Here are the highlights from the second week of the 2014 session in the Senate –
GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURING – Last Tuesday, the House of Representatives and Senate approved an agreement that would restructure South Carolina’s government. Governor Haley is expected to sign the bill into law this Wednesday. The bill is fairly comprehensive, but the most frequently mentioned highlights are:
- The General Assembly will perform regular, scheduled oversight of executive agencies. The idea is not to micromanage agencies; instead the legislature should examine how agencies spend money, review how agencies implement and enforce state and federal laws, and evaluate whether various programs are utilized appropriately or if they are even necessary.
- The General Assembly would be responsible for approving/rejecting agency deficits. That authority now rests with the Budget and Control Board.
- Transfers most executive functions from the Budget and Control Board to a newly created Department of Administration, part of the Governor’s cabinet.
For a good analysis of what this restructuring does and does not do, check out this editorial from The State, this column by Cindi Scoppe and this editorial from The Greenville News.
This is a big win for good government. Now it’s up to the Governor and the General Assembly to make it work. If it doesn’t, at least you’ll know who’s responsible for the failures.
ETHICS REFORM – I spent a good bit of time last year with a group of senators working to overhaul and update South Carolina’s ethics laws. The Senate began debate last week on a bill to make those changes, H. 3945. Among other things, the bill would create a new State Ethics Commission, made up of executive and legislative appointees, to investigate ethics complaints against legislators, executive branch members, and local government officials; provide for stronger criminal penalties for public corruption; and revise many outdated ethics provisions. I expect a few more days of debate before the Senate arrives at a final vote.
RESISTANCE TO OBAMACARE – Although South Carolina has put up a pretty significant fight to Obamacare so far (we were one of the primary plaintiffs in the suit challenging the Act’s constitutionality, we refused to implement the required health insurance exchanges, and we declined to expand the Medicaid program), many legislators are pushing for additional resistance to the plan. A special committee held several meetings last Fall on H.3101 in an effort to consider additional ways to push back against extensive federal overreach. I expect the Senate will renew that discussion after finishing the debate on ethics reform.
WHO WILL BE CHIEF JUSTICE? – In South Carolina, the legislature elects judges. The hot race right now is set for February 5 when we will elect the person to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The current Chief Justice, Jean Toal, has served in that position since 2000 and is seeking an additional 10-year term. Associate Justice Costa Pleicones is also a candidate for that position. To read more about the race, go here.
COMMON CORE – I have received a large number of emails, letters, and phone calls over the past year about Common Core, new curriculum standards that are being implemented in 2013-2014. The Senate Education K-12 Subcommittee will hold a series of meetings this year to explore the positives and negatives of Common Core. The first meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 29, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
, Room 105 in the Gressette Building on the Statehouse complex. In the first 30 minutes of this meeting, the Subcommittee will hear from several content experts opposed to Common Core; this will be followed by a half hour of several presentations in favor of implementation, then an hour of subcommittee members’ Q&A and discussion.NEW FACES ON SCDOT COMMISSION – The SC Department of Transportation is governed by a commission of 9 individuals, with one commissioner selected by the legislative delegations in each congressional district and two statewide commissioners appointed by the Governor. This year new commissioners will be elected for the 2nd District (including Aiken and Lexington) and the 3rd District (including Edgefield, McCormick, and Saluda).
John Hardee of Columbia will be the new commissioner for the 2nd District.
If you are interested in applying for the opening to represent the 3rd District, you must apply by Tuesday, January 28. For more information, go here. Note – the linked notice gives January 25 as the deadline. The deadline is actually January 28.
STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS – Governor Nikki Haley delivered her 4th State of the State Address last Wednesday night. If you missed the speech, you can watch it here or read the transcript of the speech here. You can also read a recap by The Greenville News , the Associated Press , and The Post and Courier
Last Week’s Meetings
On Tuesday night, I was able to catch the end of Westside Fire Department’s annual banquet. I appreciate the sacrifice all fire fighters make, especially the volunteers. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to keeping our communities safe!
On Wednesday afternoon, I was glad to welcome River Bluff High School’s AP U.S. History class to the statehouse. I spoke to this impressive class just before Thanksgiving last year.
On Wednesday afternoon, I was one of 8 senators to receive the SC Chamber of Commerce’s Business Speaks Award for 2013.
On Wednesday night, I attended Governor Haley’s State of the State address.
On Thursday morning, I attended a meeting with other legislators to discuss funding parity for USC-Aiken and other satellite campuses.
On Thursday afternoon, I met with several constituents in Gilbert. I have really enjoyed getting to know more people in Lexington County since the 2011 redistricting.
Constituent Interests
CREDIT MONITORING –The State has contracted with CSIdentify Corporation (CSID) for the purpose of continuing credit monitoring/ID protection services to South Carolinians and businesses affected by the October 2012 security breach at the Department of Revenue. CSID’s services provided under the contract are available to eligible individual taxpayers (including minors and adult dependents) and eligible business taxpayers through October 31, 2014 (although it will almost certainly be extended).
You can sign up with CSID for the offered service by doing one of the following:
1. Go to www.scidprotection.com and follow the steps to enroll
or
2. Call (855)-880-2743 to enroll.
The State will pay $8.5 Million for the first year of the CSID contract with the option to renew for four additional one year periods at the state’s sole discretion. You do not have to pay anything to sign up. The Experian contract for the past year was a $12 Million contract.
If you choose to purchase your own protection service, you can deduct a portion of that cost from your state income taxes. Talk with your accountant/tax preparer for more information.
TOWN HALL MEETINGS – I have held about 100 town hall meetings throughout our district over the past 6 years, and I really appreciate the hundreds of folks who have participated. These town hall meetings give me a chance to keep you updated about what’s going on in Columbia and, more importantly, allow me to hear what’s on your mind. I like to do meetings in the Spring to discuss current happenings in the legislature and in the Fall to give a round-up of the session and look ahead to the next year.
In 2013, I held 10 meetings in the Spring and 5 meetings in the Fall. I’m already working on the next round of meetings, which I hope to schedule for February and March. I’ll get the schedule out soon.
OUR SENATE DISTRICT – Senate district 25 consists of all of Edgefield County and parts of Aiken, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. If you’d like to see the 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
P.O. Box 551
Edgefield, SC 29824
Email – shanemassey@scsenate.gov
Cell Phone – (803) 480-0419
P.S. Please visit www.senatormassey.com for more posts, news, and video updates. Also, please “friend” me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@shanemassey).