Important Legislation Passed by the House in 2022

Many important bills were signed into law this year, including S. 11 – Paid family leave, which provides up to 6 weeks of paid family leave to state employees due to the birth or adoption of a child.

H.3006 – School lunch debt bars public schools from using collection agencies to collect outstanding student lunch debt as well as enacting any monetary penalty, like interest, on outstanding debts.

S. 628 – Pharmacy Access Act makes it easier for women to access birth control by allowing patients to get hormonal contraceptives from their pharmacist without a prescription.

H. 5182 – South Carolina Opioid Recovery Act addresses the opioid epidemic by establishing a fund to assist with the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.

H. 3509 – Child protection and permanency establishes an extended foster care program allowing certain children in foster care to continue receiving services from the Department of Social Services until the age of 21. The previous cutoff age was 18.

H. 4576 – Historically Black Colleges & Universities Day designates the third Tuesday of February as “Historically Black Colleges and Universities Day” in South Carolina in recognition of the important role these institutions hold in our state.

S. 1087 – Comprehensive Tax Cut Act of 2022 lowers state tax rates and exempts all military retirement income.

Early Voting

The House came together to pass a bipartisan bill that expands early voting. H. 4919 establishes two weeks of no-excuse early voting at polling places before elections, including Saturdays. It also changes the qualifications for absentee voting and increases penalties for voter fraud. For more information, visit www.scvotes.gov.

Investment in District 54

This year, I worked hard to secure state government funding for important projects in our community, including $500,000 for the Coulter Academy; $750,000 for the Old Marlboro Community Center-King Street; $2 million for Marlboro County Recreation Facilities; and $1.5 million for the Trinity Behavioral Care-Marlboro County.

FY 2022-2023 Budget Highlights

This year’s state budget totaled $14 billion and made crucial investments in our state, including…

– $1 billion in income tax relief and the creation of a two-rate system by collapsing brackets with a top rate of 6.5% that will eventually decrease to 6%. This raises taxes on no one and makes the system more efficient.

– $75 million in new annual funding for public education

– State employees received a 3% base pay increase covered by $72 million as well as a one-time $1,500 bonus covered by $45 million.

– The minimum starting salary for teachers was raised to $40,000 from $36,000. This puts South Carolina’s average starting teacher salary above North Carolina and Georgia. Bus drivers also received a 5% pay raise.

– $55 million in recurring funds has been allocated for a tuition freeze at state colleges and universities. This is the fourth year in a row that tuition has been frozen.

– $60 million for needs-based grants.

–$40 million to increase pay for law enforcement and correctional officers to help with recruitment and retention. The average starting salary for state law enforcement officers increased by $3,500 to $43,500.

– $1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Transportation to fund repairs for roads and bridges.

SC Senate Fails to Pass Hate Crime Bill

South Carolina remains one of only two states without a hate crime law on the books. It was very disappointing that the Senate did not even hold a vote on the bipartisan hate crime bill that passed the House with overwhelming support last year. H. 3620, Hate Crime Bill, would establish the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, providing penalty enhancements for violent crimes committed against a victim because of their race, color, religion, and gender, among other things. Due to the Senate’s inaction, the bill must be filed next year, starting the legislative process all over.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance to you. You may contact me by mail or email here:

Representative Patricia Moore Henegan; 333B Blatt Building; Columbia, South Carolina 29201; and PatHenegan@schouse.gov