January 22, 2021

With the 2021-2022 legislative session underway, we are getting to work in Columbia. The 2021 Legislative Agenda will guide our lobbying efforts at the State House this year and focuses on the business community’s top priorities relating to:

• Building a skilled talent pipeline
• Criminal justice reform
• Supporting the military
• State fiscal health
• Economic development

The agenda features 12 Priority Issues that we will actively work to pass this year. Some of the highlights include:

• Review SC’s current penal code to better align crimes and sentencing, expand the number of non-violent felony offenses for expungement and better prepare inmates for high-demand career opportunities.
• Fully exempt military retirement benefits from state income tax.
• Increase state investment in tourism advertising.
• Update and modernize South Carolina’s state education funding model to ensure that every student has access to a high-quality public education.

There are also seven Competitiveness Issues which may take longer to accomplish but are priorities that are still vitally important to the business community. Dive deeper into the Agenda at charlestonchamber.org/legislativeagenda to view the full list of Priority and Competitiveness Issues.

In addition to our work at the State House, we also want to keep you plugged in to what is happening at the Federal level. We are excited to welcome Congresswoman Nancy Mace for a Virtual Town Hall next week and I invite you to join. Congresswoman Mace will give an update on the COVID-19 stimulus bill and discuss how she is working to represent our region in D.C.

When: Friday, January 29 at 2:30 p.m.

George Ramsey
Senior Director of Legislative Relations