Jobs, states rights on agenda for 2010 | Columnists | Summerville Journal Scene

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Jobs, states rights on agenda for 2010

Published Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:59 PM

By Jenny Horne
Summerville Journal Scene ®

My first year as a Legislator was extraordinary to say the least. Serving on the ad hoc impeachment sub-committee was one of the most challenging tasks I have undertaken thus far as your representative. I am especially proud that we as a state have moved beyond this chapter in our state’s history to address the very important challenges we face in 2010. If you missed the Governor’s State of the State last week, you missed an excellent message of moving South Carolina forward and working together for the betterment of South Carolina’s citizens.

We recently returned to Columbia to begin the second year of the 118th General Assembly. One of the first meetings I attended was a briefing by the state’s economist, Dr. William Gillespie. While Dr. Gillespie acknowledged that the economy is showing signs of stabilization, the revenue outlook for next fiscal year 2010-11 is 7.4% below the revenue estimates for this time last year. This means more budget cuts are to come. It is hard to imagine how we can further cut education, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and other agencies. Additional cuts to these agencies will go right past the muscle and into the bone. Consolidation of services and the streamlining of government is no longer a mere philosophical discussion – government restructuring and budget cuts will be made out of necessity and will force lawmakers to focus on how we can do more with less.

The first week of session, we introduced House Resolution 4299 allowing local school districts to continue with the flexibility we gave them in last year’s budget. This measure will temporarily relax certain state mandates to allow local school districts some creativity to survive these massive budget cuts.

Job creation and economic development will continue to be the focus of the 118th General Assembly. I am co-sponsoring a bill in the House which will make South Carolina more competitive in a global marketplace. This bill should be introduced in the next couple of weeks and will reduce the corporate income tax rate, modify jobs development tax credits and fee-in-lieu statutes, provide incentives to encourage corporations to locate their corporate headquarters in South Carolina, and provide the SC Department of Commerce with more resources to attract business and industry. Putting South Carolinians back to work will be the top legislative priority for 2010.

No discussion of reducing the unemployment rate is complete without reforming the Employment Security Commission. A recent audit of the agency revealed a great deal of mismanagement and waste. We introduced House Resolution 4303 which directs the ESC to follow the law and current procedures when granting unemployment benefits. Complete overhaul of the ESC remains one the top legislative priorities for this session.

The 118th General Assembly will also continue its focus on reinforcing Tenth Amendment state’s rights issues. As the federal government continues to intrude into our daily lives, this issue will continue to receive our attention in the General Assembly.

As always, that you for the privilege of allowing me to serve you in Columbia, if you have any ideas or suggestions for legislation, please contact me at 873-1721 or at jennyhorne@schouse.org

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