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STATE HOUSE
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We’ve finished our first month of work (mostly in committees) and will soon see significant legislation debated on the House floor. Be sure you stay informed by visiting the site every Friday for THE WEEKLY REWIND which I’ll continue to share with you. This information is published by the Office of Research of the House of Representatives, so there’s no “spin” or “slant” from either party.

As I shared earlier, this year I was assigned to the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee where I’ll serve on three subcommittees: Business & Commerce; Banking & Consumer Affairs; and Real Estate. I enjoyed serving as Regulations Subcommittee Chairman the past two years on the House Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs Committee; but this move allows me to continue to focus on creating a more friendly business climate for our state to attract and grow more jobs as we work to put more people to work in SC.

In my JANUARY UPDATE , I shared some of the major debates coming our way. As always, I invite your input and advice to better help me serve you and our citizens!

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YOUR MONEY
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One of the biggest responsibilities we have is passing a state budget every year. The majority of the work is done through the House Ways and Means Committee and I wanted to share their schedule with you along with other important timeframes (all subject to change) as we prepare to prioritize funding for the upcoming fiscal year:

January 8 – 10: First week of session & Budget Subcommittees Meetings
January 15 – 17: Budget Subcommittees Meetings
January 22 – 24: Budget Subcommittees Meetings
January 29 – 31: Budget Subcommittees Meetings
February 5 – 7: Budget Subcommittee Meetings
February 12, 13, or 14: PROVISO SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING
February 19- 21: FULL COMMITTEE BUDGET DELIBERATIONS
February 26 – 28: FY 13/14 Appropriation Bill Printed
March 5 – 7: Printed Appropriation Bill placed on House Member’s desk
March 12- 14: HOUSE FLOOR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS

Important Dates:
February 5, 2013: Deadline for Proviso Submittals
February 6, 2013: Provisos sent for drafting
February 15, 2013: Final BEA estimate due

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COMMUNITY
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DADDY/DAUGHTER DATE NIGHT : February 7th at 6:00pm at Crooked Creek Park. Tickets are $45 for a couple, and $20 for each additional daughter (or a grandfather) — tickets must be purchased in advance and you can do it over the phone with a credit card by calling the Crooked Creek Park front desk at 345-6181, or you can stop by and purchase the tickets in person. Please contact Jennifer Riddle (JRiddle@ICRC.net) if you have any additional questions.

BATTLE ON THE DAM : A walking event encouraging children and families to adopt active lifestyles. We’ll walk across the dam on Saturday, March 2nd at 9 a.m., from the Irmo side to the Lexington side, and then enjoy the Battle on the Dam Health Fair at the park on the Lexington side of the Dam. School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, The District 5 Foundation for Educational Excellence, The Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission and The Community Roundtable have come together to support this walking event to encourage active lifestyles for our students and communities. To register, click here .

RED, WHITE AND BLUES : There will be red & white wine tasting, appetizers and blues music all evening long on March 9th from 6pm-9pm and will be held at the Irmo Town Park. Bring your friends and enjoy a fun night out! It will be a great event! Tickets go on sale soon! They are $25 in advance and $35 at the door

RICHLAND COUNTY BOARDS/COMMISSIONS : Richland County is accepting applications for membership on four boards: Two seats are available on the accommodations-tax committee. Applicants must have a background in lodging or cultural institutions. One seat is available on the airport commission. Applicants must live within a mile of the Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport. One seat is available for the board of assessment appeals, and two for the employee grievance committee. For details, call Monique Walters at (803) 576-2068. The deadline to apply is noon Feb. 19.

RICHLAND COUNTY ELECTIONS & VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE : A Voter ID Bill Workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 6 p.m. at the Richland County Council Chambers (2nd floor, 2020 Hampton Street). Individuals and organizations are invited to attend so that citizens are prepared for all upcoming elections. Any questions, please contact Ebonique Brown at 576-2240 or BRowne2@rcgov.us.

Turning to organizational meetings in the area this month: the Ballentine-Dutch Fork Civic Association will hold its February meeting Monday night (February 4th) at 6:30pm at Ballentine Park. Our two Chambers of Commerce hold their monthly meetings soon: Irmo is Wednesday, February 13th (11:30am, St. Andrews Presbyterian) and Chapin is Tuesday, February 19th (Noon at Lake Murray Presbyterian) In other Chamber News: Irmo Chamber of Commerce : To see a list of upcoming events click here. . To see upcoming events for the Chapin Chamber of Commerce , click here .

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR : Please be sure to email me news of accomplishments of your friends and neighbors in the community! Previously I would regularly update the website with people I knew around town who were doing great things right here in Irmo, Chapin. I’m willing to help promote their work/cause and simply need you to let me know what’s going on!

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OUR SCHOOLS
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There are several reasons to celebrate our student-athletes this month!

STATE AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: This month, Representative Huggins and I will welcome CHAPIN HIGH SCHOOL Cheerleaders (2/20), Band (2/21), and ROTC (2/27) to the floor of the SC State House. As you know these groups have been recognized as State and National Champions for their work on the field!

TOP 25 BASKETBALL TEAMS: The DUTCH FORK girls basketball team is currently ranked 9th in USA TODAY and the IRMO boys basketball team is ranked 23rd. To read more about these teams, read the Irmo Patch’s full article here .

CHAPIN RUGBY: Not to be outdone, the defending State Champions at Chapin Rugby received a Top 11 national ranking from Rugby Magazine !

While those accomplishments above are for our high school students, I want to remind all teachers and parents to let me know when your child/class is coming to the State House this year so I can welcome you and introduce you in the House balcony to my colleagues!

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THANK YOU
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Thanks again for the privilege you give me to represent the Irmo/Chapin/Ballentine/Dutch Fork community! If you have events or people you’d like me to share with our community right here through Nathan’s News, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help!

I’m always eager to spend time with you at your Homeowners Association Meetings, Churches, and other civic events in the community! Let me know dates and times and I’ll work to be there!

Nathan Ballentine
803-734-2969
www.nathansnews.com
House of Representatives, District 71
Richland-Lexington Counties
320B Blatt Building
Columbia, SC 29201