Legislators have returned to the State House for the 2023 legislative session. There are 16 legislative weeks remaining before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 11, 2023. Here are the highlights from the session so far:
FIRST WEEK – The first week of the legislative session was devoted mostly to getting organized. Since this is the beginning of a new two-year session, all legislation starts over and must go back through the committee process. The Senate will spend a good bit of time during the first few weeks in committees, vetting legislation and trying to work out many issues before sending bills to the floor for consideration by the full Senate.
RATIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS – Last year voters approved two constitutional amendments to require state government to save more money in rainy day accounts. The constitution requires that the General Assembly ratify those amendments before they go into effect. Last week the Senate approved S. 381 2023-2024 Bill 381 Constitutional amendment , a resolution to ratify those constitutional amendments. The resolution will now go to the House of Representatives.
SCHOOL CHOICE – The Senate spent most of last week on the top priority – education. The first bill would provide an expansive school choice program for the first time in South Carolina. The bill, S. 39 2023-2024 Bill 39: Educational Scholarship Trust Fund, would create a program for Education Scholarship Accounts, The program would provide scholarships of up to $6,000 to children in public schools who are Medicaid eligible. Those children could then use the scholarships to attend private schools, public schools in a different district, pay for transportation, and school-related costs. That program would be limited to 15,000 children. On Thursday, an amendment was proposed to expand that program and put South Carolina on par with programs in Georgia, Florida, and several other states. The Senate did not complete consideration of the bill last week, so debate will continue on Tuesday. I expect the Senate will vote on the bill this week.
STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS – This Wednesday, January 25, Governor Henry McMaster will deliver his State of the State Address. The speech begins at 7:00 pm. You can watch the speech live on SC ETV or at State of the State Address.
LAST WEEK’S MEETINGS
On Tuesday night, I attended and spoke at the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet.
On Tuesday night, I attended Lexington County night at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Many of Lexington County’s businesses joined together to show legislators from across the state and potential investors what is happening in Lexington County.
On Thursday night, I held a town hall meeting in Ridge Spring. This was my second town hall meeting in Saluda County this year. Stay tuned for upcoming meetings in other parts of our district.
Constituent Interests
SCDOT ROAD PROJECTS – SCDOT has an interactive map to allow citizens to see the road and bridge projects going on around the state. You can see that map here.
How is the gas tax being used? – SCDOT’s website allows you to view a detailed revenue statement and project list that is funded by the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund (IMTF). SCDOT updates this site monthly as the revenue comes in. You can see that report here.
WANT TO SEE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ACTION? – The Senate meets in statewide session on Tuesdays at 12:00, Wednesdays at 1:00, and Thursdays at 11:00. Committees and subcommittees meet Tuesday afternoons, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings. You can watch live coverage of the Senate, House of Representatives, and some committees here South Carolina Legislature Online – Broadcast Video
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 (effective with the 2024 general election), go here South Carolina Senate H.4493.
VOTING RECORD – If you’d like to see how I’ve voted on issues, go here. Scroll down to “Voting Record” on the right side of the page. 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
Office Phone – (803) 212-6330