The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

State Budget: The House amended the Senate budget this week. After the House passed its budget in March, revenue estimates for 2010-2011 decreased by over $50 Million. To address this shortfall in its budget, the Senate proposed raising the following fees: (1) Department of Public Safety: $6 surcharge on annual vehicle registrations; (2) Department of Natural Resources: $5 surcharge on annual boat registrations and $2 surcharge on all hunting and fishing licenses; (3) State Courts: Increase in filing and motion fees (by separate legislation) and $50 fee on depositions for both Family and Circuit Courts. After receiving the Senate budget proposal, the House decided not to include these fee increases in its budget. Therefore, last week, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee proposed an amendment which cut funding to a wide variety of health care programs and eliminated the above fee increases. I supported the amendment with all other Republicans who were present and voted last Wednesday afternoon. Because of this amendment, the budget is definitely headed to conference committee with the Senate before the final version of the budget goes to the Governor for his consideration.

State Budget – Funding for Redistricting: One item in the amendment referenced in the above column was a one time increase in the House of Representatives operating budget of over $3 Million. This item has received little press coverage apparently because the increase is justifiable with redistricting of all Congressional, Senate, and House seats to be done in 2011. Initially, I did not plan to support the amendment because very little information was provided to members to justify the proposed increase. However, after I asked several questions, I learned that the funding is necessary every ten years following the census. A representative democracy is built upon fair elections. With the high growth in South Carolina’s population, we should be gaining a new Congressman and we will have to redraw our State House and State Senate lines. This task is not easy and will require statisticians, attorneys, cartographers and sophisticated mapping and computer software. The Clerk of the House further explained that this is a very expensive process which requires multiple public forums throughout the state, extensive training of staff, and the hiring of legal counsel to assist in the preparation of a redistricting plan in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and subsequent U.S. Supreme Court opinions. The legal costs are inevitable and someone will file a voting rights challenge to any plan that is approved by the legislature. The 1991 redistricting process was not finished until 1997 because of a series of legal challenges. The Clerk of the House advises us that he has reviewed the expenses associated with redistricting in 1991 and 2001 and the amount approved in the amendment is a conservative estimate of what will be needed to meet the challenges and obligations of redistricting in 2011 and beyond. I am assured that this is not recurring funding and is for expected expenses to be incurred in redistricting.

Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the Employment Security Commission (ESC): The House passed a bill aimed at fixing the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund. First, the bill proposes using an “array method” which separates companies into 20 categories; reduces rates for those companies that use the unemployment system the least; and increases rates for those that use the system the most. The “array method” is currently being used by 11 other states. Second, the bill raises the taxable employee wage base from $7,000 to $10,000 in 2011, to $12,000 in 2012, and to $14,000 in 2014. The effective date to the changes is January 1, 2011. This bill is part of the reform effort at the ESC in the legislature this year. To recap, earlier this session, the legislature and the Governor approved a bill which creates a new Department of the Workforce in the Governor’s cabinet and moves 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. Another critical area of reform is restoring solvency to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund. This Trust Fund is empty and South Carolina, like at least 26 other states, has been borrowing money from the Federal Government in the past 16 months to pay unemployment benefits. The bill passed by the House this week is aimed at addressing the problems with the Trust Fund. The Senate has already passed the bill and the Governor is expected to sign it. I voted for this proposal.

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill (H.3645) has passed the House is now in the Senate. It is set for a Senate Finance Committee Hearing this Tuesday, May 25. If it passes, it will go to the full Senate for consideration. To recap, this bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions including where the young person has to go to work to support himself or his immediate family. South Carolina first recognized the need for this legislation in 1989 in the Governor’s Commission on the Future Report. Since then, a generation of children have passed through our schools. It is undisputed that the high school dropout rate perpetuates social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, and high unemployment. All of these areas cost taxpayers money in some way or another. The statistics show that about 80% of those who dropout do so in the 9th or 10th grade. If we can get more kids to stay in school until the 11th grade, then it is much more likely that they will graduate. The data also shows that those who finish high school will earn about $1 Million more on average over their lifetime than those who do not finish high school. Raising the average educational attainment of our citizens will also improve the quality of our state’s workforce helping make our state more attractive to new industry expansion. The bottom line is we have to encourage more kids to stay in school and finish versus dropping out. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term. If you also believe that this bill is long overdue, then I encourage you to contact as many state senators as you can and ask them to support passage of H.3645.

Pay Day Lenders – Closing Loophole: Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation imposing strict regulations on the pay day lending industry. Before the effective date of that new legislation, some lenders in the state late last year switched their licenses to become supervised lenders. Supervised lenders can charge any interest rate as long as they are licensed, notify the state, and post the rate. They can offer small unsecured loans for terms longer than a two-week pay day loan. To fix this loophole, the Senate passed a bill making the terms of a supervised loan 120 days or more and requiring such loans to be secured by personal property and not a post-dated check which is the collateral for a pay day loan. The Senate bill arrived in the the House on April 20. Since that time, the bill is in the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee and not made it to the floor for consideration. Thus, efforts are ongoing in the House and the Senate to amend bills already on the floor of either body to include the language closing the supervised lending loophole. In the meantime, the bill is set for another committee hearing this week on Wednesday, May 26.

Order of Succession in Absence of Governor: The House passed legislation this week defining when the Lt. Governor is to assume control of the State under the State Constitution in the “temporary absence” of the Governor. Last summer, when Governor Sanford disappeared for five days, the lack of a formal system for succession when the Governor is temporarily absent became evident. This legislation is aimed to correct that problem. The House amended the bill this week to delete the veto power from the scope of the Lt. Governor’s power if he/she serves for a brief period as Governor in the “temporary absence” of the Governor.

SCE&G Rate Hike Request: As reported last week, SCE&G lowered its rate hike request from nearly 10 percent to 4.88 percent. The rate increase would be phased in over three years: 2.5 percent in July 2010, 1.2 percent in July 2011, and 1.18 percent in July 2012. Under the proposal, the average residential customer’s bill would go up about $69.48 a year, or about $5.79 per month if approved. The State Public Service Commission (PSC) has to approve the request and a decision is expected in July of this year. The PSC has held public hearings on the request in Charleston, Summerville, Columbia, and Aiken. A transcript of the May 6 Aiken hearing can be reviewed by clicking here: ———-.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: As you may recall, Senator Massey and I both filed objections to the proposed settlement with Norfolk Southern. Additionally, other local residents did. We have all been waiting to learn of a date for a public hearing to be held in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the Federal Government’s settlement with Norfolk Southern. Apparently, last week, without our knowledge, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice obtained the federal judge’s approval to the settlement without a public hearing. Senator Massey and I just learned this today and we are very upset that the public was not given an opportunity to attend a public hearing even after objections were noted requesting that a public hearing be held. We are looking into what, if anything, can be done at this time. I will report more in next week’s column.

Locals Elected by General Assembly: Local dentist and Clemson graduate Dr. Ronnie Lee was elected to the Clemson Board of Trustees this past Wednesday, May 19. Aiken County has not had a resident on the Clemson Board of Trustees in a decade. Additionally, local businessman Tim Dangerfield was one of three people elected to serve as an appellate panelist for the newly formed Department of Employment and Workforce.

Congratulations to South Aiken’s Teams: The South Aiken High School baseball team, girl’s soccer team, and boy’s soccer team all played this week for the state championship. Although they all fell short of winning the State Championship in their respective sports, they all are Lower State Champions. Congratulations to all of the players, coaches, and staff on their Lower State Championships! We are proud of you!

Aiken County Public Library Summer Reading Program: The annual summer reading program for children through the 5th grade starts Monday, May 24 at the Aiken County Public Library. The Program runs through July 31. Children who read the required number of books will receive a medal and a certificate of completion. Reading is essential to doing well in school. Please encourage as many young people as you can to read this summer. For more information, call the Aiken County Public Library or go to this link: http://www.abbe-lib.org/.

Email Updates: Many people in District 81 are receiving this email update. However, there are many others who do not receive them because I do not know their email addresses. If you know of people who do not receive my updates but they would like to, please email their names and email addresses to me.

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 months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

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 issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.

The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill (H.3645) received final passage in the House this past Wednesday and is now in the Senate. For the link to see how the House voted on final passage of the bill, please click here. To recap, this bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions including where the young person has to go to work to support himself or his immediate family. South Carolina first recognized the need for this legislation in 1989 in the Governor’s Commission on the Future Report. Since then, a generation of children have passed through our schools. It is undisputed that the high school dropout rate perpetuates social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, and high unemployment. All of these areas cost taxpayers money in some way or another. The statistics show that about 80% of those who dropout do so in the 9th or 10th grade. If we can get more kids to stay in school until the 11th grade, then it is much more likely that they will graduate. The data also shows that those who finish high school will earn about $1 Million more on average over their lifetime than those who do not finish high school. Raising the average educational attainment of our citizens will also improve the quality of our state’s workforce helping make our state more attractive to new industry expansion. The bottom line is we have to encourage more kids to stay in school and finish versus dropping out. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term. If you also believe that this bill is long overdue, then I encourage you to contact as many state senators as you can and ask them to support passage of H.3645.

Cigarette Tax: The House and the Senate voted this week to override Governor Sanford’s veto of the cigarette tax legislation. The new law will go into effect on July 1 and it raises the cigarette tax 50 cents a pack. Under the plan, most of the money (about $130 Million) will go into a Medicaid Reserve Fund. A fraction will go toward cancer research and smoking cessation programs. I voted to override the veto based largely upon the overwhelming feedback from hundreds of people in District 81. Additionally, when I campaigned two years ago, I stated several times that I would oppose other tax increases but I would vote to raise the cigarette tax and part of the money should be used for health care including Medicaid. Further, statistics show that for each pack of cigarettes sold in South Carolina, the cost to our State government and taxpayers in smoking-related healthcare costs and lost productivity is $7.59 per pack. Finally, the U.S. Attorney in Charlotte recently documented that cigarette trafficking in the United States has been linked to direct funding for terrorist organizations including al Qaeda. Much of that cigarette trafficking includes purchasing large quantities in South Carolina and then selling the cigarettes on the black market in extremely high cigarette tax states such as New York. I appreciate all of the feedback on this issue during the past two years.

Court Fees – No Good Choice: Do we fund an entire branch of state government with fees or do we shut down our state’s courts? That was the decision we had this year. Because of past excessive spending and poor budgeting priorities coupled with deficiencies in our tax structure, our state has been hit especially hard during this economic crisis. Now we are faced in some areas with a bad choice or a worse choice. This was the case last week when the House had to vote on overriding the Governor’s veto of the court fees legislation. House members had to decide between the lesser of two evils: funding the judicial branch with a temporary increase in court fees or shutting down the system. To recap, the House and Senate recently passed legislation which raised state court civil filing fees and motion fees. The increase was for two years only and then the fees would revert back to their current amount. The fee increases were proposed as a way to fund the judicial branch of government after House and Senate budget writers again refused to fund the court system with sufficient general fund appropriations. The Chief Justice repeatedly told House and Senate members this year since early February that the failure to approve the temporary fee increases or to fund the judiciary fully in the general fund budget would result in literally shutting down our court system. Boeing, Michelin, BIPEC, and other state businesses and business groups supported the temporary increase in filing and motion fees. On Wednesday, Governor Sanford vetoed the temporary fee increases. On Thursday, the House refused to override the veto. The House is expected to take one more vote on the veto override this coming week. I voted to override the Governor’s veto because the proposed filing and motion fee increases are temporary and the business community expressed strong support for the temporary fee increases. I do not support funding our judicial branch long term with fee increases which is why I have repeatedly asked House budget writers to fund the judicial branch as it should be: a separate, but equal, branch of government and not simply another state agency. Unfortunately, such requests have not been granted. The problems highlighted this year by the Chief Justice and the Governor’s veto will hopefully result in changes to how the judicial branch is funded. I will work to ensure that the judicial branch is properly funded without depending on 11th hour fee increases to keep the doors open. Your input on this issue is welcomed.

Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the Employment Security Commission (ESC): As I wrote in several past columns, reform at the ESC is a top priority in the legislature this year. Earlier this session, the legislature and the Governor approved a bill which creates a new Department of the Workforce in the Governor’s cabinet and moves 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. Another critical area of reform is restoring solvency to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund. This Trust Fund is empty and South Carolina, like at least 26 other states, has been borrowing money from the Federal Government in the past 16 months to pay unemployment benefits. Last week, the Senate passed a bill aimed at fixing the UI Trust Fund. First, the bill proposes using an “array method” which separates companies into 20 categories; reduces rates for those companies that use the unemployment system the least; and increases rates for those that use the system the most. The “array method” is currently being used by 11 other states. Second, the bill raises the taxable employee wage base from $7,000 to $10,000 in 2011, to $12,000 in 2012, and to $14,000 in 2014. The effective date to the changes is January 1, 2011. I appreciate your feedback on this or any other issue.

State Budget: The House may take up the Senate budget this week. If the House concurs, then it goes to the Governor. If the House does not concur, then it goes to a Conference Committee. This past week, House members were provided limited details of the Senate budget. Based on what I know now of the Senate budget, I may not support it. I expect to learn more details this week.

Order of Succession in Absence of Governor: The House Judiciary Committee this past week favorably reported out a bill which defines specifically when the Lt. Governor is to assume control of the State under the State Constitution in the absence of the Governor. Last summer, when Governor Sanford disappeared for five days, the lack of a formal system for succession when the Governor is temporarily absent became evident. This legislation is aimed to correct that problem. The Senate has already passed the bill.
SCE&G Rate Hike Request: Late last week, SCE&G lowered its rate hike request from nearly 10 percent to 4.88 percent. The rate increase would be phased in over three years: 2.5 percent in July 2010, 1.2 percent in July 2011, and 1.18 percent in July 2012. Under the proposal, the average residential customer’s bill would go up about $69.48 a year, or about $5.79 per month if approved. The State Public Service Commission (PSC) has to approve the request and a decision is expected in July of this year. The PSC has held public hearings on the request in Charleston, Summerville, Columbia, and Aiken. Another hearing is scheduled in Columbia on May 24. A transcript of the May 6 Aiken hearing should be available soon, and when it is, I will post it on my website with a link in this newsletter.

South Carolina Department of Transportation: Recently, I received a report from the Secretary of Transportation Buck Limehouse on the current status of the South Carolina Department of Transportation. A copy of that report can be accessed here. In the report, you can see that South Carolina’s Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining the fourth most highway miles in the United States behind Texas, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: A date has not been set for the public hearing to be held in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the Federal Government’s settlement with Norfolk Southern. When I find out when the hearing will be, I will post it in this column.

Clemson University Board of Trustees: Local dentist and Clemson graduate Dr. Ronnie Lee is the lone remaining candidate for election to the Clemson Board of Trustees this coming Wednesday, May 19. All others offering for the position have formally withdrawn as it is clear that Dr. Lee will be elected by the General Assembly. Aiken County has not had a resident on the Clemson Board of Trustees in a decade. Congratulations to Dr. Lee!

Dr. Tony Harris – Doctor of the Day at the State House: Local physician and Aiken resident Dr. Tony Harris recently volunteered to serve as the “Doctor of the Day” at the State House. Each day that the General Assembly meets in session, a local doctor from around the state volunteers to serve in the State House to see any legislative employee, executive branch employee, or State House visitor who needs medical attention. From what I am told, most of the visits to the clinic are for colds, sinus infections, and other minor ailments. Thank you to Dr. Harris for volunteering in this capacity last week.

Go South Aiken!: The South Aiken High School baseball team is in the state championship this week. They won the lower state title with a dramatic victory over Brookland-Cayce last Thursday. They play this week for the state title in the best of 3 series. Also, the South Aiken boy’s soccer team plays for the Lower State Championship this Tuesday. They are the defending state champions and are working hard to earn the title again. Go Thoroughbreds!

Celebrity Waiter Night, Relay for Life, and Charitable Giving: One of the largest and most widely participated in charitable fundraisers in Aiken County is the Celebrity Waiter Night event held annually in May to raise money for Children’s Place. As a former member and chair of the Children’s Place Board, I can tell you that many children in Aiken County benefit from the efforts of those at Children’s Place. The Celebrity Waiter event held this past Monday was another success and many thanks should go to all of the people who volunteered and contributed financially to the event. Also, Relay for Life is being held this Friday night, May 21, at Aiken High School as hundreds of local residents walk to raise money for cancer research and prevention. Thank you to all those who help with this event. There are dozens of other philanthropic fundraisers and events held in Aiken County throughout the year. Our community’s support for these worthwhile endeavors is one way which makes where we live so special. If you can help with your time or your financial resources, please find a local charitable organization and contribute.

Email Updates: Many people in District 81 are receiving this email update. However, there are many others who do not receive them because I do not know their email addresses. If you know of people who do not receive my updates but they would like to, please email their names and email addresses to me.

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 months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

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 issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.

The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill (H.3645) was amended on third reading last week on the House floor after two state home school associations expressed concern over language in the bill that may affect how often home school students and their parents report attendance to their home school governing board. Opponents of the bill have also been spreading inaccurate statements including that the bill raises the mandatory school attendance age to 18 and that students who graduate from high school early before age 18 cannot get or keep a driver’s license until they reach age 18. The bill does neither of these and these statements are not accurate. The bill will be up for final third reading passage on Tuesday, May 11. An effort to kill the bill last Thursday was pushed back by a vote of 67-35. The bill must pass the House this week and then two thirds of the Senate will have to agree to take up the bill this month. Otherwise, the bill will not become law this year and it will have to be refiled next year starting over the process to become law. To recap, this bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions including where the young person has to go to work to support himself or his immediate family. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term. In fact, South Carolina first recognized the need for this legislation in 1989 in the Governor’s Commission on the Future Report. Since then, a generation of children have passed through our schools. It is undisputed that the high school dropout rate perpetuates social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, and high unemployment. If you also believe that this bill is long overdue, then I encourage you to contact as many state representatives and senators as you can asking them to support passage of H.3645.

High School Students and Technical Coursework: During the debate about the high school dropout bill, some people have asked about nontraditional course work and what is available for students in South Carolina public schools. I researched and found out that there are a total of 39 Career and Technology Centers in the state with an enrollment of 30,098 students. There are 104 Comprehensive High Schools that offer a full compliment of Career and Technical Programs as part of the high school program. The remaining 100 high schools feed into one of the 39 Career and Technology Centers. Also, these 100 high schools offer Career and Technical Programs on their campuses as well. A total of 170,000 of the 200,000 high school students in South Carolina public schools take one or more technical courses. Here in Aiken County, over 400 students are enrolled at the Career and Technology Center across from Aiken Tech. They can take courses related to computers, electrical, automotive, cosmetology, and other fields while also continuing to get their basic core curriculum in one of the seven county high schools.

Voter Identification: The House approved legislation on Wednesday that will require voters in South Carolina to present a valid photo identification when casting a ballot in elections. The bill now heads to a conference committee because there are differences in the House and Senate versions as to the length of time to be allowed for in person early voting and absentee voting. Requiring photo identification to vote has been instituted in other states and upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. If a resident voter does not have a photo identification, then the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is authorized to issue one under the legislation. I voted in favor of the bill.

Cigarette Tax: The Senate voted 41-1 to concur with the House’s amendments to the cigarette tax legislation. The bill raises the cigarette tax 50 cents a pack. Under the plan, most of the money (about $130 Million) will go to fund Medicaid programs. A fraction will go toward cancer research and smoking cessation programs. There is no funding for projects in communities located along I-95. (An earlier Senate version included such spending.) The Governor is expected to veto the bill. I plan to vote to override the veto based largely upon the overwhelming feedback from hundreds of people in District 81. I appreciate feedback on this or any other issue.

Handguns Stored Under the Seat: The Full Judiciary Committee considered this bill that would allow people to store a handgun under the seat in their automobile. Current law allows a handgun to be stored in the glove compartment, console, or trunk of a motor vehicle. The bill was amended to allow Concealed Weapon Permit Holders to store a gun under the seat of a vehicle. I supported the amendment.

Protection of Police Officers: The Full Judiciary Committee also passed legislation that will require violent crime offenders to have an identification code placed on the back of their South Carolina driver’s licenses for up to five years after the completion of their sentence and/or parole. The intent is to alert police officers to former violent crime offenders in a roadside stop quicker than the time it takes for the officer to go back to the patrol vehicle and enter the driver’s license information and criminal history. The bill has already passed the Senate. I support the legislation.

Real Estate Transfer Fees: The House did not get to this bill last week. To recap, a bill is pending that will prohibit Transfer Fee Covenants or Freehold Licensing Arrangements as fees for residential real estate developers. This practice is not currently being used in South Carolina to my knowledge. However, it is a growing trend in some other states and current state law will not prohibit it if it was to happen here. The way it works is that the residential real estate developer attaches covenants to the properties in the new subdivisions. The covenants provide that fees are to be paid to the developer or some trust for the benefit of the developer every time the property changes hands over a period of up to 99 years. In other words, it allows the developer to create a stream of passive income for many years to come after the subdivision is built, every lot/house is sold, and all active participation in the subdivision by the developer is ended. Buried in the covenants is a fee (usually a percentage of the price of the home) that is required to be paid to the developer or his successor upon the sale or transfer of the property. I plan to vote in favor of the bill prohibiting this practice in South Carolina.

State Budget: The House is waiting on the Senate budget to come back to it for consideration. If the House concurs, then it goes to the Governor. If the House does not concur, then it goes to a Conference Committee. Hopefully, House members will be provided details of the Senate budget this week

MCA Sign Company Investment for Aiken County: Last week, the S.C. Department of Commerce and the Aiken/Edgefield Economic Development Partnership announced that MCA Sign Company (“MCA”) will locate its new company headquarters in Aiken County. MCA has been in business for over 100 years and is consolidating its operations in several states into one location here in the former Avondale Horsecreek building in Graniteville. MCA’s investment will total $12 Million and it plans to employ 125 people at the site.

SCE&G Rate Hike Request – Local Hearing Held on May 6: The State Public Service Commission (PSC) held a public hearing on SCE&G’s proposed rate hike request on Thursday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Aiken Tech. Another hearing is scheduled in Columbia on May 24. A transcript of the Aiken hearing is to be made available soon. I will provide a link to it in a future column.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: A date has not been set for the public hearing to be held in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the Federal Government’s settlement with Norfolk Southern. When I find out when the hearing will be, I will post it in this column.

Congratulations!: Congratulations to all of those who graduated from USC Aiken and Aiken Tech last week. Additional congratulations to Aiken resident Paul Rideout who was named the U.S. Small Business Administration Financial Services Champion of the Year. Paul is a Senior Vice President at Security Federal Bank.

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 and a half months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

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 issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.

The passage of a bill that would intertwine high school attendance and the holding of a state driver’s license is one step closer to reality.

The S.C. House last week passed the bill that would cause a teen under 18 from holding a driver’s license if he or she drops out of school or is seen as truant. Proposed by Rep. Tom Young Jr. of Aiken, the bill now needs approval in the state Senate.

South Carolina has a less than stellar history of on-time graduation, and Young and his fellow House members view this as a responsible way to fight that problem.

“The dropout rate perpetuates social ills such as crime, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality juvenile delinquency and high unemployment,” Young said. “This legislation is not the silver bullet to the problem but it is a positive step toward encouraging young people to stay in school and get at least a high school education.”

There are those who think this is a shortsighted approach to the dropout problem. It is not the only answer, that is for sure. But it is a measure that will cause some students to pause when they are thinking of quitting school. And it could be the incentive for others to go back and resume their educations if they have already dropped out.

In the 21st century, a high school diploma is the least amount of education that is needed for an economically successful adulthood. Everything possible should be done to see to it that our students stay in school until they earn a high school diploma. The S.C. Senate should quickly pass this measure and send it on to the governor for his signature.

Aiken Standard

The House of Representatives met this past week. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative:

Driving and High School Dropouts: This bill (H.3645) passed its second reading on the floor on Thursday afternoon by a vote of 67-29. However, the bill did not receive unanimous consent for third reading on Friday before the “crossover deadline” of May 1. Because the bill did not receive third reading before the “crossover deadline” of May 1, two thirds of the Senate will have to agree to take up the bill this month. Otherwise, the bill will not become law this year and it will have to be refiled next year starting over the process to become law. To recap, this bill prohibits possession of a driver’s license until age 18 unless the young person is enrolled in, or has completed, high school. The bill does have a hardship provision for some limited exceptions including where the young person has to go to work to support himself or his immediate family. Although this bill is not the “silver bullet” to the high school dropout problem, it is part of the solution in our effort to combat the high school dropout rate in the short term. In fact, South Carolina first recognized the need for this legislation in 1989 in the Governor’s Commission on the Future Report. Since then, a generation of children have passed through our schools. If you also believe that this bill is long overdue, then I encourage you to contact as many state senators as you can asking them (1) to take up H.3645 and (2) to support H.3645 this month.

School Districts and Pay Raises: On Tuesday, the House voted to give School Districts the discretion this year to decide whether or not to give teachers in the district their annual pay raises. Under the measure approved by the House, school districts which decide not to give teachers pay raises cannot then give administrators pay increases. In other words, districts cannot raise administrators’ pay without also raising teachers’ pay. I voted in favor of this legislation.

Warrantless Searches: On Wednesday, the House overrode the Governor’s veto of this bill by one vote – 74 to 37. I voted to override the veto. To recap, this bill allows warrantless searches of people on either probation or parole. The 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. Both the House and Senate passed the bill earlier this year. Governor Sanford then vetoed this bill. The Senate then overrode the veto. Now, the House has done the same.

Restructuring — Superintendent of Education: Last year, I filed several restructuring reform bills including legislation to allow South Carolina voters to decide whether to amend the State Constitution so that certain constitutional officers who are currently popularly elected would in the future be appointed by the Governor as part of the Governor’s cabinet. The bill concerning the Secretary of State was the first to reach the House floor for a vote. It received the necessary two thirds vote in favor in the House in late February and then went to the Senate. On Thursday of this past week, the bill concerning the Superintendent of Education failed to receive the necessary two thirds vote (83 votes) in favor in the House falling short with 72 votes. That bill is now defeated for this session.

Real Estate Transfer Fees: A bill is pending that will prohibit Transfer Fee Covenants or Freehold Licensing Arrangements as fees for residential real estate developers. This practice is not currently being used in South Carolina to my knowledge. However, it is a growing trend in some other states and current state law will not prohibit it if it was to happen here. The way it works is that the residential real estate developer attaches covenants to the properties in the new subdivisions. The covenants provide that fees are to be paid to the developer or some trust for the benefit of the developer every time the property changes hands over a period of up to 99 years. In other words, it allows the developer to create a stream of passive income for many years to come after the subdivision is built, every lot/house is sold, and all active participation in the subdivision by the developer is ended. Buried in the covenants is a fee (usually a percentage of the price of the home) that is required to be paid to the developer or his successor upon the sale or transfer of the property. I just learned about this last week and a bill to prohibit this practice is on the fast track in the House. I plan to vote in favor of the bill prohibiting this practice in South Carolina.

Cigarette Tax: As I wrote last week, the House agreed to a 50 cents a pack increase to the cigarette tax. Under the plan, most of the money (about $130 Million) will go to fund Medicaid programs. A fraction will go toward cancer research and smoking cessation programs. A push to lower the tax to 30 cents failed in the House. The House removed any funding for projects in communities located along I-95. The Governor is expected to veto the bill. I plan to vote to override the veto based based largely upon the overwhelming feedback from hundreds of people in District 81. I appreciate feedback on this or any other issue.

Sprinklers Bill: The House also passed the sprinklers bill this week. To recap, South Carolina has adopted certain portions of the model residential building code effective January 1, 2011. One of the requirements of the code is that newly constructed single family homes after January 1, 2011 will have to have sprinklers installed in them. The cost can add several thousand dollars to the expense of building a new home. The “sprinklers bill” eliminates the sprinklers requirement in new single family homes. It should be noted that the sprinkler requirement in the residential building code will not apply to new mobile homes. I voted in favor of the bill to eliminate the sprinkler requirement.

State Budget: Early Friday morning, the Senate finished working on its version of the State Budget. I will provide more information when the Senate bill comes back to the House in the next couple of weeks.

Visitors at the State House: Dr. Beth Everitt, Superintendent of the Aiken County Public Schools, was at the State House on Wednesday. She was joined by other school board members including Rosemary English, Levi Green, Wesley Hightower, and Ray Fleming. Also, at the State House this past week was Dr. Ronnie Lee who is a candidate for the Clemson University Board of Trustees. Finally, Barb Rollins and several students from the Aiken area in the AAA Home School Band performed on the State House grounds on Wednesday.

SCE&G Rate Hike Request – Local Hearing is this week on May 6: The State Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a public hearing on SCE&G’s proposed rate hike request on Thursday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Aiken Tech. The PSC will have to approve the rate hike request. Currently, the PSC has public hearings scheduled in Columbia (May 24), Summerville (April 26), and Charleston (April 27). I will not be able to attend the hearing that night, but I will be provided a summary of the comments. If you want me to know your thoughts, please let me know.

Federal Government Settlement with Norfolk Southern: I do not know the date for the public hearing to be held in Aiken at the Federal Courthouse when the Federal Court considers whether to approve the Federal Government’s settlement with Norfolk Southern. When I find out when the hearing will be, I will post it in this column.

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 and a half months, I have received many different reports of problems and I have relayed those to the appropriate agencies.

Responding to Email Feedback: I have received a very large volume of email feedback two weeks ago. I am responding to it as quickly as I can. Please know that if you have not heard back from me, you will soon.

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 issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.