Moving the Upstate Forward into 2022

(OK, so we’re a little hopeful with the image.)

The Upstate enters 2022 with a humming economy. Major headquarters and big manufacturing announcements are set to either break ground or open this year. Unemployment is back near historic lows, even though the workforce participation rate remains low.

In 2021, South Carolina was the fifth-fastest growing state, and the fastest growing on the East Coast. The Upstate is still seeing more than 30 people a day moving to the area. These are new customers, new employees, and new vibrancy to our booming region.

Against this backdrop, investors in our 14 Chambers are cautiously optimistic. There is still some anxiety as we recover from COVID-19 and try to continue to re-build certain sectors of our economy — such as our hospitality industry.

Hundreds of business leaders — from all industries and business sizes — engaged with the Coalition last summer and fall to find policy solutions. The result is a 2022 Upstate Chamber Coalition policy agenda that seeks to support the economic recovery and plug in thousands who haven’t shared in our prosperity.

This year is also the second year of the two-year state legislative session, so much of our work seeks to get our pro-growth agenda items across the finish line.

Improve Our Business Climate

• We need to re-institute joint and several protections for businesses to reasonably reflect fault in tort actions. Small businesses across the Upstate are only one frivolous lawsuit away from going out of business. This will be a major agenda item for most of our state’s business community in 2022.
• We also support income tax reform to ensure our income tax rates are in-line with our neighbors in the Southeast and ensure it is more fair, equitable, and competitive. We have long supported a comprehensive tax reform approach, and if one of the comprehensive plans moves, we will examine it closely… though after 15 years of supporting that, we’re starting to feel like Charlie Brown and the football.

Boost Economic Development & Infrastructure

• Reform our recruiting incentives to make it easier to attract significant investments in knowledge-based and corporate headquarters jobs.
• Effectively use ARPA funding on transformative infrastructure projects including:
  • Finishing the expansion of the Inland Port and Port of Charleston,
  • Expanding broadband service throughout the Upstate,
  • Fund water and sewer replacement and expansion projects,
  • Jumpstarting major interstate and road projects, and
  • Building a state electric vehicle infrastructure.

Increase Educational Attainment and Talent Attraction

• The biggest item under this heading is childcare. We’re working to seek solutions to expand the accessibility and the affordability of childcare to ensure working parents may fully participate in the workforce.

Reform our Criminal Justice System

• Review state law to expand the non-violent felony offenses for expungement and prepare inmates for high-demand career opportunities. These provisions include:
  • reforming civil asset forfeiture laws,
  • passing a hate crimes penalty enhancement,
  • assisting returning citizens with vital records,
  • and pass a state tax credit for hiring returning citizens.

Improve Our State’s Fiscal Health

• Close the South Carolina Retirement System to new employees and move to a defined contribution plan to better serve new employees and preserve the system for current retirees. We will continue to beat the drum on this issue since the state’s pension system — paired with Act 388 and other quirks of the tax system — means any budget gap at the local level will largely be filled by small businesses.

The highlight of our agenda-setting process was the record number of business leaders who took part – a number that has doubled since 2015.

We also want to remind readers that this is not the exhaustive list of the issues we’ll tackle in 2022. There are a number of things that we strongly support that are not on the agenda, such as increased transit funding. If an item isn’t on this list that you care deeply about, please feel free to email me.

We appreciate your activism. The voice of business leaders from across the state is vital to getting these priorities enacted into law. Thank you for your input, and we look forward to working with you again in 2022.