Update – February 16 to February 18, 2010
The House of Representatives met this week and meets again next Tuesday, February 23. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:
Yucca Mountain: This week, I met with state and county leaders as both the State and Aiken County consider ways to combat the recent Obama Administration decision to close Yucca Mountain as the permanent site for the nation’s spent nuclear waste. Despite nearly thirty years of public investment and research in the Yucca Mountain project, the Obama Administration’s recent budget decision to close Yucca Mountain is being made without congressional input or approval. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 appears to require that Congress must affirmatively approve the change that the Obama Administration is trying to do. The County and the State are considering legal action to obtain an injunction to prevent any federal government action to stop the Yucca Mountain program without congressional approval. As of today, Aiken County is moving forward and we are waiting to hear from the Attorney General as to whether South Carolina will join in the County’s effort. As I wrote last week, many people are working to ensure that high level spent nuclear waste currently stored at SRS does not remain there permanently.
State Budget: We met with members of the House Ways and Means Committee this week. The Committee will finish work on the budget next Friday. That budget is expected to show substantial additional cuts in many state agencies as the state continues to experience the economic downturn and decreased state revenues. I along with other members of the House not on the Ways and Means Committee suggested that the Committee look hard at eliminating funding for some state agencies that are not essential to the operation of state government. I believe that we should consider eliminating funding for a nonessential state government programs before we cut education, law enforcement, and health care programs. As I wrote a few weeks ago, South Carolina is one of 46 states experiencing significant budget problems this year. The budget process will be intense and painful, but I can assure you that I will do all that I can to make the best of this tough situation.
Employment Security Commission (ESC) Reform: The House approved a bill this week that reforms the ESC in the wake of the recent audits listing many problems.
The reforms approved Wednesday include creating a new Department of the Workforce in the governor’s cabinet, and moving several workforce and unemployment responsibilities from the ESC and the Department of Commerce to the new agency. The legislation also abolishes the board of the ESC and puts an executive director in charge. This is the second ESC reform bill to be approved by the House this year. The first was a series of procedural reforms that included restricting state payments to employees fired for gross misconduct or drug use and restricting claims by employers who cost the system more than they contribute. I support both bills which now are in the Senate.
Economic Development: The economic development bill prepared by House leadership this past fall was approved in committee this week and will be on the House floor next week. The legislation includes several tax and regulation changes that businesses said are necessary to help business in creating more jobs. I am joining several House members to include more in the bill to help small businesses in South Carolina. If you have ideas on what the State can do to help small business in the current economic climate, please email me back.
Campaign Finance Reform: This bill has been worked on since early last year and passed the House this week. It requires all elected officials and candidates for those offices from city council candidates to state-wide candidates to file on-line so that their financial reports (contributions and expenditures) can be easily viewed by voters too. The bill also addresses the so-called “black out” period which exists between the time that a candidate files the last pre-election report and the day that the voters go to the polls. This “black out” period is roughly the last twenty days before the election. The bill says that state law now requires that contributions received in the “black out” period have to be reported within 48 hours of receipt. I cosponsored and supported the bill. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Driving and High School Dropouts: The bill that I sponsored last March prohibiting possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school did not come up this week in subcommittee. It is set for a subcommittee hearing this coming week with the House Education and Public Works Committee. As I wrote last week, I have spoken to many groups of students from 3rd graders to 12th graders and I mentioned this bill. Without exception, this bill gets their attention and I am confident that if it becomes law this year, then it will be a way that we can combat the high school dropout rate in the short term.
Texting While Driving: On Tuesday, the full House Education and Public Works Committee passed out the ban on both texting and cell phone use while driving. The bill now heads to the House floor. I have received lots of feedback on this issue. Everyone who has talked to me has stated that they want a ban on texting while driving. However, as to cell phone use, folks are mixed on that issue. I welcome feedback on this or any other issue.
Avondale Water System: Great News! The closing to transfer the system from Avondale to VPSA and Aiken County took place this week on February 16, 2010. Thank you to all of those people with VPSA, the County, the State, the Legislative Delegation, Avondale, and other concerned citizens who worked real hard over the last eighteen (18) months to make this transfer a reality to help the affected areas of our District and County.
Golf Cart Use: Last year, I was contacted by several folks in our district asking me to look at expanding the distance from a home or business in which a golf cart could legally be driven on secondary roads. After review, I sponsored a bill last year to allow golf cart use on secondary roads within five miles of the owner’s home or business. Current law allows use within two miles. The bill came up this week for a subcommittee hearing. At the hearing, the Director of the State Department of Public Safety stated that he did not have any data to support his opinion but he provided some reasons as to his personal belief that expanding the distance was not a good idea. I agree and I have taken the necessary steps to stop the legislation from going further.
Job Fair: Early last Fall, I asked the Employment Security Commission to host a Job Fair here in greater Aiken to assist those who are looking for work. That Job Fair is set for Saturday, March 27 at a location and time to be determined. I will post more information when I know it.
Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past four weeks, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies. The SCDOT and the County Transportation Committee have identified a list of roads in Aiken County that have been prioritized for resurfacing. I have posted the list of primary roads and it can be accessed at this link.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issue
Update – February 9 to February 11, 2010
The House of Representatives did not meet this past week. The House returns to session this Tuesday, February 16. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:
S.C. House of Reps.: Many people in our District have asked me to provide more information about the S.C. House of Representatives in general. There are 124 members – currently 73 Republicans and 51 Democrats. All members serve two (2) year terms.
Of the 124 current members, 24 were brand new in 2009 – 17 Republicans and 7 Democrats. Half of the membership has been elected since the 2002 elections. Each House District has between 30,000 and 35,000 people in it. Reapportionment of state and federal political districts will take place in 2011 after the 2010 elections. Six (6) House members have all or a portion of his district in Aiken County. The S.C. House meets three (3) days a week from the second Tuesday in January to the first Thursday in June each year. There may be some furlough weeks mixed in as this past week was. After the first Thursday in June, the House may come back in session for gubernatorial vetoes or for other reasons usually in the discretion of the Speaker of the House.
Yucca Mountain: The recent Obama Administration decision to close Yucca Mountain as the permanent site for the nation’s spent nuclear waste has significant long-term implications for those of us here in Aiken County. Currently, high level spent nuclear waste is being processed and stored underground at SRS in specially made sealed containers. For years, the plan has been for these containers eventually to end up at Yucca Mountain. However, the recent federal decision may change that. For that reason, on January 20, the S.C. House unanimously passed a Resolution that I sponsored with other members from Aiken and Barnwell Counties calling upon the Federal Government to reverse its decision. This past week, Governor Sanford called upon our Congressional Delegation to unite in the effort to reverse the federal decision on Yucca Mountain. Additionally, Aiken County Council requested a reversal of the Yucca Mountain decision. I expect that we will hear more on this subject in the coming weeks as many area and state leaders work to ensure that high level spent nuclear waste currently stored at SRS does not remain there permanently.
Driving and High School Dropouts: The bill that I sponsored last March prohibiting possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school is set for a subcommittee hearing this week with the House Education and Public Works Committee. I expect it to pass and move on to the full Committee next week. Since last Fall, I have spoken to many groups of students from 3rd graders to 12th graders and I mentioned this bill. Without exception, this bill gets their attention and I am confident that if it becomes law this year, then it will be a way that we can combat the high school dropout rate in the short term.
Texting While Driving: As I reported last week, a House subcommittee recently passed legislation that will ban both texting while driving and cell phone use. The bill now heads to the full House Education and Public Works Committee where it will probably be amended to ban only texting while driving. I do not believe that a ban on both texting while driving and cell phone use will pass the legislature this year. However, I do think that a stand alone ban on texting while driving will pass this year. Since last week, I have heard from many people in the district on this issue. Everyone who has talked to me has stated that they want a ban on texting while driving. The large majority said that they do not want an outright ban on cell phone use for those over the age of 18. Many people have also expressed concerns about other types of distracted driving such as eating; shaving; and putting on make up. I welcome feedback on this or any other issue.
Avondale Water System: The closing to transfer the system from Avondale to VPSA and Aiken County is set for this week on February 16, 2010. A lot of people have worked real hard to make this transfer a reality to help the affected areas of our District and County.
Job Fair: Early last Fall, I asked the Employment Security Commission to host a Job Fair here in greater Aiken to assist those who are looking for work. This week, I learned that the Job Fair is tentatively set for Saturday, March 27 at a location and time to be determined. I will post more information when I know it.
Road Issues: If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. In the past three weeks, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies. The SCDOT and the County Transportation Committee have identified a list of roads in Aiken County that have been prioritized for resurfacing. I am waiting to receive the lists of primary and secondary roads. I will post both upon receipt.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
Update – February 2 to February 4, 2010
The House of Representatives met this week. Here is a brief update for the week:
State Budget: In recent months, we have read a lot about South Carolina’s state budget problems and I wrote about them three weeks ago. Last week, I read that 46 of the 50 states are facing a combined $170 Billion budget deficit this year. Many states are looking at trimming services; contracting out key functions; and other ways to save money. South Carolina is doing the same thing. If you have ideas in this area, please let me know.
Judicial Elections: Judicial elections were held on Wednesday. Locally, Vickie Johnson Snelgrove was elected to serve as the next Family Court judge in the Second Judicial Circuit which includes Aiken County.
Texting While Driving: A House subcommittee passed legislation that will ban both texting while driving and cell phone use. The bill now heads to the full House Education and Public Works Committee where it is expected to be amended to ban only texting while driving. I do not believe that a ban on both texting while driving and cell phone use will pass the legislature. However, I do think that a stand alone ban on texting while driving will pass this year.
Warrantless Searches: The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that will allow law enforcement to conduct warrantless searches of persons who are on either probation or parole. This bill has substantial support from law enforcement agencies and local governments across the state as it is widely viewed as a way for authorities to combat criminal activities by repeat offenders.
National Board Certification for Teachers: A House Ways and Means subcommittee approved a change to stop the National Board Certification program for new teacher enrollees effective this year. Under the recommendation, the program will remain in effect for existing enrollees. The program pays an annual stipend of $7,500.00 to teachers who earn national board certification. The recommendation will now head to the full House Ways and Means Committee.
Employment Security Commission (ESC): Problems at the ESC continue. A recent audit revealed that the ESC failed to pay income taxes withheld from unemployment checks during a period in 2009. The State will now face undetermined penalties and interest from the IRS for this oversight. As I wrote in the past several columns, reform at this agency cannot happen soon enough this year.
Avondale Water System: I attended another meeting this week of the Valley Public Service Authority Board as the Board continued to work on the sale of the Avondale Water System serving Graniteville, Vaucluse and portions of Warrenville. The due diligence period expired on February 5 with no parties withdrawing from the agreement. The closing is set for the morning of February 16, 2010.
Road Issues: In the last two columns, I asked that you let me know about road problems with potholes or other issues in our district by emailing me at TomYoung@schouse.gov or calling me so that I can let the SCDOT and/or the County know about the problem. I heard from many of you and I have let the appropriate agencies know of those concerns. If you see a road problem, you can call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know. The SCDOT and the County Transportation Committee have identified a list of roads that need to be resurfaced. I requested a copy of that list and will post it on my website next week.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
Update – January 26 – January 28, 2010
The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that the following report is useful to you:
First, at the beginning of the week, representatives from the State Commission on Higher Education spoke at the downtown Rotary Club. Their presentation emphasized the need to support higher education and getting more people educated. South Carolina is 39th in the country in the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher. We are also 45th in the country in per capita personal income. If we can raise the number of people getting two year degrees or higher, then we will see lower unemployment, less poverty, better health, higher labor force participation, and less incarceration. I hope you join me in making higher education a priority to transform our economy and quality of life.
Second, on the House floor, the final vote was taken on Wednesday on my bill to let the people decide whether the Secretary of State should be popularly elected or appointed by the Governor. I worked to secure the 83 votes necessary for passage. Unfortunately, the bill failed by one vote: 82 to 34 . I am hopeful that we will get another chance to vote on this legislation later in the session. This is one of several restructuring reform bills that I am working to move through the General Assembly.
Third, a House subcommittee approved a proposal to reduce the public school year by 5 days and to eliminate testing of students not required under federal law. Many of you responded to me last week on this issue and nearly everyone who responded is against reducing the public school year by 5 days. I do not support reducing the school year by 5 days. We have to find ways to cut spending with the smallest impact possible on students and teachers in the classroom. This measure now heads to the House Ways and Means Committee where it will be considered with others in the general fund budget preparation process.
Fourth, Employment Security Commission (ESC) reform is a top priority this year as I reported in the past few columns. Two weeks ago, the House approved several systemic changes including restricting state payments to employees fired for gross misconduct or drug use and restricting claims by employers who cost the system more than they contribute. This week, the Legislative Audit Council’s Management Review of the ESC was issued and it revealed the following:
• The ESC did not warn the General Assembly that the unemployment trust fund balance plummeted from a $835 million surplus 10 years ago to an $800 million deficit today.
• The ESC did not properly investigate mismanagement.
• S.C. workers fired for misconduct collected $171 million over three years – equating to 10 percent of the jobless benefits paid during that three years.
• While the ESC is charged with helping South Carolinians find jobs, only 40 percent of the jobs available in our state are listed with the ESC.
The Full report can be found at www.lac.sc.gov. Legislation to reform this agency and to restore the trust fund is very much needed and will be filed soon.
Fifth, I attended two meetings this week of the Valley Public Service Authority as the Board continued to work on the sale of the Avondale Water System serving Graniteville, Vaucluse, and portions of Warrenville. Despite several recent “bumps in the road,” it appears that the transfer will take place as hoped by February 16, 2010. Many people are working to make sure that the transfer becomes a reality.
Several residents of House District 81 were at the State House this week for various reasons including Dr. Susan Winsor; Chuck Munns; Ronnie Lee; Ingrid Kupprat; and Mary Jo Dawson. I enjoyed meeting with each of them as to their respective concerns.
Finally, last week I asked that you let me know about road problems with potholes or other issues in our district by emailing me at TomYoung@schouse.gov or calling me so that I can let the SCDOT and/or the County know about the problem. I heard from many of you and I have let the appropriate agencies know of those concerns.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.