Shane Massey for State Senate

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FOR THE WEEK OF 3/12/13 – 3/14/13

Here are the highlights from week 10 in the Senate –

SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION – ELECTED OR APPOINTED? – The Senate debated and voted on S. 53, a resolution that would allow for the Governor to appoint the state Superintendent of Education rather than having the Superintendent elected every 4 years.  Since this proposal would require an amendment to the state Constitution, 2/3 of Senators and Representatives must support it.  In the Senate, that requires 31 votes.  Unfortunately, the Senate vote was 27-16; I voted for it.  We will probably take another shot at it in a few weeks, but it will be tough to switch a few votes.  The status quo puts up a good fight, folks.

EARLY VOTING – The Senate debated S. 4, a bill that would allow up to 8 days of no excuse, early voting for statewide primaries and general elections.  I expect the Senate will vote on the bill this week.  I plan to support the bill.

MCCORMICK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD – Because of resignations, there are currently 2 vacancies on the McCormick County School Board.  The law, which is unique to McCormick, says the McCormick County Council should recommend replacements to the Governor.  Since the School Board manages a budget of over $10 million annually, I think voters should decide the replacements.  Therefore, Sen. Floyd Nicholson and I introduced S. 517  last week to require a special election to fill the vacancies.  I’ll keep you updated.

CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY OF FIREARMS – S. 115, the “Constitutional Carry Act,” would allow individuals to carry handguns – concealed or unconcealed – without first having to obtain a Concealed Weapons Permit.  It would also allow individuals to carry weapons in all public buildings.  Public hearings have been held in Charleston and Rock Hill, and additional meetings are planned for Greenville, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia.  The bill is a long way from having a vote, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

2013-2014 BUDGET – The House of Representatives debated and passed the budget last week.  The budget will now go through the committee process in the Senate and should be up for debate by the full Senate in late April.  Stay tuned.

SENATE FURLOUGH – The Senate will furlough during the weeks of March 25-29 and April 1-5.  Therefore, when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, March 21, we will not meet again until Tuesday, April 9.

Last Week’s Meetings

On Monday night, I held a town hall meeting at the Circle Fire Department in Saluda County.

On Tuesday morning, I attended the Lexington Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast.  The meeting focused on whether SC should expand Medicaid pursuant to the Affordable Care Act.

On Tuesday morning, I met with Leadership Aiken County.  We’re facing tough challenges, and now is the time for leaders to step forward.  I really appreciate the talent Aiken County has to offer!

On Thursday afternoon, I spoke to the SC Chamber of Commerce’s legislative committee.  The legislative committee consists of some of the top business leadership in the state, and I really enjoyed the conversation.

On Thursday night, I held a town hall meeting in Savannah Lakes Village in McCormick.  We had a nice crowd of around 25-30 people and a good discussion of issues facing South Carolina.

On Friday afternoon, I spoke with 4th graders at Lake Murray Elementary School and then a class at Lexington High School about state government.  The students were very well-informed, and they asked tough questions.  It was a lot of fun!

Constituent Interests

TOWN ALL MEETINGS – I have held over 75 town hall meetings throughout our district over the past 5 years, and I really appreciate the hundreds of folks who have participated.  These town hall meetings give me a chance to keep you updated about what’s going on in Columbia and, more importantly, allow me to hear what’s on your mind.

HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL – The statewide regional high school mock trial competitions were held this past weekend.  Several schools from our Senate district competed.  Lexington High School and Strom Thurmond High School were among the top 12 teams advancing to the state competition to be held on March 8 and 9 in Lexington.

I’ve held 3 meetings so far this year.  Here’s the schedule for the remaining meetings –

Monday, 3/18/13
Lexington High School cafeteria
Lexington, SC
6:00-7:30

Tuesday, 3/19/13
Ward Community Center
Ward, SC
6:30-8:00

Monday, 3/25/13
Midland Valley High School auditorium
Graniteville, SC
6:00-7:30

Tuesday, 3/26/13
Gilbert High School Theatre
Gilbert, SC
6:00-7:30

Thursday, 3/28/13
Merriwether Middle School cafeteria
North Augusta, SC
6:00-7:30

Tuesday, 4/2/13
Jefferson Elementary School cafeteria
Bath, SC
6:00-7:30

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 voted last week, go here.  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 atwww.senatormassey.com.

Also, please “friend” me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@shanemassey).

Legislative Update for the Week of 2/20/12 – 2/24/12

Here are the highlights from last week at the Statehouse –

BUDGET – The state budget is generally the most significant legislation that the General Assembly deals with each year.  It is made up of 3 parts: General Fund (income, sales, and corporate tax collections), Federal (primarily education, Medicaid, and transportation funds), and “Other” (fee and fine collections).

Last week the House Ways & Means Committee passed a budget for the full House of Representatives to consider.  This first draft of the budget would provide pay raises for most state employees and teachers, hire additional law enforcement officers, and contribute to the deepening of the Charleston port.  Follow these links for analysis from the Associated Press   and The State.

The budget still has a long ways to go.  It must pass the full House, the Senate Finance Committee, and the full Senate before going to Governor Haley for approval.  It probably will not be finalized until late May.

INCREASE IN TOURISM – I mentioned last week that the economic trends show a rebounding economy in South Carolina.  A big reason for that rebound is an increase in tourism, which accounts for a large portion of South Carolina’s economy.  A recent report indicates that tourism increased in 2011 and is expected increase in 2012.  Here is an article from The Sun News (Myrtle Beach) about this significant news.

CATHERINE TEMPLETON, NOMINEE FOR COMMISSIONER OF DHEC – The full Senate began to take up the nomination of Catherine Templeton to be the new Commissioner of DHEC.  Senator Phil Leventis (Sumter) is filibustering Ms. Templeton’s nomination.  Here are a couple articles about Ms. Templeton and the filibuster, here and here.

This nomination has garnered a lot of attention because of the significance of DHEC.  I have met Ms. Templeton several times, and I am extremely impressed with her.  I expect the Senate will vote on Ms. Templeton’s nomination this coming week.  I intend to vote to confirm her nomination.

MARK KEEL, NOMINEE FOR REAPPOINTMENT AS CHIEF OF SLED – Last year, following former Chief Reggie Lloyd’s retirement, Governor Haley selected Mark Keel to serve as Interim Chief of SLED.  The Governor has now nominated Chief Keel for appointment for a full 6-year term.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Chief Keel’s nomination last week, and I expect the full Senate will consider the nomination this week.  I voted for Chief Keel in committee, and I plan to vote to confirm him when his nomination comes before the full Senate.  You can read an article about Chief Keel’s appointment here.

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION – I’ve talked a lot about this bill in past weeks, so I won’t rehash the details again.  However, The Herald (Rock Hill) had a good editorial about the bill this past week, so I thought I’d share it.

BILLS OF INTEREST

COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS – After mentioning this bill in last week’s update, I received a good bit of feedback about it.  Since Common Core could have a significant impact on our K-12 education curriculum, please continue to let me know what you think.  As a bit of further explanation, in 2010 the State Board of Education adopted new education standards, commonly referred to as “Common Core.”  Common Core’s purpose is to establish a national set of standards to prepare K-12 students for college and careers.  S.604 would prohibit the State Department of Education from implementing Common Core.  Here is a recent article about the legislation.  Since I expect this bill may come up for a vote at some point, I would appreciate your input.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

BRIDGESTONE HIRING – The Bridgestone plant in Graniteville announced a significant expansion last Fall.  They are now hiring for the new positions.  For information on how to apply, go here.

If you know of a business that is hiring, please let me know.  I’d love to include that information in the next newsletter so we can get the word out.

LAST WEEK’S MEETINGS

This past week at the statehouse, I met with a 3rd grade class from North Augusta Elementary School and the Future Farmers of America from Saluda High School and Strom Thurmond High School.  I really enjoyed each one of the groups.  If these students are representative of all our students, South Carolina’s future is bright!

Constituent Interests

Red Oak Grove Bridge (Edgefield County) – As everyone who lives in the Westside of Edgefield County knows, the bridge on Red Oak Grove Road has been closed for about 1½ years.  I talked with SCDOT this week, and the plan is for the bridge to reopen in late April or early May.  I will give you more information as I receive it.

Town Hall Meetings – I have started scheduling a new round of town hall meetings.  Here is a list of meetings scheduled so far –

3/1/12
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Cafeteria
664 Rawl Road
Lexington, SC
6:00-7:30

3/6/12
Gilbert High School
Theatre
840 Main Street
Gilbert, SC
6:00-7:30

3/12/12
Lexington High School
Cafeteria
2463 Augusta Highway
Lexington, SC
6:00-7:30

3/15/12
Circle Fire Department
3321 Columbia Highway (U.S. 378)
Leesville, SC
6:00-7:30

3/27/12
Leavelle McCampbell Middle School
Cafeteria
82 Canal Street
Graniteville, SC
6:00-7:30

4/9/12
Midland Valley High School
Auditorium
227 Mustang Drive
Graniteville, SC
6:00-7:30

4/10/12
Jefferson Elementary School
Cafeteria
170 Flint Drive
Bath, SC
6:00-7:30

I am working on scheduling several more town hall meetings in Edgefield, McCormick, and Saluda counties.  I will announce the meetings as they are scheduled.

NEW SENATE DISTRICT – Our Senate district has changed because of the 2010 census.  The district now contains all of Edgefield County and parts of Aiken, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda Counties.  If you’d like to see the new district map, go here.

VOTING RECORD – If you’d like to see how I voted last week, go here.  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