Greg Duckworth | Crossover Looms, Update on Roads, & EMTs
16747
post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-16747,single-format-standard,vcwb,tribe-no-js,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-7.5,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-4.3.2,vc_responsive
 

25 Apr Crossover Looms, Update on Roads, & EMTs

Horry County Teacher of the Year 2016

It was a pleasurable to meet with our very own Horry County Schools Teacher of the Year, Joey Trail, and also South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman, in the Capitol lobby.

If you’ve been able to follow the status of the legislation to reform SCDOT and fix our roads and bridges, your head is likely close to spinning at this point – to recap:

In 2014, a special House Committee was formed to study how to best go about reforming the SCDOT and fixing our roads and bridges. The House acted on that committee’s recommendations passing a bill in the first part of 2015, sending the “roads bill” to the Senate where it sat for ONE year. As election season rolled around in 2016, the Senate sent the bill back to us. We acted swiftly adding in strong SCDOT reform components and sent it right back to them for their approval which had they given would have placed a bill on Governor Haley’s desk for her signature this week.

However, as expected, the Senate voted this week to “non-concur” with our conservative roads bill and the legislation now heads to a conference committee. A conference committee is comprised of three members of the Senate and three members of the House. The six conferees will now meet regularly to iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill eventually (and I hope swiftly) producing a conference report which is a final piece of legislation that, should it pass both the House and Senate, will head to Governor Haley for her signature or veto.

Thank you to those of you who have reached out to express your concerns about legislation you would like to see advanced prior to the crossover deadline May 1st. Committees have worked overtime to move bills to the House floor where my colleagues and I will vote on each matter.

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are a valued part of our family of first responders that serve our state each and every day. This week the House unanimously passed legislation I had introduced exempting permanently and totally disabled former EMTs from paying homeowner property taxes. The measure adds permanently and totally disabled EMTs to the existing homeowner property tax exemption that is currently extended to permanently and totally disabled military veterans, former law enforcement officers, and former firefighters.

It is an honor to serve you and your family in the General Assembly. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance navigating state government, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with my colleagues in the House, don’t hesitate to contact me.