Six Bills. Six Days Remain.

There are six days left in the Legislative Session. What looked like almost an eternity back in January is nearly over.

There are several Coalition priorities still open as time runs out that we’ll be working to get across the finish line. You can help by contacting your House members or Senators and tell them how important these bills are to the Upstate and the Upstate business community. Visit our Action Center, where you’ll see options on the right-hand side to look up your legislators and find their contact information.

Greenville Health System (S. 1116) — We believe this compromise legislation will end the controversy over the reorganization of the Greenville Health System and its partnership with Palmetto Health. Call your House member today and tell him or her that this legislation is critical to preserve local control of our health system and continuing high quality healthcare for the Upstate.

Action: Call your House member and tell them to pass this legislation quickly. 

Affordable Housing (H. 3867) — The House approved this legislation last year 104-0. The Senate approved it on second reading 36-0 last year. Now, this legislation has languished on the Senate all year. There are a number of efforts underway to tack on unrelated provisions and even strip the bill of its affordable housing provisions (making it a Santee Cooper bill? A solar bill? Nothing much at all?).

Action: Call Upstate Senators and let them know this legislation is a private-sector solution that will increase the supply of affordable housing.

Expungement (H. 3209) — This is another bill that passed the House 103-0 last year. The Senate has kicked the can down the road on this, and now wants to water it down. This would expunge the records of first-time drug offenders as long as their records have been clean since their single conviction.

Action: Call Upstate Senators and tell them we don’t support any further weakening of the Expungement bill, but will not oppose the bill if weakened.

Job Development Credits (S. 404) — This legislation can still get out of the House. It has been more than a year since this critical job recruitment legislation was approved by the Senate. In a nutshell, this bill will extend the lucrative job development tax credits to companies looking to lease significant amounts of space — not only invest in costly infrastructure. The Upstate is trying to lure headquarter jobs and this will give our economic development agencies a major new tool to use.

Action: Call our Upstate Ways and Means Committee members and see if they will help Upstate job creation: White, Cole, Loftis, Smith, Whitmire

Tax Conformity  — This bill was filed late, as the state was still trying to decide how our tax code needed to be changed to conform with December’s federal tax reform. Now, we know that state taxes will go up by about $200 million, with individuals getting hit with $120 million more in taxes and businesses picking up the other $80 million. This tax conformity bill should be a formality, but it still hasn’t happened with seven days left.

Abandoned Buildings — (S. 1043) — This legislation extends a tax credit frequently used in both cities and rural areas to redevelop historic buildings. This credit has helped many cities revitalize their downtown areas.

Action: Call your House member and urge them to take this bill up. Find your representative here.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS HERE