Last week was the 10th week of the 2021 legislative session. There are 8 legislative weeks remaining before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 13, 2021. Here are the highlights from last week’s floor action in the Senate:

IN-STATE TUITION FOR VETERANS – The Senate passed S. 241 2021-2022 Bill 241: Military tuition rates – South Carolina Legislature Online (scstatehouse.gov), a bill that would allow veterans to attend South Carolina’s university, colleges, and technical colleges at in-state tuition rates even if they have not met the required residency requirements. The House will now consider the bill.

REQUIRED ALCOHOL TRAINING FOR RESTAURANT SERVERS – The Senate passed S. 472 2021-2022 Bill 472: Responsible Alcohol Server Training Act – South Carolina Legislature Online (scstatehouse.gov), a bill that would require restaurant servers to complete an alcohol servers training course in order to work as a server at a restaurant that serves alcohol. The House will now consider the bill.

ELECTRONIC NOTARIES – The Senate passed S. 631 2021-2022 Bill 631: SC Electronic Notary Public Act – South Carolina Legislature Online (scstatehouse.gov), a bill that would allow for the electronic notarization of certain documents. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives.

PLASTIC RECYCLING MANUFACTURERS – The Senate passed S. 525 2021-2022 Bill 525: Solid Waste Policy and Management Act – South Carolina Legislature Online (scstatehouse.gov), a bill that would create a new permitting program for manufacturers that recycle plastics. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives.

COVID Information

Virus Numbers – South Carolina’s infection rate has been declining. You can see the daily numbers here.  

Please wear a mask, avoid large crowds, and wash our hands frequently. We can all help this process if we take these steps.

Testing Sites – You can find COVID testing locations near you here.

Vaccine eligibility – As of Monday, March 8, South Carolina has opened Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution. Here’s who’s eligible to receive the vaccine under Phase 1B:

Anyone aged 55 and up

People aged 16-54 with increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, such as Cancer (current, not a history of cancer), chronic kidney disease (any stage), chronic lung disease, diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2), Down syndrome, heart disease (congestive heart disease, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary hypertension), HIV/AIDS, solid organ transplant, obesity (BMI > 30), pregnancy, sickle cell disease.

Frontline workers with increased occupational risk, such as school staff and daycare workers, criminal justice staff, government employees, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, and law enforcement officers.

Individuals at increased risk in settings where people are living and working in close contact

All workers in healthcare and community health settings who have routine, direct patient contact and were not vaccinated in Phase 1a

You can read more information about the phases and eligibility here.

WHAT IF I’M NOT ELIGIBLE UNDER PHASE 1B? – DHEC estimates that Phase 1c eligibility will begin the week of April 12 and Phase 2 will begin the week of May 3. You can see more information about phases and eligibility here.

How do I get the vaccine? –  DHEC has updated its list of vaccine locations here.

In addition to the locations identified on the map, in our area you can request vaccines through the following local hospital websites:

Aiken Regional Medical Centers – COVID-19 Vaccine | Aiken Regional Medical Centers

AU Health – COVID-19 Phase 1a Vaccination (augustahealth.org)

Lexington Medical Center – COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Vaccine | Lexington Medical Center (lexmed.com)

Self Regional Healthcare – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information, Prevention and Preparedness – Self Regional Healthcare | Greenwood, SC

For those who do not have internet access, DHEC launched a new phone number – 866-365-8110 – that is staffed with 240 operators to answer calls 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and help schedule vaccine appointments. 

Appointments should be scheduled because walk ins may not be able to receive the vaccine.

How is South Carolina doing in the administration of the vaccine? – As of Sunday, March 21, South Carolina had received 2,127,000 doses (333,362 more than last Sunday) and has administered 1,648,077 doses (196,368 more than last Sunday). You can keep up with how many doses we have received and administered here. This site is updated daily.

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 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.

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

P.S. Please visit www.senatormassey.com for more posts, news, and video updates. Also, please “friend” me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@shanemassey).