South Carolina Statehouse Report -- the Palmetto State's leading legislative and policy forecast

Why state government might actually work
ANDY BRACK (7.3.09) | COMMENTARY
All of the tawdry confessionals and too-much-informational gushings from our own love Gov. Mark Sanford might lead a cynic to conclude something kind of surprising... MORE
More Brack: The Nation

What cap and trade emissions bill may mean to South Carolina
BILL DAVIS (7.3.09) | NEWS
Uncertainty over the final form that federal “cap and trade” legislation may soon take in the nation’s capital has caused concerned and vigorous debate on energy policy ... MORE

Sanford should resist resigning
ANDY BRACK (6.26.09) | COMMENTARY
Bottom line: Sanford made some bad judgment calls, particularly with masking his location from his staff and others in South Carolina, but his infidelity hasn’t reached the point of incompetency. ... MORE
Brack in other media: The Nation | NY Times | Nat. Journal | Chr. Sci. Monitor

Sanford's affair will have long impact in SC politics
BILL DAVIS (6.24.09) | NEWS
When Gov. Mark Sanford confessed at a press conference earlier this week that he’d been in Argentina visiting a woman with whom he’d been having a year-long affair, he answered the burning ... MORE

Time to fix broken criminal justice system
VICTORIA MIDDLETON (6.26.09) | MY TURN
We all have a stake in fixing our state’s broken criminal justice system, and this is the time to encourage our representatives to make the streets and schools safer while ... MORE

Media need to back off on Sanford
ANDY BRACK (6.24.09) | COMMENTARY
It was painful to hear Gov. Mark Sanford's apology to the world over his adultery in Argentina. He has embarrassed himself and killed any chance of being President. ... MORE

A monumentally stupid move on tax study
ANDY BRACK (6.19.09) | COMMENTARY
“Monumentally stupid.” Those are the words that immediately came to mind upon realization of what the General Assembly did June 16, the last day of this year’s session. ... MORE

Stimulus package puts off potential health care crisis
BILL DAVIS (6.19.09) | NEWS
When Emma Forkner told members of the Senate Finance Committee in May that her agency, the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services, “could go over a cliff” in 2011, she was doing so with a unique perspective. ... MORE

Lawmakers won't let go of power
ANDY BRACK (6.12.09) | COMMENTARY
You might be surprised to realize how the document that is the foundation of our government heavily favors the Congress. Of the U.S. Constitution's 4,447 words, some 2,268 (51 percent) deal with ... MORE

Legislative tyranny
TOM DAVIS (6.12.09) | MY TURN
My first year as a senator in the South Carolina General Assembly confirmed for me why I decided to seek public office in the first place – our state’s government is badly structured, ... MORE

Debate on state's tax structure looms
BILL DAVIS (6.12.09) | NEWS
That’s the question being asked around Columbia about whether legislators will be able to pass a bill to create a tax realignment commission (TRAC) when they return for a short week on Tuesday.

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PALMETTO PRIORITIES

SC Statehouse Report encourages state leaders to develop and implement these Palmetto Priorities to make the state better:

JOBS. Develop a Cabinet-level post dedicated to adding and retaining 10,000 small business jobs per year.
EDUCATION. Cut the state’s dropout rate in half by 2015.
HEALTH CARE. Increase the cigarette tax to $1 per pack and use revenues to maximize federal health care matching funds.
HEALTH CARE. Ensure affordable and accessible health care that optimizes preventive care for every South Carolinian by 2015.
ENVIRONMENT. Adopt a state energy policy that requires energy producers to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
TAXES. By 2012, remove special interest sales tax exemptions that are outdated for the state’s 21st Century economy.
TAXES. Reform and stabilize the tax structure by 2012 after following an overall nonpartisan review that seriously considers reimplementation of reasonable property taxes.
ELECTIONS. Increase voter registration to 75 percent by 2015 by restructuring the state’s election, reducing voting barriers and making it easier for all to vote.
CORRECTIONS. Reduce the prison population by 25 percent by 2020 through creative alternative sentencing programs for non-violent offenders.
ROADS. Strengthen all bridges and upgrade all state roads by 2015 through creative highway financing and maintenance programs.
POLITICS. Have a vigorous two- or multi-party political system of governance.