Looking forward to the Budget
Education Freedom
Last week, the SC House passed S.62 with added amendments. This bill was strengthened in the Education Committee process thanks to Chairlady, Shannon Erickson (Beaufort) and SCFC member Chris Huff (Greenville). The bill would bring school choice to South Carolina in the form of an Education Scholarship Trust Fund which would grant scholarships to families to use at public schools or private schools. By year 4, any student in South Carolina will be eligible to apply for a scholarship to attend a school that suits their needs regardless of their zip code. For too long the government has had a monopoly on secondary education which has resulted in predictably unfavorable educational outcomes, indoctrination, and destruction of parental rights. This bill will empower parents to use their tax dollars to send their child to the school that best reflects their goals and values.
The S.62 exempts homeschoolers and does not increase any regulations on private schools, allowing them to continue to exercise their mission statements without government interference. States like Florida who have passed universal school choice are experiencing a surge in positive outcomes all while trimming their state budgets. Passing this bill is a huge step toward improving South Carolina’s education system and implementing the Trump agenda at home.
Trump Agenda at Home:
This week, the House is taking up a few important bills: first, H.3021 which is a regulatory reform bill and second, the House Education Committee will be taking up H.3927 which is a DEI prohibition bill. The SCFC believes both of these bills are positive steps in the right direction for South Carolina. First, H.3021 requires a 25% cut to all state regulations, for every new regulation proposed, two have to be removed, each new regulation must be accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis, and the duty to interpret regulations is fully given to the Judicial branch. While we have questions about certain specifics of the bill, including the timeframe in which the regulations must be cut, we are encouraged by this first good step to reform South Carolina’s regulatory codes. Second, H.3927 will finally kill DEI in South Carolina. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus has been fighting the DEI fight since 2023 when members brought forward amendments to defund DEI in all state-funded universities and again when they worked with House leadership to move a DEI prohibition in higher education bill last session. Tuesday, the House Education Committee took testimony about H. 3927 which will prohibit DEI practices in any state-funded institution. These are the steps we must take to implement the Trump Agenda at home.
Lastly, H. 3457, the Human Life Protection Act was given a cursory hearing Tuesday morning. Frustratingly, it is the only pro-life bill to be heard this year. As the bill was being allowed to die in this morning’s committee, the Republican majority leader issued a statement that essentially threw in the towel on passing meaningful pro-life legislation this session. We find that attitude to be unconscionable and appalling. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus will continue to press House leadership to protect innocent life. We’ll be posting about this subject in detail after the budget debate next week.
Gearing Up for the Budget:
Sadly, the South Carolina General Assembly is not prioritizing the implementation of the Trump Agenda in every facet of policy-making. On March 10th, the House will debate the budget for the next fiscal year. As we have written before, South Carolina has been known for shattering historic records in spending and this year will be no different. House Ways and Means Chairman, Bruce Bannister, who is the primary author of the budget, has already shared two sad but important facts related to this year’s budget: it will grow government and it will not eliminate or move to eliminate the state income tax. In fact, in a recent interview, Rep. Bannister (Greenville) said he doesn’t believe it is possible to eliminate the income tax. The key to cutting taxes is cutting spending. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus is serving as the DOGE for South Carolina and has been working on an alternative budget that cuts state spending, offers a sizable income tax cut, and ensures your money doesn’t promote woke nonsense or incentivize illegal immigration to our state. The only way to substantially cut our highest-in-the=South taxes is if we get serious about cutting spending and shrinking government.
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