Last Friday, I was privileged to attend my third F-16 Fighting Falcon delivery ceremony at Lockheed Martin – with delivery this time to Taiwan. (Pictured with me at the event is Sara Hazzard, President & CEO of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance.)

Several speakers and dignitaries gave brief comments (by political standards, that is), but the one that stood out most to me was a Taiwanese pilot.

This pilot has been there since they became Taiwan. He spoke with genuine excitement about the possibility of Taiwan becoming a democracy, and the freedom a democracy brings. He made the comparison of Taiwan being a baby as opposed to the United States and our upcoming celebration of 250 years in existence.

It made me think about what it must have been like in 1776, as those who came before us separated from British rule to form our nation. I thought about my ancestors who played a role in the Revolutionary War, the sacrifices they made, and the excitement they must have felt after their victory. It was one of those moments that made me feel guilty for not appreciating our freedom every day. At the same time, it motivates me continue the fight to keep South Carolina as free as possible.

In mentioning the founding of our nation, please visit the South Carolina 250 website by clicking here. Did you know more than four hundred battles were fought in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War? You can read about them, learn how the fight for independence began, view the Francis Marion papers, and much more on the website. I am not sure the United States would be celebrating 250 years if it were not for South Carolina!

In important legislative news, the Senate passed S244 (Tort Reform) after four weeks of debate. This bill is about fairness – plain and simple.

I am proud to be a sponsor of this bill. It’s a step toward restoring balance in the system and keeping our state moving forward. For too long, South Carolina’s small businesses and families have been footing the bill for problems they didn’t cause.

This bill is now on its way to the House. You can read the full summary of the bill here. We will likely take the House bill that was sent to us and that only addresses liquor liability, strike that language, insert our S244 language, and send it back to the House.

We are a long way from the final bill, but I am hopeful we can get it across the finish line this year. While that debate took four weeks, we were still able to get some other bills passed. For a list of those, click here.

At the beginning of March, we also started having our Finance sub-committee meetings on the Budget. I serve on the Higher Education sub-committee, along with the Health and Human Services sub-committee. Putting a budget together is a long process. We will begin the budget debate in three weeks.

There are several departments anticipating large cuts from the Federal Government, due to the spending holds on various funding as they investigate all department expenditures. I believe a lot of these funds will be restored, but I also believe we need to prepare for the Federal Government to do less as they send more responsibility back to the states.

As always, thank you for the opportunity to represent District 8 in the South Carolina Senate. It is an honor and privilege that I do not take lightly.

If there is anything I can do to help you navigate state government, or if you just want to share your thoughts and concerns, please call my Columbia office at (803) 212-6148. My assistant, Ja’vell Bynoe, will be happy to help you.