Dear Friends:

No doubt you have seen those internet or news videos of ‘smash and grabs’ where gangs of criminals invade jewelry, computer, or other retail stores and loot the place while employees and customers run for cover. It is called organized retail theft. 

Stopping Organized Theft

This week, the House of Representatives debated and passed a bill (H.4187) that establishes that when two or more people conspire to commit theft of a retail store, they can be charged with the offense of ‘organized retail crime’ that comes with enhanced felony penalties. A first theft offense under $2,000 would no longer be a misdemeanor and could result in three years of prison time and a $5,000 fine. Serial thieves could get 20 years in the slammer.

On the same day the SC House passed this bill, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a similar measure designed to combat organized retail theft and porch piracy into law. DeSantis said retail theft results in skyrocketing customer prices because businesses need to recoup their losses, and consumers pay more to compensate for stolen goods.

In SC, H.4187 was sent to the Senate for its consideration.

Knowing Your Medical Costs

Representatives unanimously agreed that you deserve to know the cost of your health care. The House passed H.4622 requiring healthcare providers to supply a patient with an itemized bill for each service in plain language, not medical jargon, no later than 30 days. If passed by the Senate, the bill would take effect next January.

Senate Energy

The ‘South Carolina Energy Security Act’ passed by the House several weeks ago is on speed drive in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved H.5118 on a 12-4 vote, sending it to the full Senate for debate. The comprehensive legislation employs an “all of the above” approach to energy generation. Its chief component greenlights Santee Cooper to partner with Dominion Energy to develop new gas generation facilities at a retired coal site, aiming to meet future energy demands while fostering economic growth.

Electricity demand is soaring in SC because of our rapid population growth and expanding industry. The lights must stay on, as well as our heat and air conditioning, and power to hospitals, schools, industries, and businesses. Electricity is essential to our lives. This bill outlines a 10-year plan to shore up our electrical power.

Lawsuit Reform Dies

The ‘SC Justice Act’ didn’t fare as well as the energy bill – it died on the Senate floor. For many South Carolinians, this was one of the most critical pieces of legislation to be considered during this session. The bill sought to change current state law that could leave individuals liable for all damages in a lawsuit, even if they were only partially or marginally at fault. That means everyone conceivably involved in a vehicle accident is sued, and those with “deep pockets” carry the burden of paying to settle a lawsuit or face forking over large sums in jury verdicts. That’s not fair.

The legislation proposed a simple fix – defendants could be made to pay the entirety of damages in a case if they were found by a court to be more than 50 percent responsible. If the defendants are found to be less than 50 percent responsible, they would be accountable only for the relevant dollar amount of damages and costs. That’s fair.

With the death of this priority reform bill (S.533), Senators will likely hear about it from upset constituents and their political opponents during the current election campaign.

Senate Budget

The Senate Finance Committee finalized its version of the state budget this week, and there is one glaring difference from the budget the House sent them last month. The issue is how to spend $500 million of surplus sales tax money collected initially for property tax relief.

The House approved sending the money back to owner-occupied homeowners as a one-time property tax rebate. Instead of using the money for property tax cuts, the Senate Finance Committee voted to distribute the disbursement

• To accelerate the state’s planned income tax reduction, bringing the maximum rate to 6.2%
• $200 million to county transportation committees for secondary road improvements
• $117 million for rural road safety
• $100 million for bridge repair and replacement
• $30 million on rural infrastructure
• $53 million for the health campus at USC

A big-ticket item – the Senate’s budget proposal sends $175 million to Clemson University to construct SC’s only veterinary school.

There will be much to hash out between the two budget versions. Stay tuned.

 

TIMEOUT

I interrupt my newsletter to share a special personal moment.

Last week, while the House of Representatives was on Easter furlough, I stepped back in time. I felt like I was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with an original American Patriot — my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Lewis Wells. My wife, Donna, and I walked the battlefield at Cowpens, where Grandpa Wells served in Colonel Thomas Brandon’s SC Militia Regiment. Grandpa Wells was on the first line of the militia that met the initial onslaught of the British.

According to eyewitness accounts, Col. Brandon’s soldiers were the first to fire on the advancing British and the only ones with sufficient time to reload and take a second shot. According to plan, they quickly retreated behind Morgan’s Continentals, drawing the British into their range. The militia regiments then reformed and rejoined the fight. Many accounts exist of those militia soldiers killed or wounded in hand-to-hand fighting.

The defeat of the British at Cowpens drove Gen. Cornwallis and his army out of the Carolinas, sending them to Yorktown, where they surrendered, ending the Revolutionary War and setting America on its path. For his service, five years later, in 1786, Grandpa Wells received “6 Pounds, 17S/1D1/2 Sterling for ‘Duty Done’ in Col. Brandon’s Regiment.

As you may know, the movie “The Patriot,” with Mel Gibson, is a fictionalized version of the Battle of Cowpens.

My walk on the battlefield was more than a movie for me. I was never prouder of my family heritage and the sacrifice of my Grandpa and many others who risked their lives for LIBERTY. With our nation seemingly breaking apart, we must carry on the legacy of those original Patriots and ensure America survives.

LEGISLATIVE BRIEFS

Campaign Spending

Let’s say you contribute $100 to a candidate running for office. Most folks rightly believe that money will be used for campaign signs and advertising. Under a bill (H.4561) hotly debated this week, campaign funds could be used to pay for childcare. Currently, the use of campaign funds for personal matters is prohibited. Supporters argued that a child should not impede someone trying to run for office and serve in office. I opposed the bill. It passed 53 to 45.

Protecting Farmers

The FARMERS PROTECTION ACT is zooming through the Senate. The House passed the bill two weeks ago, and this week, it was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee and sent to the full Senate for a vote. The bill (H.5169) would protect SC farmers from being victimized by WOKE initiatives that could shut them down by prohibiting financial institutions from restricting services to farmers based on environmental policies and empowering the agriculture commissioner and attorney general to investigate and penalize violations.

Evicting Squatters

I am getting an increasing number of inquiries about evicting squatters. The Senate sent the House their bill (S.723) that establishes a process for the immediate removal of squatters by law enforcement upon request of the owner of a residence. It is also a process whereby a campground owner or manager may remove a tenant who violates statutes that justify his removal.

Constitutional Amendment

The Senate approved an Amendment to the State Constitution (S.1126) to provide that “only a” citizen of the United States and the state of South Carolina is entitled to vote. The current constitutional provision requires every citizen to vote; this proposed Amendment clarifies that only citizens are entitled to vote. If the House approves, the proposed Amendment will be on your November ballot.

!!! FED WATCH !!!

It is difficult to know what’s going on in Washington (other than political squabbling) if you rely on the mainstream media (or, as I prefer to label them: “The Lame-Brain-National-Propaganda-Machine.”) Here’s straight talk on one issue that could directly affect you. Beware!

SPYING ON YOU

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has once again become a hot issue in Congress as its renewal has placed much scrutiny on the program. So far, pushback among some members of Congress has delayed the reauthorization of Section 702.

Despite its name, the regulations outlined in FISA mainly apply to American citizens, with opponents of the measure having revealed the extrajudicial surveillance this law authorizes.

The FISA process has been used over 3.4 million times to spy on Americans. Congressional testimony has confirmed that this process was used illegally over 278,000 times to surveil Americans without obtaining a warrant. Recent proposed changes to expand the surveillance capabilities under this law have drawn even more attention to the program.

For instance, in the latest proposed changes to Section 702, Congress gave itself a special exemption from surveillance efforts so that a warrant would be required to surveil sitting members of Congress. In contrast, the surveillance of taxpayers would not need a warrant.

Another contention of the reauthorization is the so-called “data broker loophole,” which allows federal agencies to collect untold amounts of information by simply purchasing that data from private companies and, more importantly, creating the infrastructure and data exchange mediums to outsource illegal surveillance to private companies which further blurs the lines between private industry and federal surveillance.

FISA changes appear to be BIG BROTHER taking more steroids to get stronger and meaner, all in the name of protecting us.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

It’s Masters Week. Since Aiken County is just across the Savannah River from Augusta, our Aiken Airport always attracts “Sleek Birds” from around the nation.

Congratulations to our folks at Aiken Regional Airport! It’s Aiken’s city-owned public-use airport. Did you know – formerly, it was the Aiken Air Force Station.

Want to Know More?

Do you want to learn more about my positions, bill sponsorships, voting record, and past writings? Here are some handy links:

• About Me: https://taylorschouse.com/about-2/
• My Positions: https://taylorschouse.com/issues/
• Sponsored Bill & Voting Record: http://tiny.cc/b1pouz
• Recent Newsletters: https://taylorschouse.com/category/newsletter/

I’m Available & AT YOUR SERVICE 

It is my honor to be of service. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance navigating state government or have any thoughts or concerns about the legislature.

In Your Service,

Email: Bill@taylorschouse.com
www.TaylorSCHouse.com  

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Legal Notice: This newsletter is not a solicitation for contributions to any SC registered lobbyist.