South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a measure that aims to help landowners use voluntary conservation easements to preserve working agricultural lands.
H. 3951, the Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act, creates the Working Farmland Protection Fund within the South Carolina Conservation Bank. The measure ostensibly complements the agricultural projects the bank funds by establishing a matching grant payment for qualified projects.
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South Carolina state officials are determining how to proceed with a $1.8 billion balance discovered in a state account and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has given leaders a July 1 deadline to chart a course forward.
On Oct. 31, 2023, South Carolina Comptroller General Brian Gaines sent a letter to South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis, directing Loftis to research the account’s origins. It marked the start of a months-long Senate investigation that exposed what a Senate Finance Committee Constitutional Subcommittee report dubbed “financial irregularities” in the state treasurer’s office.
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South Carolina senators will soon consider a fiscal 2024-25 budget for the state, a plan that includes nearly $100 million to speed up a personal income tax reduction.
Last week, the Senate Finance Committee gave the thumbs up to its version of a state budget, H.5100, and a Capital Reserve Fund, H.5101, sending both to the full Senate for consideration.
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The federal government has awarded a $1.2 million grant to a three-county planning council in the Charleston area to study transit-oriented development tied to a bus rapid transit line slated to open in five years.
The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments will use the federal tax dollars for the third phase of a TOD study. The study will focus on implementing affordable housing strategies along the proposed 21.3-mile-long Lowcountry Rapid Transit line.
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While the discussion continues following the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, several opportunities to improve operations and processes have emerged.
Officials at Georgia’s and South Carolina’s ports have vowed to help however they can.
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The South Carolina Senate did not pass a measure aimed at stemming lawsuit abuse, likely killing the push for the legislative session.
Senate Bill 533, the South Carolina Justice Act, would have amended the South Carolina Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act and moved the state toward a model in which a defendant is financially liable based on their percentage of fault. Proponents say this would reduce excessive damage awards in civil cases.
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South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette is chairing the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association’s 2024 Executive Committee.
Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson will serve as the vice chair, while Nevada Lt. Governor Stavros Anthony will serve as the group’s finance chair. Florida’s Jeanette Nuñez, Indiana’s Suzanne Crouch, Iowa’s Adam Gregg, Ohio’s Jon Husted and Oklahoma’s Matt Pinnell will also serve on the committee.
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Gov. Henry McMaster signed a measure to help ensure students read at their appropriate grade levels.
S. 418 builds on the Read to Succeed measure lawmakers passed a decade ago and requires the South Carolina Department of Education to implement a “scientifically based reading instruction” approach to reading education. The program includes professional development, administering universal screeners and summer reading camps.
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The South Carolina House of Representatives signed off on a measure to expand the Education Scholarship Trust Fund.
Lawmakers voted 69-32 in favor of H.5164 on its second reading.
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A new report shows that schools nationwide, including in South Carolina, are having trouble filling teacher positions, with salaries being a primary cause.
An analysis from MyElearningWorld.com found that new teachers nationwide earn nearly 20% less than they did about two decades ago, taking inflation into account. South Carolina’s findings align with the national findings, with Palmetto State teachers earning 22% less.
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More than 5,000 families from all 46 South Carolina counties have submitted applications for the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund.
The state is accepting applications until Friday.
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South Carolina lawmakers are debating a roughly $40 billion fiscal 2024-25 state budget that anticipates more than $12 billion in state general funds and billions more in federal money.
Last month, the South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors voted to keep the fiscal 2023-24 revenue forecast estimate at nearly $12.9 billion and the fiscal 2024-25 revenue forecast estimate at more than $13.2 billion.
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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed a Constitutional Carry measure, making the Palmetto State the 29th state in the nation with a law allowing residents to carry a concealed firearm without a government-issued license.
House Bill 3594, the South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act, also bars anyone convicted of a “crime punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of more than one year to possess a firearm or ammunition within” South Carolina. However, there are some exceptions, including anyone convicted of a misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to five years or expunged convictions.
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The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is asking for the public’s support in tracking the West Nile virus.
South Carolinians are asked this spring and summer to submit certain species of dead birds to DEHC to test for the potentially deadly virus.
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South Carolina’s governor on Monday announced that this week, March 3 through March 9, is ‘Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week.’
“The South Carolina Emergency Management Division [SCEMD], the National Weather Service [NWS], and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources [SCDNR] jointly sponsor the week to remind people that severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods are significant hazards in South Carolina and people need to take proper safety precautions,” according to a release from the office of Gov. Henry McMaster (R).
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The South Carolina Senate is debating a bill that would make minor changes to how judges are appointed in the Palmetto State.
Currently, the state’s General Assembly, via its Judicial Merit Selection Commission, which consists of a “group of legislators and lawyers who do extensive investigations into judicial candidates, a process that entails examining everything from their finances to their temperament to their knowledge of the law,” appoints judges from the state Supreme Court, all the way down to circuit courts.
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A bill that would expand school choice options for parents has been introduced into the South Carolina House of Representatives.
H 5164 would expand the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund program for parents who wish to choose which schools their children attend. The bill will also add new application processes to make applying easier for students.
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South Carolina’s attorney general sent a letter to the Biden administration over the human trafficking of minor migrants and demanded answers on 85,000 missing children who are believed to be the victims of human trafficking.
“The United States needs to stop handing over children to ‘probable traffickers,'” said a letter from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. “President Biden’s border crisis has reached never-before-seen levels. Even worse, we now learn that the Department of Health and Human Services cannot find more than 85,000 migrant children who entered our country over the last two years. Reports show that many of those children have been forced into the labor market, where they work debilitating hours under dangerous conditions in violation of child-labor laws or are sex trafficked.”
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A Republican presidential candidate is silent after a news report said that entities related to her campaign might be targeting Democrats to vote for her in South Carolina’s Saturday primary election.
A report by NBC News shows a mailer sent by the Stand For America PAC, a political action committee solely dedicated to getting Republican former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley elected president, soliciting the votes of Democrats who did not vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary on February 3.
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The Republican led South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee passed hate crime legislation Wednesday, which will advance to the Senate floor for a full vote.
“When a person commits a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60 or commits assault by mob in the second degree as defined in Section 16-3-210(C) and the trier of fact determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the offense was committed against a victim who was intentionally selected in whole or in part because of the person’s belief or perception regarding the victim’s race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability, whether or not the perception is correct, the person is subject to additional penalties…” says the text of S.615.
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The lone remaining Republican challenger to former President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential primary says she will not drop out of the race even if she loses the Saturday primary in her home state of South Carolina.
“Some of you — perhaps a few of you in the media — came here today to see if I’m dropping out of the race. Well, I’m not. Far from it, and I’m here to tell you why,” Nimrata “Nikki” Haley said at a campaign stop in Greenville. “I’m running for President because we have a country to save. Since the star of my campaign, I’ve been focused on the real issues our country faces. The ones that determine whether America with thrive or spiral out.”
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Republican presidential primary voters will head to the polls in South Carolina on Saturday to choose their pick for president.
Former president Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in polls over Nikki Haley, the state’s former governor who later served as a United Nations ambassador.
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The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Friday morning announced arrests in two cold case killings that had gone unsolved.
The first solved case was that of Charity Sutherland.
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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ceremonially signed a measure mandating the state’s retirement system to consider only “pecuniary factors” when making investment decisions.
H.3690, the ESG Pension Protection Act, effectively bans the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission from weighing environmental, social and governance factors and orders the system to maximize the highest rate of return for beneficiaries. The state House passed the measure by a 103-5 margin, while the state Senate passed it 45-0.
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The South Carolina Senate passed a bill to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
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The South Carolina House advanced a clean Constitutional Carry bill, returning the measure to the state Senate and potentially setting up another showdown.
The state House rejected a Senate-amended version of H.3594, the South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2023. In a letter, the head of a pro-gun rights group said Senate-introduced amendments violate the Second Amendment.
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Former President Donald Trump has been endorsed by more than 100 faith leaders in South Carolina ahead of the state’s Republican presidential primary on February 24.
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Former President Donald Trump will hold a Get Out the Vote Rally Wednesday in North Charleston.
The event will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center, and attendees are encouraged to register for the event on Trump’s campaign website.
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As the February 24 Republican primary elections approach in South Carolina, former President Donald J. Trump has a commanding lead in the polls against his only challenger, former South Carolina Governor Nimrata “Nikki” Haley.
According to the poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Trump is dominating Haley on her own home turf by a margin of about 65 percent to Haley’s 32 percent.
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Former President Donald Trump hosted a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Saturday as the state’s primary is just days away.
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The South Carolina House Republicans plan to introduce a clean “Constitutional Carry” measure after declining to proceed with an amended version the state Senate passed, exposing a rift within Republican ranks over one of the party’s top priorities.
The state House rejected H.3594, the South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2023, which the Senate passed last week. However, the head of a pro-gun rights group sent a letter to House members saying the Senate’s amended version violates the Second Amendment
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Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is reportedly planning to step down from her position after long facing calls to do so amid poor fundraising hauls for the GOP.
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Since the advent of the Iowa caucuses in 1972 and the South Carolina primary in 1980, the “first in the nation” political contests, including the New Hampshire primary which dates back to 1916, have been able to consistently end up selecting who the nominee for President will eventually be particularly for Republicans.
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday that he is suspending his 2024 presidential campaign.
Burgum jumped in the growing GOP primary field in early June and has spent his campaign largely focused on the economy, energy and national security. The governor criticized the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) upped debate requirements, which left Burgum off the last debate stage, during his announcement, accusing them of “nationalizing the primary system,” according to a press release.
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With just over 100 days to go before the Iowa caucuses, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pumping even more resources and staff into the Hawkeye State.
The DeSantis campaign plans to move about a third of its staff from Tallahassee to Des Moines, underscoring the primary position the top tier candidate has placed on the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
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While former Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake continues with election-related lawsuits regarding irregularities in Maricopa County, there were also other issues during the 2022 midterm elections that occurred across the country.
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Eventbrite has canceled an event speaking out against the treatments and surgeries being done to transitioning minors, citing that it violates a policy on “hateful, violent, and dangerous events.”
The event will be hosted by the Palmetto Family Council in South Carolina and will feature de-transitioner Chloe Cole. It’s set to take place on Nov. 7.
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The campaign for North Dakota Governor and Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum said it’s rolling out a “cutting-edge voter contact surge” that will target more “persuadable” voters.
Will it be enough to move the needle for a long-shot candidate on the outside looking in to next week’s second GOP presidential debate?
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U.S. Senator and Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott is unveiling his “Build, Don’t Borrow” economic plan as he prepares for another campaign trip to Iowa.
Scott says his proposal targets runaway government spending, while cutting taxes, expanding jobs and “unleashing American manufacturing and energy production” with his Made in America agenda.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is praising New Hampshire Democrats for defying the Democratic National Committee and keeping the Granite State primary the first in the nation.
As Fox News reported, last Friday marked the deadline for New Hampshire to meet the DNC’s demand that it follow the national party’s new presidential nominating calendar.
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Fresh from unveiling his new Empower Parents Plan, U.S. Senator Tim Scott is back on the presidential campaign trail this week in the kickoff caucus state.
The South Carolina Republican plans multiple stops in Iowa following what many pundits saw as an unmemorable performance in last week’s first Republican presidential primary debate.
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Every candidate declared victory after Wednesday night’s first Republican presidential debate — even some who didn’t take the stage.
But what’s next for these self-proclaimed winners on the road to the Republican Party nomination?
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The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the state’s pro-life law that prohibits most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected is constitutional and may be enforced.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a historic moment in our state’s history and is the culmination of years of hard work and determination by so many in our state to ensure that the sanctity of life is protected,” said Governor Henry McMaster (R) in a statement. “With this victory, we protect the lives of countless unborn children and reaffirm South Carolina’s place as one of the most pro-life states in America.”
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For most Americans, “Mom” evokes images of kindness, courage, sympathy and love. Likewise, “liberty” calls up concepts like individual rights, freedom of expression, equality and justice. Yet, the perversity of the current political environment is such that a parental rights group whose name combines these two words has been demonized by Democrats, the corporate media and the reactionary left. Just recently, a New Hampshire Democrat denounced the group as “Assholes with casseroles,” the Hill ran a story titled, “Six reasons why Moms for Liberty is an extremist organization,” and the Southern Poverty Law Center added them to its Hate Map.
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With Iowa Republicans scheduling their first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses for Jan. 15, 2024, it’s now New Hampshire’s move.
While it’s likely the Granite State will set its 2020 presidential primary eight days after the Hawkeye Cauci, it’s still very much a fluid situation.
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Former President Donald Trump announced during a South Carolina rally on Saturday that if elected in 2024, he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Biden family.
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GOP presidential candidates Tim Scott and Doug Burgum this week launched new ad campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The commercials are just part of what promises to be a record-smashing presidential campaign cycle — already at $70 million in campaign ad buys and rapidly rising, according to AdImpact.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become more than just a political irritation to President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party establishment.
The Kennedy family scion and anti-vaccine activist is roiling the waters of Biden’s bid for a second term.
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South Carolina senator and 2024 candidate Tim Scott racked up nearly 150 endorsements from current and former elected officials in his home state Monday.
Scott entered the Republican primary in late May, and already gained the backing of South Dakota’s GOP Senate Majority Whip John Thune and Sen. Mike Rounds. The South Carolina senator received 148 endorsements, including several members of the state legislature’s leadership, the mayor of South Carolina’s capital, Columbia, and a former U.S. congressman, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.
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So far in 2023, six states signed school choice legislation into law, giving millions of families and their children education options, including access to taxpayer-funded vouchers.
Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Utah, South Carolina and Oklahoma all signed legislation into law that makes at least some, if not all students within the states, eligible for taxpayer funded vouchers or a tax credit that can be used on education expenses such as private school tuition, textbooks and transportation. Under the legislation enacted in 2023, millions of students across the country are now able to attend schools outside their designated zip code or apply to receive funding in order to seek a private or a homeschool education.
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