Last week was the 5th week of the 2023 legislative session. There are 13 legislative weeks remaining before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 11, 2023. Here are the highlights from last week:
FETAL HEARTBEAT – The Senate spent the week debating and ultimately passed S. 474 2023- 2024 Bill 474: Abortion – Fetal Heartbeat , a bill that would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected (usually around 6 weeks into pregnancy) with exceptions for life and health of the mother, rape, incest, and fatal fetal anomalies. The bill is designed to address concerns raised by the Supreme Court in an opinion earlier this year when the Court struck similar legislation that passed in 2021. The effective result of that decision was to allow abortions, without restriction, for up to 5 months. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives.
NEW JUDGES – On Wednesday the General Assembly met in a joint assembly to elect judges and college trustees. Judge Gary Hill, a Court of Appeals judge from Greenville, was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court. Judge Letitia Verdin, a circuit court judge from Greenville, was elected to the Court of Appeals. There were several other judges and college trustees elected, as well. You can see the full list here Senate Journal for 2/8/2023
LAST WEEK’S MEETINGS
On Monday night, I held a town hall meeting at the Lexington Three Fine Arts Center by Batesburg Leesville High School.
On Tuesday night, I held a town hall meeting at Gilbert High School.
On Wednesday afternoon, I attended a lunch sponsored by the South Carolina Baptist Association on the State House grounds.
Constituent Interests
TOWN HALL MEETINGS – Nearly every year since I was first elected, I have held several town hall meetings across our Senate district. These meetings give me an opportunity to update attendees on what is happening in Columbia and, more importantly, allow me to hear from you. In total, I have held around 175 meetings now. So far this year, I have held town hall meetings in Saluda County, Aiken County, and Lexington County. This week I have two meetings scheduled in Edgefield County: Merriwether Middle School on Monday at 6:00 and Edgefield County Council Chambers on Thursday at 6:00. I will have meetings in McCormick next week and will give more information next week.
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