I’ll be in a Labor Commerce & Industry Committee, but here is the agenda for the South Carolina Joint Other Funds Committee. The hearing will be Thursday Morning at 9am in room 105 in the Gressette Building.

https://www.kevinbryant.com/kbarchive/9562/

Boeing recently announced they’re investing another $1 billion in South Carolina for their North Charleston manufacturing complex. They have estimated it will create 2,000 new jobs over the next eight years. This is exciting news for South Carolina.

When large companies consider where they want to expand, they take into consideration what incentives states will offer them. States want large businesses to invest in their region because of projected job creation and potential capital investment. However, the costs and sacrifices South Carolina will have to make in the process cannot be disregarded or overlooked in comparison.

Giving two speeches during on the floor, I stated that as much as I believe the Boeing expansion will benefit the state, I could not support the state’s plan to issue bonds to pay for the incentives. $120 million is being offered for upfront expansion costs such as utilities and site preparation and other infrastructure. I complained that legislators were piling up more debt that future generations will have to repay, as if they were trying to catch up with Washington.

Incentive bills were introduced in both the state House and Senate here in Columbia. Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) and I took the floor during session to voice our concerns. Republican Senators Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg), Tom Corbin (R-Greenville), Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg), & Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) joined us in casting only six dissenting votes.

The full South Carolina Senate is currently debating a bill that would allow concealed carry in restaurants that serve alcohol (s.308).

The catch is you must possess a Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP). I encourage CWP’s, but when you think about it, to obtain a CWP, you have to approach government asking permission to recognize a right already granted to you in the Constitution. Kind of backwards isn’t? I will support this legislation, however, we may be able to greatly improve s.308. Here’s how.

S.115, Constitutional Carry, is another bill honoring your 2nd amendment rights. It makes the CWP optional. This bill is currently being debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee after several statewide hearings.

As you know, Senate Rules are such that we can only consider one contested bill at a time using special order. Even if the Judiciary Committee were to pass s.115, getting another 2nd amendment rights bill on special order in one session would be difficult.

On April 17, Sen. Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) introduced an amendment to s.308 that contains the language of s.115. We have an opportunity to pass both bills at once!

I’ll support s.308 (Restaurant Carry) either way, but wouldn’t it be great if we could pass it along with the Constitutional Carry included?