Statehouse Report

Statehouse Report is a weekly update that keeps readers informed about upcoming events in South Carolina's politics and policies. Established in 2001, the publication was initially available to paying subscribers until 2007, while a weekly commentary and cartoon were offered at no cost to everyone. Beginning in 2008, this well-regarded publication began providing its news, analysis, and commentary for free to all readers, thanks to the generous support from its sponsors.

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BRACK: Lawmakers need to rethink S.C. priorities

1 month ago | statehousereport.com | Andy Brack

Commentary by Andy Brack | About this time every year since 2009, we implore state lawmakers to look at South Carolina’s big picture and do the work that will make life better for most people – those whose taxes pay the government’s bills. We’ve suggested 10 or 12 annual policy initiatives, or Palmetto Priorities.
BIG STORY: A look back at the big Statehouse stories of 2024

1 month ago | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

Referring to the ideological conflicts that occasionally roiled his administration, President Ronald Reagan once winkingly noted that “sometimes our right hand doesn’t know what our far-right hand is doing.”In 2024, Republican leaders in the South Carolina Statehouse could have offered much the same observation, as they struggled to find party unity on major legislation involving taxes, guns, hate crimes and more.
BIG STORY: Proposed state tax cuts could be bait-and-switch, experts suggest

1 month ago | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

Imagine a car dealership where the sticker prices were high — but thanks to automatic rebates and deep discounts on all but the most expensive luxury vehicles, it was actually the cheapest place in town for the average person to buy a car. Experts say that’s how South Carolina’s current tax code works for most state residents — high sticker-price rates, but some of the lowest tax bills in the country after deductions, credits and exemptions.
BIG STORY: School choice issue tops opening legislative debate

1 month ago | statehousereport.com | Andy Brack

As the South Carolina General Assembly returned to Columbia this week to begin its 2025 legislative session, GOP leaders made it clear that passing a new private school voucher program was at the top of their agenda. The program would replace the one that was struck down by the S.C. Supreme Court last September.
NEW for 1/10: On tax cuts, party registration, malarkey, Social Security

1 month ago | statehousereport.com | Andy Brack

BIG STORY: Tax cuts could be bait-and-switch, experts suggest MORE NEWS: Is registration by party coming to S.C. as session opens?
BIG STORY: S.C. GOP celebrates red wave; Dems seek answers

Nov 8, 2024 | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

South Carolina voters on Tuesday were just like everybody else across the nation – only more so, turning what was already a very good election day for Republicans into an unprecedented Palmetto State blowout. From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the numbers were eye-popping. At the top of the ticket, former GOP President Donald Trump crushed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris 58%-40%, besting his 2020 S.C. results by 6 points on his way to a convincing national victory.
BIG STORY: S.C. to see new push to legalize online sports betting

Aug 23, 2024 | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

South Carolinians will see a renewed major push for legalized online sports betting in January when the General Assembly reconvenes, despite two recent legislative failures and a pair of new studies that highlight gambling’s social costs. The reasons, experts and policymakers say, are simple: money and momentum. Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting in 2017, 38 states have legalized the practice in some form.
BIG STORY: S.C.’s lawsuits: Partisan or needed check on feds?

Aug 16, 2024 | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

When S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson sued the Biden administration for what his office said was at least the 50th time last week – in this case, over health care for children brought to the United States illegally – some Palmetto State political observers said they were reminded of an old joke. Q: In state politics, what does “A.G.” stand for? A: Aspiring governor.
BIG STORY: State book regulation poses threat to freedom, advocates say

Jun 7, 2024 | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

Free speech advocates are warning state legislators that hundreds of books, including literary classics like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” could soon vanish from South Carolina’s public school libraries. Why? There’s a new S.C. Department of Education regulation set to take effect June 25. The regulation would bar books and materials that contain “depictions of sexual conduct,” as defined by the state’s obscenity statute, from public school classrooms and libraries.
BIG STORY: Committee to mull anti-vax measure March 14

Mar 8, 2024 | statehousereport.com | Jack O'Toole

By Jack O’Toole | A state Senate committee on March 14 will consider legislation that would dramatically curtail the authority of state health officials during future public health emergencies, such as pandemics or biological terror attacks.