Research

South Carolina looks to ditch DEI in higher ed

South Carolina is one step closer to banning the discriminatory DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) practices that have undermined many of the nation's institutions of higher learning.

Written by Bryce Fiedler
March 28, 2024

Don't ignore these red flags in South Carolina's energy mega-bill

Update 4/4/24: The bill passed the House and is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee. RATEPAYERS COULD BE CHARGED FOR ABANDONED UTILITY PROJECTS A massive utility bill (H.5118) awaiting debate on the floor of the S.C. House threatens to blur the line between economic development and energy policy. To...

Written by Bryce Fiedler
March 26, 2024

Statehouse Update Mar 26-28

Update 3/28/24: Several adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. Heads up! South Carolina’s “crossover” deadline is swiftly approaching. By April 10, any bills that haven't passed at least one chamber, House or Senate, are effectively dead for the year. With the deadline...

Written by Sam Aaron
March 26, 2024

Energy mega-bill reduces checks and balances, pushes new ecodevo projects

Update 3/20/24: The House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee on Wednesday advanced the bill with amendments. Certain details in this summary may not be reflective of the amended bill. Read our updated summary here. A massive energy bill (H.5118) gaining steam in the House bears resemblance to past legislation that wound up...

Written by Sam Aaron
March 19, 2024

Proposed House rules: committees must livestream, consider more bills

Recently, several resolutions were filed proposing noteworthy changes to the S.C. House rules. Two of them (H.5219 and H.5221) seek to improve transparency and accountability at key moments when it comes to lawmaking and judicial elections. H.5219 would require all House committees and subcommittees to livestream their meetings on the...

Written by William Morton
March 15, 2024

Statehouse Update Mar 11-14: Big debates on budget and judicial reform

Heads up! It’s budget week at the Statehouse. Debate starts this afternoon in the House over how to appropriate billions in taxpayer dollars for the FY 2024-25 state budget. If you want to know where your money could be headed and how lawmakers could do more for tax relief, we’ve...

Written by Sam Aaron
March 11, 2024

Proposed SC budget exceeds recommended limit, could do more for tax relief

Update 3/13/24: The House on Wednesday passed an initial draft of the next state budget, unchanged from the summary below. The week saw healthy debate and commendable efforts from lawmakers to challenge spending requests, including several noted in this report. We encourage the Senate, which goes next in the process, to utilize...

Written by Bryce Fiedler
March 08, 2024

Statehouse Update Mar 5-7

Update 3/8/24: Several adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. Heads up! The debate over judicial reform is officially underway, as the full Senate plans to take up a bill overhauling judicial selections today at noon. In addition to dismantling legislators’ monopoly over...

Written by Sam Aaron
March 05, 2024

Pricey projects on college budget wish lists

Recently, some of South Carolina’s top universities shared their fiscal year 2024-25 spending plans with the Senate’s higher education budget subcommittee. The requests included plenty of high-dollar projects that would be funded with taxpayers’ money. Below are a few highlights.

Written by Ella Williams
March 01, 2024

Impact: ESA expansion bill puts us on path to universal school choice

Update 3/21/24: The House on Wednesday gave the bill second reading by a vote of 69-32. We encourage a swift passage through the Senate so it may become law this year. On Wednesday, the S.C. House introduced a bill that would significantly expand South Carolina’s Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program, which passed...

Written by Sam Aaron
March 01, 2024