As we approach a brief pause in our legislative session, with the House on furlough until Tuesday, February 27th, I want to share some significant accomplishments from the past week and look ahead to our priorities upon reconvening.
During the furlough week, I will be joined by the House Ways and Means Budget Subchairs, Chariman, and staff as we finalize our draft of the budget to present to the full House the week of March 5th, with full House debate beginning on Monday, March 11th.
Empowering Student Athletes
On Wednesday, I was proud to support and ultimately pass H.4957, a landmark bill designed to empower college athletes in South Carolina with the ability to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This move, strongly supported by coaches from our state’s top universities, promotes fair and equitable opportunities for student athletes, ensuring our state aligns with national standards in collegiate sports.
Second Amendment Rights
In response to recent Senate amendments, the House Republican Caucus remains unified in our commitment to the Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act, H.3594. On Tuesday, we sent a clean version of the bill back to the Senate, underscoring our dedication to safeguarding the Second Amendment rights of South Carolinians. ONE of the main issues with the bill the Senate passed was the “carve out” allowing members of the General Assembly to carry “wherever we want”. Obviously, y’all know me. I don’t feel we should be treated any different than others and I do NOT like that part. Let’s see if we can get that removed before we even talk about agreeing to other compromises.