South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus

Political strategists are predicting that this year’s presidential election will revolutionize South Carolina politics when it comes to using the Internet to stay connected to the public.

Phil Noble, president of S.C. New Democrats, said many legislators are communicating through Web sites, and he said he expects even more to turn to the Internet following the success Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has seen.

Republicans said they believe that interest drummed up by John McCain’s Web site and the upcoming tech-savvy GOP convention will promote similar interaction statewide. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a great reception Tuesday (2008.08.26) night with special Guest Gov. Mark Sanford at Rusty & Jennifer Garrett’s home. Even in questionable weather, approximately 120 supporters came to our gathering! Also, there were many new faces in attendance. It’s always encouraging to earn the support of new folks by word of mouth. Support for our positive message of reform and limited government is as strong as ever. Since the beginning I’ve never asked people to support Kevin, I ask that you stand with me and the issues and values that we support. After a welcome by Rusty, we returned thanks for the food. I made a few remarks then Mark spoke for a few minutes. Below are some video clips of the evening. Read the rest of this entry »

Bryant: taxpayers should receive assessment notices sooner

Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, said taxpayers need to be better informed about the reassessed value of their homes and how that will affect their taxes.

That’s why he and other legislators have begun working on legislature that would require counties to send reassessment notices to homeowners at least 60 days before the end of the county’s fiscal year, he said.

This would give taxpayers more time to know whether their property values and taxes are increasing, he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Since stepping into office in 2004, S.C. Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, has pushed for government reform and the need to put the brakes on government control.

“Since the beginning, we’ve been pushing for reform, pushing for getting away from the good ole’ boy system,” says Bryant, a pharmacist and president of Bryant Pharmacy and supply.

And while the taxpayers’ paychecks haven’t increase much in the past few years, government has grown about 40 percent, he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Bryant Continues Fight for Greater Transparency

Wants Property Valuation Notices to be Mailed Prior to End of Fiscal Year

Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) continues to fight for greater transparency in state and local government. Senator Bryant wants county tax officials to send out new property value notices at least 60 days before the end of a county’s fiscal year, so taxpayers can have a better understanding of how much money is being collected due to an increase in property values.

“I am working on legislation that would require counties to send reassessment notices to taxpaying homeowners 60 days prior to the end of the county’s fiscal year,” says Senator Bryant. “Many taxpayers in Anderson County are still in the dark about the reassessed value of their property and the potential impact on their personal finances.” Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Supreme Court ruled recently that the imposition of the death penalty upon individuals who rape children is “cruel and unusual punishment.” The ruling, a 5-4 decision, initially stuns regular folks who cannot understand why the death penalty would apply to someone who shoots a person versus someone who uses an innocent child for sexual prey.

In 2006, the South Carolina General Assembly stood up for children when it passed legislation providing for the death penalty in cases where someone rapes a child. I led the fight for the inclusion of the death penalty sentencing in South Carolina’s version of Jessica’s Law, then making its way through the General Assembly.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of the United States Supreme Court opinion, rationalizes the rape of a child as a lesser offense by saying that, “in terms of moral depravity and of the injury to the person and to the public,” they cannot compare to murder in their “severity and irrevocability…” Kennedy’s definitions of “severe” and “irrevocable” apparently do not apply to the rape of a child. Read the rest of this entry »

A second Republican lawmaker is calling on the Democratic state schools chief to take the lead in eliminating the annual testing program for elementary and middle school students and replace it with new exams that do a better job measuring academic achievement.

State Sen. Kevin L. Bryant of Anderson sent Jim Rex a letter Friday urging the superintendent to marshal a switch in tests with the help of two politically appointed panels that oversee public education. Bryant also posted the letter on his web site.

Read the rest of this entry »

Correction: The press release should have stated the date of the free reception as I’ve underlined below. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks!

SC Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) announced today his intentions to seek re-election for second term. Sen. Bryant also offers an open invitation to a reception, free of charge. The re-election kick-off will be at the Corner Bagel Shop in Anderson at 6pm on Monday, March 17th. Those wishing to attend may RSVP at www.kevinbryant.com

Bryant plans to continue his march toward reform. “We’ve seen some progress in Columbia over the last four years, but we’ve also seen a lot of resistance to change. The good-ole-boy system is a monster, and we’ve been rattling its cage.”

Bryant also made comments on some achievements. “I have been proud to contribute to victory on a number of issues such as defining marriage in our Constitution, getting tough with child predators, combating wasteful spending and returning more money to you-the folks who earned it in the first place.”

March 11, 2008
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Quote of the Week: “It’s all about accountability. We want the citizens of this state to know how their money is being spent. The more access taxpayers have to information the more likely they are to hold government accountable for the spending of those dollars.” Senator Kevin Bryant (R- Anderson), a co-sponsor of the Truth in Spending Bill (S.1144) introduced this week and vocal advocate of financial disclosure.
 
Vaughn to Retire at End of Term

After 18 years of service in the General Assembly, Senator Lewis Vaughn (R-Greenville) has decided not to seek re-election in November. “In September I had the best physical of my life, but since then a series of health related issues have arisen, and I don’t think it is fair to my family, my constituents or my colleagues to seek re-election in the fall,” says Senator Vaughn.

“The people of District 5 need and deserve active representation, and that is part of what brings me to this decision,” explains Vaughn.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the people of the Greer and Greenville community, and although I will not be seeking re-election, it is my intent to stay engaged in the issues facing the Upstate.”

Senator Vaughn was elected to the Senate in a 2006 special election to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of J. Verne Smith. He serves as a member of the Corrections & Penology Committee, Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee, General Committee, Judiciary Committee, and the Rules Committee.
 
Drug Testing for Candidates Moves to Full Judiciary Committee

 A constitutional amendment (S.1070) requiring all future candidates for any elected office in South Carolina to pass a drug test began making its way through the legislative process this week by gaining approval from a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.  The subcommittee chaired by Senator Jim Ritchie (R-13), Majority Whip, gave the bill a favorable report as amended.
 
The subcommittee amendment added judges to the list of officials that would be required to submit the results of a recently completed drug test along with candidate filing papers. The bill will now go before the full Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to meet again on Tuesday, February 26, 2008.
 
DUI Reform – Stronger Penalties for Repeat Offenders On Wednesday, February 20, the Senate debated DUI Reform (H.3496). The debate was highlighted with spirited exchanges on proposed amendments.
 
The Senate did pass the bill and returned it to the House with several key enhancements to current law including: the creation of a two-tiered system for first-time offenders; stronger penalties for increased blood alcohol levels; enhanced penalties for repeat offenders; and the elimination of unnecessary law enforcement procedures.
 
“I am proud of the work that the Senate did in quickly passing DUI reform,” says Senate President Pro Tempore, Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston).  “While the House wanted to convict all South Carolinians without being able to defend themselves, the Senate made it easier to convict those who are guilty while ensuring that the innocent were protected.  We showed that you can be tough on drunk driving without being tough on people’s rights.”
 
On Thursday, February 21, the bill was given third reading and sent over to the House.
 
Fire Sprinkler Bill Remains Hot as it Moves to Full Committee The Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulation Subcommittee working on the fire sprinkler legislation gave a favorable report to S.860 as amended during a meeting on Thursday, February 21.
 
The amendments to the bill included: preventing public or private utilities from charging exorbitant “tap-on” fees for sprinkler systems, and provides for an 80% cost of installation tax-credit for the installation of sprinkler systems in private residences not required by law.
 
The bill now heads to the full Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Regulations Committee.
 
Illegal Immigration Reform Moves to Conference Committee Last week the Senate completed final debate on the Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S.392) creating the strongest illegal immigration reform bill to be proposed in the General Assembly. The debate centered on the House amendments and the requirement of private businesses to verify legal status of new employees. After working out the details of these new provisions, the Senate sent the bill back to the House.
 
The House voted on Thursday, February 21, to “nonconcur” with the Senate’s latest amendments, which sends the bill to a conference committee. The committee will be comprised of three Senators and three members of the House. Conference committee meetings could begin as early as next week.
 
Payday Lending Regulated

On Tuesday, February 19, the Senate took up the “deferred presentment” bill (S.398), better known as the Payday Lending Bill.

The three-hour debate was filled with a volley of political maneuvers, one of which included an amendment that failed 18-23, to completely ban payday lending.
 
Ultimately, the Senate passed a bill with several major provisions including: the creation of a state-wide database; a seven-day cooling-off period between loans; limiting borrowers to only one loan at a time; maximum loan amounts based on income; and a standard calculation formula established by the Board of Financial institutions.
 
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives.
 
SC HealthNet Introduced
On Tuesday, February 19, Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville), Chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee introduced a bill (S.1129) that would create the South Carolina HealthNet, a pilot project initiative by the Department of Insurance. The project would provide basic health coverage to between 150 – 200 thousand of South Carolina’s working uninsured.  Premiums for this basic coverage plan are expected to be in the range of $165 for single coverage to $450 for family coverage. The plan would also contain annual coverage caps of $150,000 per person.
 
Proponents of SC HealthNet hope to secure grants, establish public-private partnerships, and collect premiums to help fund the effort, eliminating the need for taxpayer funding.
 
“The mission of SC HealthNet is to introduce a state program distributed through private carriers, which will make basic health insurance truly affordable,” says Scott Richardson, Director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance.
 
The bill was referred to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
 
Spending Caps Study Committee Continues Work The Senate Spending Caps Study Committee met on Wednesday, February 20, and heard additional testimony from Dr. William Gillespie, the state’s Chief Economist, as well as updates from Senate legal counsel on the continued efforts to draft appropriate language for the constitutional amendment on spending caps and the statutory language outlining implementation of a spending cap.
 
The next meeting of the subcommittee is expected to take place in the next two weeks.
 
Truth In Spending Bill Introduced

Under the “Truth in Spending Act” (S.1144) introduced on Thursday, February 21, taxpayers will no longer need to wonder where their tax dollars are being spent. They will be able to go online and see for themselves. The bill requires all state and local government entities, including school districts, to post monthly expenditures over $100 on their website.
 
Under the provisions of the bill, online listings of expenditures must be updated monthly and must include: the transaction amount, name of payee, and purpose of expenditure. In addition to cash expenditures, monthly credit card statements must also be posted online. The bill does make some exception for law enforcement expenditures that could jeopardize the operations of a department.
 
State or local governments that do not maintain a website will be required to send information to the State Budget and Control Board who will post the information on a designated section of the Board’s website.
 
The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
 
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State Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, said he hopes that a bill he’s supporting will give investors one more reason to put their money behind South Carolina start-ups.

Senate bill 287, the South Carolina Entrepreneurial Success Fund Act, would provide tax breaks to those who invest in funds that offer seed money to start-up businesses. The bill received a favorable report last week in the subcommittee of which Sen. Bryant is chairman and is gaining support among business leaders.

To be eligible, investors would need to create a seed fund of $10 million. The fund must be managed by a South Carolina taxpayer, and 70 percent would need to be invested in local companies that are three years old or younger. Read the rest of this entry »

Want to see where your state tax dollars are going?

You will be able to look it up online if a bill introduced in the General Assembly becomes law.

The communications director for state Senate Republicans said that the “Truth in Spending Act” would requires all state and local government entities, including school districts, to post monthly expenditures over $100 on their Web sites. Read the rest of this entry »

State and Local Government Expenditures to be Posted Online
 
 
Columbia, SC – Under the “Truth in Spending Act” (S.1144) introduced today, taxpayers will no longer need to wonder where their tax dollars are being spent, they will be able to go online and see for themselves. The bill requires all state and local government entities, including school districts, to post monthly expenditures over $100 on their website. 
 
State agencies that are part of the Governor’s Cabinet already report their expenditures online; this bill will expand that requirement and include local governments.
 
“The Truth in Spending Act will shine a light on wasteful government spending at all levels — state, county, municipal, even school districts will disclose spending,” says Senator Larry Grooms (R- Berkeley), the primary sponsor of the bill. “Government in South Carolina will be held accountable for spending, because government spending will be available for viewing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
 
“It’s all about accountability,” says Senator Kevin Bryant (R- Anderson), a sponsor of the bill and vocal advocate of financial disclosure. “We want the citizens of this state to know how their money is being spent. The more access taxpayers have to information the more likely they are to hold government accountable for the spending of those dollars.”
 
Under the provisions of the bill online listings of expenditures must be updated monthly and must include: the transaction amount, name of payee, and purpose of expenditure. In addition to cash expenditures, monthly credit card statements must also be posted online. The bill does make some exception for law enforcement expenditures that could jeopardize the operations a department.
 
“This bill has been a long time in coming,” says Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), one of the key sponsors of the bill. “This ray of sunshine will reach into the darkest corners of government spending by requiring all expenditures over $100 to be posted online as well as credit card statements for cards issued for official business.”
 
State or local governments that do not maintain a website will be required to send information to the State Budget and Control Board, who will post the information on designated section of the Board’s website.
 
 
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