Dear Editor:
Since gaining the majority in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Republicans have fought hard to protect your tax dollars and pass much needed government reforms.  We have held government growth to less than 2.8% a year and have returned over $15.4 billion to our hard working citizens through tax cuts.
Many of these accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work of Rep. Annette Young.
Annette is one of the hardest working, conservative members in the House.  As a former Majority Leader and as a ranking member on the House Ways & Means Committee, many of the recent government reforms that have became law did so in large part because of Mrs. Young’s leadership.
Workers’ Compensation Reform, Tort Reform, DUI Reform, Department of Transportation Reform and Illegal Immigration Reform were all close votes that Rep. Young helped secure.  
Much has been said – and much has been misunderstood – about the Employment Security Commission (ESC) bill the House took up this year.
The bill restructured the ESC into a cabinet level agency that would be placed under the Governor’s control.  Although some have tried to tie this reform bill to our state’s growing deficit in our unemployment fund, the bill did not propose to provide a solution to the deficit.  The only way to lower the deficit is to address our state’s third worst unemployment rate and reduce the growing number of unemployed people receiving benefits.
Restructuring the ESC is an important issue that must be addressed and that is why I supported it this year.  However, I do understand the concerns many had about this issue.  With the recent 100% increase in the number of unemployed people in our state, our current system is clearly broken.
That is why a legislative audit was ordered for the ESC – this is the same type of audit that led to the sweeping reforms at the Department of Transportation.  Rep. Young said from the floor of the House that she wanted to first see the problems highlighted in the audit and then vote for the reforms it suggests.  This, she said, would ensure that we were implementing the proper reforms.
This issue isn’t personal; it isn’t political.  This issue is about fixing our growing unemployment problem that for far too long has gone unaddressed.
Mrs. Young was standing up for the citizens she represents when she fought to fix our broken economic development efforts.  Anyone who suggests otherwise clearly has not reviewed Mrs. Young’s long record as a reformer in the House.


Bobby Harrell
Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives