Here are the highlights from last week, the 6th week of the 2018 session:
VC SUMMER – The Senate passed S. 954, a resolution that would prohibit the Public Service Commission from hearing the Dominion/SCANA merger proposal before November 1, 2018. It would require the PSC to issue a final order by December 21, 2018. Without this change, the Public Service Commission would be required to hear and decide the request by mid July 2018. The purpose of the resolution is to ensure everyone – regulators, legislators, and the public – has sufficient information before a decision is made.
YOUTH HUNTERS – The Senate passed S. 913, a bill that would allow minors to hunt on youth hunting days without a hunting license or purchasing tags. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
LOOKING AHEAD – The Senate has spent a significant amount of time on VC Summer the first 6 weeks of the session. I think that is appropriate considering the interest and the long-term consequences of the issue. I expect there will be a good bit of committee work on several nuclear-related legislative proposals in the coming weeks.
Those proposals will come to the full Senate separately over the next several weeks. In the meantime, the Senate committees have been working on many other issues, and I expect the full Senate to consider a number of non-nuclear related issues for the next few weeks.
Last Week’s Meetings
On Monday night, I attended Edgefield County First Steps’ annual meeting.
On Tuesday morning, I attended Lexington Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast meeting.
On Thursday morning, I attended a Black History Month program at W.E. Parker Elementary School.
On Thursday afternoon, I was a guest on The Afternoon Drive on The Point! 95.9FM/1470AM with Keven Cohen. We talked about VC Summer and other issues before the Senate this session.
On Thursday night, I moderated a candidate forum for candidates running for House District 69 in Lexington.
On Saturday afternoon, I attended a dedication of a Veterans Memorial Marker at Cole Funeral Home in Graniteville.
On Saturday night, I was one of four judges for the annual Miss Gilbert High School pageant. Congratulations to Lindsay Gunter for being crowned Miss GHS 2018!
Constituent Interests
SCDOT PROJECTS – SCDOT Secretary, Christy Hall, recently appeared before the Senate Transportation Committee to present an annual State of the SCDOT. You can view Secretary Hall’s power point presentation here.
SCDOT’s website provides a good bit of information about projects across the state. You can see a list of statewide priorities here and a map with all projects here.
WANT TO SEE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ACTION? – The Senate meets in statewide session on Tuesdays at 2:00, Wednesdays at 12:00, and Thursdays at 11:00. Committees and subcommittees meet Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings. You can watch live coverage of the Senate, House of Representatives, and committees here.
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’ve voted on issues, go here. You can always check to see how I vote by going to my website, 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.
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