2020 SC Victories and Legislative Wrap Up

 

Successes for the slide

  1. Business License Reform
  2. Workforce Development/ fully operational Be Pro Be Proud Program (Launched in September)
  3. Fully funded UI Trust Fund for any covid layoffs and keeping all UI rates stable for 2021 for any covid layoffs
  4. Inclusion in all Executive Orders during Covid to make sure our employees were essential and could continue to work

 

Business License Tax reform passed the General Assembly after more than ten years. 

  • This legislation streamlines and standardizes the business license tax process without negatively impacting municipal revenue (which has been a major sticking point for years) 
  • There will be an online payment portal,
  • common applications, 
  • appeals processes.
  • Common time frame for all applications (May 1 – Apr. 30)
  • Third party collections were allowed but some protections
    • third-party entity is prohibited from assessing business license taxes or requiring a business entity to remit confidential business license tax data to that private third party
    • If a business requests in writing that the third party cease communication with the business, then the third party is strictly prohibited from any further contact.
    • Anti-harassment language
    • Prohibited from sharing any data from the business
    • The right to sue the third-party collection group as a private right of action.
  • The bulk of the bill will go into effect Jan 31, 2022 to give the cities the opportunity to get ready for the changes.  

 

Workforce Development/Be Pro Be Proud

  • Sept. 3 the Be Pro Be Proud initiative that we have been working on went live.
  • Goal is to identify workers early for skilled trades positions.
  • Our logo and that of association members were included on the truck as it makes its way across SC to identify the workforce, we need for the ready-mix industry in SC
  • Along with the just passed SC-WINS program we worked on with the SC Technical Colleges the goal is to identify students in high schools and get them in the skilled workforce and get those that are returning to the workforce and technical colleges to increase the pool we can choose from

 

UI Trust Fund Funding

  • $920 million for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund.
  • set the total effective UI tax rates for 2021 rate classes at the same total effective rates as 2020 rate classes 
    • meaning that regardless of the trust fund balance, for 2021, businesses will not have to pay tax rates above what they are paying this year

 

Executive Orders

 

  • March 2020 Governor McMaster issued first Covid Executive Orders shutting parts of the SC Workforce
  • Worked with Gov Office and other partners in the Construction and Trucking industry to ensure that CRMCA workers were always deemed essential.
  • Worked with CRMCA staff and partners in the Construction and Trucking industry to develop signage for vehicles to show essential personnel in case of traffic stops
  • At each step when the Governor issued or re-issued an executive order on essential personal our people were consulted to ensure we were covered as essential workers keeping the industry operational during Covid-19 in SC.  

 

 

In addition, the state of the SC Economy is holding steady.  SC state agencies are currently looking at no reductions in funding either for the FY 2021 year which we are currently in and under a continuing resolution for operations or for FY 22 which the Governor is currently working on and will be undertaken by the General Assembly when they return in January.  This is good news for those that have state agency contracts with groups such as the Department of Transportation.