Gov. Mark Sanford has posted a list of Legislators that he considers heroes to the Taxpayer. You can also see the letter written to me!
To view images, click below:
letter: http://www.kevinbryant.com/kbarchive/Letter%20from%20Sanford.htm
poster: http://www.kevinbryant.com/kbarchive/Taxpayer%20Heroes.htm
H. 3777 Geocaching
H. 3777 Geocaching
The subcommittee will meet on Tuesday, May 31 at 10 AM in Room 207 in the Gressette Building in Columbia. According to Senate rules, subcommittees are the only venue in which the public is allowed to participate. I encourage all Geocachers to attend this meeting if possible.
Recently, I have discussed the hobby of Geocaching with several friends and constituents. In the near future, I plan on taking up the activity with my wife, three children and of course our dog, Cookie.
Our society is desperate for any incentive to get us away from our TV sets and video games. Geocaching is a new activity that encourages families to obtain much needed exercise and renews our enjoyment for God’s creation. Geocachers are folks that enjoy the outdoors, our beautiful parks, and significant sites of history. Geocachers use a Global Positioning System, or GPS to find these sites by the use of coordinates instead of maps. There is a program called CITO (Cache In, Trash Out). CITO is responsible for tons of litter picked up by Geocachers each year. Geocaching is part of school and scouting lesson plans all over the country. Corporations, such as 20th Century Fox, Jeep and Magellan, have sponsored contests based solely on the hobby.
The problem is that the hobby has a few “bad apples” that are determined to outlaw this creative hobby. Our committee has viewed pictures of individuals performing disrespectful acts specifically on gravesites however the positive benefits of Geocaching by far outweigh the negative impacts.
H. 3777 as written is much too broad and will have far reaching negative effects. I would compare this legislation to the outlawing of baseball because of a few broken windows. For these reasons, I will not support this bill, unless it is amended with reasonable limitations.
Tax Cuts (sort of)
The Senate passed today a very watered down version of Governor Sanford’s Tax Cut Proposal. The original proposal was an across the board cut from 7% to 4.5% for EVERYONE. The Senate passed a cut from 7% to 5% only for small businesses. Now I’ve never met a tax cut I didn’t like, but I am truly disappointed in the witling down of a good proposal.
Defense of Marriage
Defense of Marriage Amendment Pass 18 to 2 in Senate Judiciary with not much debate. There are some questionable contractual issues that need to be ironed out to pass constitutionality muster.
Half way throught 116th Session
It is hard to imagine that we’re half way through the 116th session of the General Assembly. Since our announcement of candidacy in August ’03, we’ve experienced a great journey and together we can accomplish great things in the SC Senate!
Below is a summary of what’s been happening lately:
Tort Reform
Tort Reform legislation was divided into General Tort Reform and Medical Malpractice Tort Reform. One filibuster wasn’t ended until after 1 AM. Hunkered down, we were determined to hold our ground. The two pieces of legislation will be signed into law by Gov. Sanford next week.
Defense of Marriage
Thursday the Senate voted 34-4 to recall the Defense of Marriage Act from subcommittee and placed it on the Senate Calendar. When the reading clerk reached Bryant, I felt it appropriate to answer, “I do” instead of the traditional “aye”.Uniform Securities Act
I am fortunate to be assigned to the Judiciary Sub-Committee that will manage the Uniform Securities Act. I am especially interested in this bill because of the recent Carolina Investors Scandal. This legislation is intended to reform South Carolina’s securities regulations and may help prevent the reoccurrence of the betrayal of trust suffered by hundreds of families in South Carolina.
Just a Reminder…Powdersville BBQ
We are delighted to announce a BBQ in Powdersville with Congressman Gresham Barrett as our special guest. The debt reduction fundraiser will be at the home of Christie and Freddie Zink on Saturday, April 16th. Anyone interested in serving on the host committee, please let us know.
It has been a pleasure to serve you. If you need me, don’t hesitate to get in touch!Kevin L. Bryant*We respect your privacy. If you would like to unsubscribe to the Bryant for Senate e-mail updates, please respond to this e-mail with “unsubscribe” in the subject field.
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