As the new Majority Leader is the SC Senate, I expect to be pretty busy. It’s busy in a good way—busy getting things done. My “things-to-do” list is long, and near the top is ethics reform.
If we’re going to move forward with conservative solutions to address real concerns that people have, we have to reform our state ethics laws. Everyone in South Carolina needs to have more confidence in their elected officials.
There are two bills pending in the Senate that would be a great step toward ethics reform.
One would make candidates and politicians disclose who pays them. The other would require an independent body to investigate ethics complaints against legislators. The Senate will debate these bills next week. I will keep you updated on the progress.
In the meantime, remember that I pledged to take on the status quo in Columbia. I am not in favor of doing things “the way they’ve always been done.” I came here to shake things up. Ethics reform? Consider it shaken.