Last week was the 6 th week of the 2023 legislative session. There are 12 legislative weeks remaining before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 11, 2023. Here are the highlights from last week’ Senate action:
CAROLINA SQUAT – The Senate passed S. 363 2023-2024 Bill 363: Carolina Squat, a bill that would prohibit the “Carolina Squat.” Specifically, the bill would prohibit cars from driving on the roadway if those cars have been modified such that they have been elevated or lowered by six inches or more. The bill would also prohibit vehicles from riding on the roadways if the front of the vehicle is four inches or more higher than the rear of the vehicle. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives.
INSURANCE FOR BOATS AND OTHER WATERCRAFT – The Senate passed S. 33 2023-2024 Bill 33: Watercraft, a bill that would require boats of more than 70 hp and jet skis to have liability insurance with at least $50,000 of coverage per occurrence. That is the same insurance requirement for automobiles. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives.
BOATING SAFETY EDUCATION – The Senate passed S. 96 2023-2024 Bill 96: Boating safety and education program, a bill that would require all persons born after July 1, 2007, to complete a boater education safety course before operating a vessel of more than 10 hp. The bill includes exceptions if there are other, qualified persons on the vessel. The House will now consider the bill.
OPEN SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS – The Senate passed S. 134 2023-2024 Bill 134: School Board Meeting, a bill that would require school districts and charter schools to livestream board meetings or provide video and audio recordings of those meetings on its website. The bill will now go to the House.
DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE – The Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) is the state agency responsible for administering unemployment claims, educating the public about employment opportunities, and directing residents to training programs. When the agency was created, the legislature created a process whereby the governor
would nominate the agency’s director from three prescreened candidates. The current director announced his retirement last year, but, despite a search, only one candidate applied for the position. Therefore, the Senate passed H.3783 2023-2024 Bill 3783: Department of Employment and Workforce, a resolution that would allow the governor to move forward with just one candidate. That nominee will still have to go through the Senate confirmation process. The House has already passed the resolution, so I expect Governor McMaster will move forward with the nomination in the coming days. In response to this situation, I introduced legislation last week that would make DEW a true cabinet agency and allow the governor to select his own director with advice and consent of the Senate.
LAST WEEK’S MEETINGS
On Monday night, I held a town hall meeting at Merriwether Middle School.
Tuesday was Carolina Day at the State House. Several students from USC – Aiken and local students who attend other USC campuses visited. We also had Leadership Aiken County up for the day. I was not able to meet with all of them, but I enjoyed spending some time with as many as I could.
On Thursday night, I held a town hall meeting at Edgefield County Council Chambers.
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, Lexington County, and Edgefield County. I have two meetings coming up in McCormick County: McCormick County Senior Citizens Center on Monday, February 20, at 6:00 and Plum Branch Town Hall on Monday, February 27, at 6:00.
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