Research

  • How the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ affects South Carolina

    On July 4th, President Trump signed into law his budget bill, titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB).
    Sam Aaron

    Written by
    July 11, 2025

  • Beyond temporary fixes: Addressing earmark secrecy in South Carolina

    Update 7/2/2025: On June 25, 2025, Governor Henry McMaster signed an Executive Order requiring state agencies to disclose all official and unofficial funding requests from lawmakers to the Governor’s Office within 48 hours of the General Assembly ratifying the annual Appropriations Act. These reports are to be made public in...
    Brendan Connors

    Written by
    June 26, 2025

  • How to get real income tax relief in South Carolina

    An objective fact about South Carolina’s fiscal trajectory is that the state general fund has nearly tripled in the last 25 years. Because the state constitution mandates a balanced budget, this growth means tax revenue has climbed in step with spending. 
    Sam Aaron

    Written by
    June 20, 2025

  • Transparency check-in: streaming at the Statehouse (2025)

    For the fourth consecutive year, the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) has tracked the livestreaming frequency of legislative committee meetings. Since then, several committees have shown increased transparency and consistency, with some achieving perfect records.  Committees are central to the legislative process, reviewing and amending bills before they reach the...
    Brendan Connors

    Written by
    June 05, 2025

  • Conference committee budget breakdown: Increased revenue forecast results in a staggering $15.1B general fund

    Update 6/3/2025: Governor McMaster issued his veto message on June 3, containing 11 line-item vetoes totaling just over $1 million. Each veto targets a specific budget proviso.  On Wednesday, May 28, lawmakers in both the House and Senate voted to adopt the conference committee report for the fiscal year 2026...
    Sam Aaron

    Written by
    May 29, 2025

  • Charleston’s climate lawsuit Is a dead-end for South Carolina

    This article is an opinion piece written by Michael Burris, CEO of the South Carolina Policy Council. Later this month, a Charleston court will hear the case about whether to dismiss a climate lawsuit that never should have been filed.
    Michael Burris

    Written by
    May 27, 2025

  • 2025 Session Recap: Major progress on SCPC backed reforms

    With the 2025 legislative session in the rearview mirror, S.C. General Assembly made major progress on a host of reforms and initiatives championed by the South Carolina Policy Council.  While school choice and tort reform issues dominated headlines, lawmakers advanced several additional priorities, including education, tax reform, deregulation, and energy policy. 
    Sam Aaron

    Written by
    May 15, 2025

  • South Carolina moves closer to zero income tax

    South Carolina just took a major step toward meaningful tax reform—and closer to becoming a national leader in economic competitiveness. Last Tuesday, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed an amended version of H.4216, a landmark income-tax reform bill that incorporates many of the recommendations long advanced by the South...
    Vance Ginn PhD. and Sam Aaron

    Written by
    May 09, 2025

  • These provisos in South Carolina’s FY26 budget warrant closer scrutiny

    When the S.C. Senate passed their budget without new legislator-requested earmarks, “one-time” temporary laws known as “provisos” were still included.   Provisos outline directives for the use of budget funds, with some provisos including nonrecurring fund disbursements that represent continued earmark spending from past years.  
    Neil Wolin

    Written by
    May 09, 2025

  • Statehouse Update May 6-8

    Update 5/08/25: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. The House still has the budget to address, along with many education bills that advanced to the floor last week. The newly amended income tax bill is also on the House floor. The Senate has...
    Neil Wolin

    Written by
    May 06, 2025