It has been a busy few weeks here in Columbia.  With this update we want to highlight the two most critically important issues for you to be aware of and dialed in on; tort reform and the budget update.

The Senate has had numerous meetings in the last few weeks discussing bill S. 244, titled The South Carolina Justice Act. The intent of the bill is to modernize the way South Carolina’s liability laws work to ensure businesses are only responsible for paying damages equivalent to their share of fault in civil lawsuits. Issues that could affect the industry are changes to the statute of repose and seatbelt admissibility.  This legislation affects all of SC’s business community.  The bill’s primary sponsor, Senator Shane Massey, is calling the business community to act and support the legislation now to help push back the massive efforts of the SC Trial Lawyers Association. They are spending more than a million dollars and investing countless hours to defeat the bill. We have been told directly from leadership that if this bill does not pass now, it will not happen. We cannot stress enough the importance of the industry being at the forefront of the efforts. S. 244 has now been set for special order and will be taken up in the Senate on Tuesday, March 4th.  With that said, on Wednesday, March 5th at 11:30 inside the SC Statehouse, Governor Henry McMaster, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, President Thomas Alexander, and others are asking that SC’s business community come for a press conference to call for support of S. 244. They are asking that everyone attending wear their work attire. They want to see hard hats and steel-toe boots, scrubs, uniforms and company logos blanket the Statehouse. Now is the time to show up, make phone calls to Senators, and get a meeting(s) with Senators and tell them that we need them to vote YES for S. 244, to vote YES for SC’s business community. 

The week of March 10th – 13th, the House of Representatives will have the budget on the floor for debate. Of the $14.6 billion spending plan, House Ways & Means has recommended and will be debating the $200 million for bridge modernization, $50 million for Hurricane Helene Relief, $90+ million for airport renovations and $9 million for road safety enhancements. In addition the department of commerce is proposing to make shovel ready sites across the state which should lead to even more growth.