This session has been flying by and we are now just past the middle of March with only 8 weeks left to go. During session last week, I was talking with Senator Sean Bennett of Summerville (who sits next to me) about how busy we are. We came in the Senate at the same time in 2012. We joked that the first four years were much easier because no one trusted us with anything – but that has changed!

Click here to see the list of bills that either passed through the Senate last week (3rd Reading) or that we got a second reading on the bill. It also includes the bills that came out of committee and were read across the desk on Thursday and will be on the calendar this week.

One bill that I will tell you about, that’s not a big newsmaker but I thought was extremely interesting and made me feel old, was the Sestercentinnial bill (that is exactly the way they spelled it). It forms the committee to begin preparing for the 250th celebration of the American Revolutionary War, which will be branded as RevWar250. (I remember how big a deal the Bicentennial celebration was in 1976.) The testimony from the historians describing the impact South Carolina had on the outcome of the war would have made you proud to be a South Carolinian.

There are more battle sites in South Carolina from the Revolutionary War than all of those combined in the Northeast. Heritage Tourism is a growing industry and the plan is to create a RevWar Trail that includes the 19 sites that are recognized now as National Parks/Monuments in South Carolina.  This adds up to a total of 69 sites, which is only just a little more than half of the total number of battles that occurred in our state. 2026 will be here before we know it.

If there are issues on your mind that you would like an update on, or you just need help navigating state government, please give my office in Columbia a call. My assistant is Ja’vell Bynoe, and our direct line is (803) 212-6148. If you want to see what’s going on in the Legislature, please click here. On the right of the first screen, you can see all of the scheduled meetings along with the agendas. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in Columbia.