of getting to the right final result is often messy, but taking certain votes out of context and claiming that some members are not really conservative is just misleading.

Building on our commitment to safeguard our children in the digital age, two pivotal bills, currently under review by the House Judiciary Committee, are set to reshape online safety for minors. H.4700 aims to regulate social media usage among young users by prohibiting minors from holding social media accounts, requiring companies to provide pertinent information to parents or guardians, and enforcing time-based access restrictions. H.3424 targets the accessibility of pornographic content, making it illegal for operators to expose minors to such material. Together, these bills form a comprehensive framework for protecting minors from the diverse risks of the digital landscape, and I expect both to move quickly through committee and be on the House floor in the coming weeks. 

This past Thursday, I stayed in Columbia after Session ended to meet with two U.S. Army Generals who have a serious concern as I do about the risks of an Electromagnetic Pulse event's potential to do great harm to our residents in South Carolina. The meeting was substantial and productive, and we are taking action steps right away so I can submit this bill to the House. Based on an extensive study done several years ago called the "Lake Wylie Project," Major General Brad Owens, who served as Director of the Joint Staff of the SC National Guard, and General Van McCarty, the Adjutant General for the SC National Guard both have extensive knowledge of what has been done so far. Both agree that we have not done nearly enough. Despite the potential for dire consequences, this subject has not been able to gain the full traction needed to truly protect our critical infrastructure. By bringing together the work that has already been done along with the legislative arm, we can get this accomplished. They see the need as I do for taking action now. I also spoke with the Governor this week about this matter, and he is both aware and concerned about getting this done. We as the government of our state have a "Compelling Interest" in this matter in order to provide for the common defense, and it is simply not acceptable to keep our heads in the sand. For more information and a very clear explanation of the subject, you can watch the recently released documentary featuring Dennis Quaid called "Grid Down, Power Up" by clicking here.

Because I had to stay in Columbia through Friday to attend a board meeting of the Center for Educator Recruitment and Retention as part of my collateral duties on the Education and Public Works Committee, I was not in the District as much as usual. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce everyone to my Legislative Aide who recently was promoted to full-time as a Legislative Affairs Manager, Princess Lang. Princess came to us last year after we had been without an aide for many months due to serious health concerns for the former aide in our office suite. She served in several very relevant roles both in local government as well as a Campaign Coordinator for Rep. Fawn Pedalino (R). Princess is very hard-working and dedicated, and I truly appreciate having her on the team. When you call my office number in Columbia, you will most likely reach Princess as I am rarely able to sit still at my desk and answer the phone; however, she will pass along any messages to me immediately if you need to reach me. And as always, you can email me at this address anytime as well. It is faster than emailing my State House address due to the numerous emails we receive every day that are cut and pasted hundreds of times.

Thank you for your interest, and for continuing to share this information with your friends and neighbors. Please let people know they can sign up to receive these newsletters directly by submitting their email address at the bottom of the home page on my website by clicking here. Have a great week ahead!

Warmest Regards,

Kathy

Representative Kathy Landing

South Carolina State House District 80