As we teach … pick a legislative topic, and go deep!!! Understand it from top to bottom … and follow the “bill” through the process.  That is the only way to figure all this “political” mess out.

Right now, two of the top legislative initiatives of the year are being completely held hostage … in the SC Senate.  First, the overwhelming desire of SC Citizens to HELP our small businesses suffering under the liquor liability issue.  Second, school choice and the utter debacle that these ESAs have become.

So what is going on? 

TORT REFORM … waiting on votes?

We have been following S244 as a case study … mainly because we knew just by the politicians involved it had a nefarious purpose (protect BIG INSURANCE) … and we knew it would be crystal clear that it was not about helping our small business establishments.

Well … it has been an interesting saga (HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE) … and we were right all along.

Now, the Senate Republican Majority Leader Senator Shane Massey (R – Edgefield) is sitting on S244 … reportedly “working votes” for his monied special interest bill … while the clock is ticking on anything to help small businesses.  

Nothing has happened … and the 2025 legislative session adjourns on May 8th … just 53 days from today.  

Meanwhile SC House bill H3497 (HERE) is sitting there, passed the House, reported out favorably from Senate Judiciary … yet Senator Massey won’t let it come up for a VOTE because he wants “his bill” S244.  

It is a total stalemate … and the loser is SC Small Business & The Citizens!!!

Do legislators care about anything except special interest MONEY?!?!?! 

BONUS CONTENT:   We were clued in this past weekend to a little provision in S244 which really proves our point that it is all about serving the BIG INSURANCE special interest.  This gets a little “legal” … but consider this example.

Dad gets killed and it is 1,000% undeniably the fault of the insured, a client of ALLSTATE (as an example).  It is an open & shut case … the deceased Dad’s family lawyer requests policy limits (which everyone agrees should be paid) … but guess what … the BIG INSURANCE company can wait 10 MONTHS to pay.  Why?  The family will get the money … it is not debatable … but the BIG INSURANCE can sit on the claim, earning interest on the cash in the bank … for a full 10 months!!!  The SOUTH CAROLINA family suffers needlessly … can’t pay for funeral expenses without taking out a loan … all while ALLSTATE (as the example) sits around and earns 5% interest keeping the money in their bank.

Seriously Senator Massey … why???

FYI … Tuesday, June 13th, 2028 – 1,185 days from today … will be the 2028 PRIMARIES.  Will Senator Massey have an opponent?  He did not have a challenger in the 2024 primaries … even though he endorsed NIKKI HALEY … and SC Citizens are suffering.  #FigureItOUT!!! 

SCHOOL CHOICE …

… they have no idea what to do!!!

This is the most atrocious legislative case study … it will literally go down in history as the legislation that cost more jobs & political careers in South Carolina than anything else … including past (& future) legislative criminal investigations.

First, know this fight has been going on since about 2003 … and SC, twenty-two years later, still has the nation’s worst rated school choice program.  Par for the course … but sooooooo many pockets have been lined with consulting payments & political donations.  The kids come last … if they are ever considered at all.

The monied special interest ESA (S62 – HERE) was RUSHED through the SC Senate … it went to the SC House and returned “changed” on February 27th … and now the SC Senate has no idea what to do because they have now (reportedly) figured out, as we told them, that no matter what they do it will be found UNCONSTITUTIONAL for the 4th time!!!

So the SC Senate is just sitting on it … having no idea what to do in order to satisfy their monied special interest donors. We have watched it for nearly 12 years now … it is all about the $$$!!!  #FollowTheMONEY!!!

CONCLUSION:  We now have two easy fixes for the SC Citizens.  The SC Senate could just pass H3497 and fix the liquor liability issue and SAVE OUR SMALL BUSINESS, but our legislators won’t do it.  And, the SC Senate & SC House could easily pass S50 / H3420 … the “constitutional” PACE / ACE Scholarship Bill we have followed for years … and all the kids would be taken care of before the end of this semester … without a lawsuit being filed by the opposition as the program is sooooo constitutional they would be laughed out of court.

Our guess is legislators won’t do it.  They know how to fix it … but they won’t because the solutions won’t benefit their monied special interest donors.

Now … what is your solution???  More popcorn???  Kids are suffering … Small Businesses are suffering … but let’s all be “friends” with the people responsible for the suffering.   DO YOU AGREE???

Expanded View of Image: HERE

Let us know your thoughts … more popcorn, or more FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT???

team@mySCGOP.com