Senate Republicans wrap up successful session
S. C. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, today celebrated the end to one of the most successful sessions in recent memory. In a legislative year that saw
unprecedented tax cuts for the people of the state, members of the
Senate Republican Caucus also brought monumental reform to both the
Department of Transportation and the state’s Workers’ Compensation
system. Issues such as education, the replacement of the state’s
school buses, healthcare, drunk driving, and comprehensive illegal
immigration reform were also addressed successfully in the Senate this
session.
Looking only at the $220 million in tax cuts and reform of DOT and
Workers’ Comp, I could still consider this session one of the finest
of my 27 years in the Senate,” said Senator Peeler. “However, the
accomplishments did not stop with those three matters. The budget we
passed included a record amount of funding for public education and a
plan to replace the state school bus fleet. We toughened the
restrictions on repeat-offense drunk drivers and passed legislation to
crack down on the spread of gang violence across the state. We were
also able to tackle the crisis of the rising insurance costs for
homeowners along the coast, which had to be dealt with this year.”
Regarding the budget, Governor Sanford and the General Assembly were in
agreement on over 97% of the spending in the budget. The total value of
the vetoes was only $167 million of the $7.4 billion budget. The House
and Senate over-rode the vast majority of the 243 vetoes.
Senator Peeler also noted, “Another one of our goals for this session
was to find ways to increase investment and create new jobs in South
Carolina. We have passed strong incentives that will boost our existing
businesses and help attract new industries to all areas of the state.”
Senate Majority Whip Jim Ritchie (R-13) commented, “The caucus set an
agenda at the beginning of this session, and our top three priorities
were to give significant tax cuts, bring accountability to DOT, and make
South Carolina more competitive by reforming the Workers’ Comp system.
We reached those goals and went much further. We established an online
‘virtual’ learning program, made insurance coverage available for
autistic children, addressed the critical shortage of nurses in the
state, put a nurse in every elementary school, and increased the
penalties for underage drinking.”
Senator Ritchie added, “The Senate was out front on illegal
immigration, as we passed a bill earlier this year that broadens the
scope of what our state can do to address this critical issue. Still,
there is work to be done on our legislation in the House. Illegal
immigration will be our top priority when we come back in January.”
The permanent tax reductions enacted this session include the complete
elimination of the sales tax on groceries and the elimination of the
bottom 2.5% bracket of state income tax. Currently at three cents, the
removal of the sales tax on groceries will provide $135 million in tax
relief for this year alone. By deleting the bottom bracket on income
taxes, taxpayers of the state will save $86 million annually.
