Session-in-Review: Republican Victories for South Carolina

The spring legislative session is over and it’s clear: Republican State Senators are getting things done. We instituted school-choice, reformed the healthcare system, ended the catch-and-release of violent criminals, cut taxes, and voted to protect innocent life. Week in and week out, Senate Republicans passed meaningful legislation, delivering on their promises to the people of South Carolina.

Education freedom took center stage from the outset. Republicans overcame a Democrat filibuster in January to make school choice a reality in South Carolina. But education freedom means more than just school choice; it means freedom from political indoctrination. Responding to the concerns of parents, Senate Republicans passed the Transparency and Integrity in Education Act, ensuring that objective facts, not subjective opinions about American history, shape the curriculum.

Republicans prioritized safe communities. The emergence of fentanyl, the catch-and-release of violent criminals, and the influence of foreign adversaries endanger our neighborhoods and law enforcement. We enacted legislation imposing harsh penalties on fentanyl trafficking and supported bond reform to close the revolving door of the justice system. Senate Republicans acted decisively to protect the State’s borders and passed Senate Bill 576, a bill by Majority Leader Shane Massey to prohibit foreign adversaries, like Russia and Communist China, from acquiring land in South Carolina. The bill awaits a hearing in the House.

Conservatives understand that big government limits freedom. That’s why Senate Republicans spent the spring busting bureaucracy and cutting through red tape. We split the enormous Department of Health and Environmental Control into two separate agencies, one for environmental protection and another for public health. We also eliminated healthcare monopolies by repealing the outdated Certificate of Need program which stifled new investments in healthcare for decades. Injecting free market principles into the healthcare system enables better care at lower costs.

Republicans in the Senate fought to protect the first right, the right to life. We passed a bill to defend the most vulnerable by prohibiting abortion once an unborn child’s heartbeat is detectable. Planned Parenthood and Democrats tried with all their might for abortion-on-demand through five months of pregnancy, but Senate Republicans dug in and refused to let South Carolina be an abortion destination state.

Under conservative fiscal leadership, the people of South Carolina come first. Just weeks ago, Governor McMaster described the annual budget bill as “the most transparent and accountable budget in modern times.” Thanks to Republican leadership in the Senate, the budget includes reduced taxes, funding for conservative priorities, and increased resources for school safety. Teachers now enjoy paid parental leave, and crisis pregnancy centers receive additional support for vulnerable mothers and children.

These are huge wins for South Carolina, and we’re just getting started. The rise of a ‘woke’ agenda threatens our values, communities, and schools. Thankfully, the citizens of the Palmetto State have given Senate Republicans a super majority to hold the line against the slippery slope of liberalism, resulting in significant victories for South Carolina this spring. South Carolina remains a bastion of conservatism because Senate Republicans deliver results.