My Mother with her grandchildren at North
Litchfield Beach last May.

It is with much sadness that I share with you the passing of my mother, Anne Summers Turner. Recently my mother’s health began to decline, and we called in Hospice to help us care for her at home.

Last Wednesday, I went by her house to see her before I left for Columbia. When I got to Columbia, I received the call from home that my mom had passed away, so I turned my truck around and headed home. I think the Lord knew I needed the 1 ½ hour ride back alone to reflect on how blessed my two sisters and I were to have her as our Mom.

At her funeral on Monday, her grandchildren spoke about her impact on them and their friends, as did the pastor. Mom grew up in Cameron, SC, and was raised with those small-town Southern values of faith, family, and hard work. She instilled in us those same values, not by talking about them…but by living them every day. 

We will miss her more than words can describe, but we are also joyful knowing that she is with our Dad again. She was the best and we loved her so.

SENATE NEWS

The start of this 2-year session has been more productive than any of the previous I have been through since 2012. The Leadership set out the priorities for the session after getting input from everyone in the “new” Republican caucus.

As you may know, we picked up 3 seats to give us a total of 30 of the 46 Senate seats. With those numbers, expectations are high that we deliver on some issues that have been known to die in the Senate in the past.

We all selected our new committee assignments for the next 4 years. After 2 terms on Senate Judiciary, I was able to move to the Senate Finance committee. I will also be serving on Education; Banking and Insurance; Corrections and Penology; and Fish, Game and Forestry.

The Heartbeat bill was given priority and was able to get through the Medical Affairs committee process and on to the floor for debate last week. It was passed out of the Senate to the House where it had a committee hearing last week.

Also last week, we had judicial races and started debate on a bill for the State to be able to “fire” a local school board in extreme circumstances of underperformance. This bill was a section of S 419, the education bill we passed out of the Senate last year but was never debated in the House due to COVID-19. Several of the bills we have passed so far were debated and passed in the Senate last year, but never had hearings in the House. I am sure the reverse is also true.

We will begin working on COVID-19 liability protections in the coming weeks for our businesses, health care providers, churches, HOA’s, and others that have strived to adhere to CDC recommendations and remain open. It is essential that our businesses know we have their back through this pandemic.

I want to thank you again for the opportunity to represent District 8 in the SC Senate. It is an honor and a 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 and either me or my assistant, Ja’Vell Bynoe, will be happy to help you out.