Local News

S.C. Legislative Report with Rep. Burns: Education reform, offshore drilling, rideshare safety, more

By S.C. Dist. 17 Rep. Mike Burns:

Education Reform Update

Earlier this year, the House passed a comprehensive education reform bill that includes raising teacher pay, decreasing statewide testing, consolidating small school districts, and creating a committee that will monitor the education system from pre-K to post-graduation. The bill was sent to the Senate where it will go through the same committee process and public hearing debates. Now, parts of the bill have passed the full Senate Education Committee and will be debated next week during the Senate’s budget process.

We are hopeful the Senate will pass an education reform package that not only gives teachers a much-needed pay raise but also fixes some of the deep-rooted problems that plague our current education system. We cannot stall another year, we need to start making steps in the right direction.

FACT: South Carolina is 24th in the nation for funding education, but last in test scores and college readiness.

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Legislative News

Uncovering Dark Money

The House subcommittee on Constitutional Laws gave favorable reports on two “sunshine” bills that would shed more light onto political ads paid for by secretive groups and their anonymous donors. H. 3045 and H. 4203 would require independent expenditure committees (2 or more individuals who spend $500 or more to engage in election communications) that spend on political mailers, radio ads, or television commercials to register(like every candidate is required to do) with the State Ethics Commission. They would also need to disclose how much they spent and any donors who contributed more than $1,000.

Business Tax License Fees

Legislation to reform the business license tax system was filed in the House to help small businesses by lowering the costlybusiness tax. The tax has risen 50% in recent years along with burdensome compliance issues that make the whole process time consuming. H. 4431 could help bring uniformity to the system statewide and help South Carolina compete economically with neighboring states.

Offshore Drilling and Seismic Testing

Two competing bills passed favorably out of Agriculture subcommittee this week, one for and one against, seismic testing and offshore drilling off the South Carolina coast. H. 3087 would make it difficult for oil companies to search and drill for oil along the South Carolina coast. On the contrary, the other bill that passed makes it easier for companies to drill for oil and gas. This will leave the debate up to the full House and keep both pieces of legislation moving.

Ridesharing Safety Makes Strides

The House voted overwhelmingly, 99-1, to pass the Samantha Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act. The bill requires Uber and other ride-booking companies to put an illuminated sign in their window in hopes that could help connect riders to the correct drivers. The bill seeks to increase the distance the rider can start the verification process, but still encourages riders to check to make sure the license plate and car match with the app. North Carolina legislators filed an identical Uber Safety Bill in their State House this week.

Thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don't hesitate to contact me.

– Rep. Mike Burns