Here are the highlights from last week at the Statehouse –
Candidates for 2012 Elections– The main topic of discussion in Columbia last week was the Supreme Court’s opinion that disqualified more than 100 candidates for various offices statewide because they failed to file a Statement of Economic Interests as required by law. Here is an article that details the situation. You can read the Supreme Court’s opinion here.
On Thursday Senator Kevin Bryant introduced a resolution that would allow the disqualified candidates to submit the necessary paperwork and be on the ballot for the upcoming elections. The Senate Judiciary Committee will have a specially called meeting on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. to consider the resolution. If the resolution passes, the primary election scheduled for June 12 will almost certainly have to be moved to later in the summer. Although I have some questions about the resolution and its impact, I believe we should allow the candidates to appear on the ballot if they made a good faith attempt to comply with the law. We should encourage more participation in the process rather than making it more difficult to run for office.
SC Retirement System– There has been a good bit of media attention over the last several months about proposed changes to the state retirement system. The House of Representatives passed a significant overhaul of the system in March. A Senate committee passed a different version of the bill last week. You can read an article about the proposed Senate version here. I expect the full Senate will begin debating the bill later this week.
Charter School Bill – The House and Senate agreed to language in a bill that would update the laws related to charter schools. Some of the highlights of H. 3241 are:
- colleges and universities could sponsor charter schools. Now, only local school districts or the statewide charter school district can sponsor charter schools.
- single-gender charter schools could be created.
- charter school students could compete for and participate in extracurricular activities at their resident public school if the charter school does not offer those activities.
The bill now goes to Governor Nikki Haley. You can read the bill here.
New Chancellor at USC-Aiken– Sandra Jordan, Provost at Georgia College; State University, was named USC-Aiken’s Chancellor last week. Ms. Jordan succeeds Dr. Tom Hallman who is retiring after 12 years as Chancellor. Dr. Hallman has done a tremendous job for USC-Aiken during his tenure, and I’m confident Ms. Jordan will provide great leadership for the university going forward. Here is an article about Ms. Jordan.
Economic Development and Job Opportunities
Michelin expansion – Michelin recently announced plans to invest $750 million to build a new plant in Anderson and expand its existing plant in Lexington. The investment is expected to create 500 new jobs, more than half of which will be at the Lexington plant. You can read a couple articles about the new investment here and here.
Bridgestone hiring – The Bridgestone plant in Graniteville announced a significant expansion last Fall. They are now hiring for the new positions. For information on how to apply, go here.
Brasfield & Gorrie, the contractor for the new Bridgestone plant, is accepting applications for:
Carpenter–must have own hand tools. Industrial Construction and concrete experience preferred. 5yrs experience preferred.
Laborer–Industrial construction and concrete experience preferred. Must be able to lift up to 70lbs and work in all types of weather. 2 yrs experience preferred.
Applications will be taken at the job site trailer at 436 Old Vaucluse Road on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11am-3pm and Thursdays from 4pm-6pm. Preemployment drug screen required as are Safety Toe Boots
MTU expansion – Tognum America announced recently that it will expand its Graniteville MTU plant. Here’s a press release from the department of Commerce.
If you know of a business that is hiring, please let me know. I’d love to include that information in the next newsletter so we can get the word out.
Last Week’s Meetings
On Monday morning, Rep. Anne Parks and I met with the McCormick County Council. We have these joint legislative delegation/county council meetings about 4 times per year so we can hear from Council about local concerns and provide an update from Columbia.
On Monday night, I attended a specially called Edgefield County Council meeting to address water (or lack thereof) and noise concerns on the Northside of the county. A large crowd turned out to voice their concerns.
On Wednesday morning, I chaired a Labor, Commerce & Industry subcommittee that examined right to work/union legislation and various agency regulations. I will be chairing another subcommittee meeting Wednesday of this week.
On Wednesday night, I held a town hall meeting at the McCormick County Council chambers. We had a good crowd and an interesting discussion about statewide issues. Thanks to everyone who came out!
On Thursday, I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend the National High School Mock Trial Championship. Blair and I have served as attorney coaches for the Strom Thurmond High School mock trial team for several years. When the team won the state championship this March, I promised to go with them to the national tournament. The students from STHS were great ambassadors for South Carolina!
Constituent Interests
Town Hall Meetings – I have held 11 town hall meetings so far this Spring, and I have more scheduled. Please come out if you get a chance. These meetings are great opportunities for you to let me know how you feel about the issues and for me to keep you updated about what’s going on in Columbia. Here are the upcoming meetings:
Wednesday, 5/9/12
Lexington High School
Cafeteria
2463 Augusta Highway
Lexington, SC
6:00-7:30
Thursday, 5/10/12
Gilbert High School
Theater
840 Main Street
Gilbert, SC
6:00-7:30
I’m trying to schedule more meetings. I’ll keep you updated as we get them set.
Homestead exemption filing is open – Persons who were at least 65 years of age, blind, or 100% disabled as of December 31, 2011, are entitled to a property tax exemption on the first $50,000 in appraised value on their residence. However, in order to get the tax exemption, the person must apply with the county auditor. Auditors are now accepting applications for the 2012 tax year. Contact your county auditor with questions.
Senate District 25 – Our Senate district has changed because of the 2010 census. The district now contains all of Edgefield County and parts of Aiken, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. If you’d like to see the new district map, go here.
Voting Record – If you’d like to see how I voted last week, go here. You can always check to see how I vote by going to my website, www.senatormassey.com, and clicking on the “Voting Record” tab.
Speaking with Groups – Several groups, clubs, and classes around our Senate district have invited me to attend their meetings and provide legislative updates. If you would like for me to come speak with your group, please let me know.
Email updates – If you know of people in or around District 25 who do not receive my updates but would like to get them, please email their names and email addresses to me. You can also forward this email to them and encourage them to sign up for the updates at www.senatormassey.com.
Sincerely,
Shane Massey