Prepared in Mind and Resources? A Report on Public Higher Education in South Carolina

ACTA’s hope is that this report will be an urgent call to action to help the citizens and policymakers of South Carolina strengthen the state’s public higher education system and demonstrate leadership in being “Prepared in Mind and Resources.”

Policy Report: Shorten South Carolina’s Legislative Session

Executive Summary Any way you measure it, South Carolina has one of the longest legislative sessions in the country. Such a lengthy session is not only unnecessary, it bars most citizens from serving in the Legislature. In turn, South Carolina’s long session fosters a political culture that encourages special-interest legislation and high spending. South Carolina’s [...]

Policy Report: Record Every Vote

Policy Report: Record Every Vote Executive Summary   The first step toward holding the legislative leadership accountable for their actions is to hold legislators accountable for their votes.  The people of South Carolina have a fundamental right to know how their legislators are voting. Yet, in spite of widespread public support for roll call voting, [...]

Policy Report: Reform the South Carolina Legislature

Policy Report: Reform the South Carolina Legislature Executive Summary   South Carolina’s General Assembly has long enjoyed a virtual monopoly of power over the state’s government and economy. The Legislature overshadows the executive branch and controls judicial branch appointments. Likewise, the Legislature directs South Carolina’s economy by means of numerous boards and regulations, as well [...]

Fact Sheet: Reform the Legislature, Shorten Session, Record Every Vote

Download the PDF     Advocates of good government in South Carolina have long recognized that the state’s governing structure is outdated, inefficient and not transparent. At the root of the problem is a concentration of legislative power that permits the General Assembly to inordinately influence executive and judicial branch functions—in particular, through the Legislature’s [...]

The Economic Impact of Federal Spending on State Economic Performance: A South Carolina Perspective

Federal government spending comes with costs; it should not be accepted as the free-lunch it is frequently considered to be. Every dollar the government spends must first be removed from the pocket of the private sector through higher taxes today, or higher borrowing today implying higher taxes tomorrow. Either way, government spending crowds-out private sector spending, diminishing the private economy’s rate of growth.