State House Report #2 -  Shannon Erickson - House District 124 Highlights of the First 4 Weeks!

The South Carolina House of Representatives has been in session for four weeks and I am proud to say that it has been a very busy and productive time! We have been working on issues that you have told us are important: accountability, tax savings, illegal immigration and insurance. First, we passed reform of budget earmarks, which means that a House member may contest any budget item not specifically requested by a state agency. That item must be defended or it will require a separate two-thirds vote by the membership of the House. Since the budget process can be overwhelmingly complicated, so it is our goal to bring a new measure of transparency and accountability to the process. It is also only a start, but it takes effect immediately and will change how we write this year’s state budget. We will also pursue a permanent, statutory change this year. I was happy to join other House Republicans in filing legislation on two of our other major agenda items. We proposed an additional tax cut for married couples by exempting more of their income from state income tax. We also proposed moving the $300 sales tax you pay on cars to fund improvements to our state’s roads and bridges. The biggest item this past week was the approval of our comprehensive immigration reform package. This bill is the broadest attempt yet, and our first step, at making South Carolina less attractive to illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, we had to take action because of Congress’ continued inaction. What South Carolina can’t do is physically stop the invasion of illegal immigrants from coming in the first place. That is a responsibility that only the federal government, but don’t get me wrong, this is a STRONG bill. What South Carolina can do is exactly what this bill accomplishes. First, law enforcement agencies must check someone’s legal status if they commit a crime. Second, the law prohibits any area of our state from becoming a “sanctuary city.” Third, it prohibits college admission and public scholarships for illegal immigrants. Fourth, it prohibits illegal aliens from receiving public benefits and employment on public projects. Fifth, it is now a felony to possess false identification papers. The bill also encourages employers to use the Federal SAVE Program to check if their employees are in the country legally. There is no cost for employers to use this program. If an American is fired and an illegal immigrant is hired in his place, the American worker can sue for his job back. There is no cost to employers to check with the SAVE Program. The number of illegal immigrants in South Carolina has exploded 15 fold in the last decade, and according to the best estimates, illegal immigrants cost South Carolina taxpayers more than $186 million a year. We have begun the battle to curtail the battery on our state’s resources and will continue to work for measures to encourage legal membership in our society. Also, on Tuesday, we approved a bill that will extend healthcare coverage to the tens of thousands of South Carolinians working for small businesses. The bill allows groups of these businesses to band together and offer health insurance to their employees. When small businesses are allowed to band together, they can get the purchasing power of their larger competitors, which means lower rates. We expect many businesses to take advantage of this as soon as it becomes law. I also have filed two pieces of legislation to get tougher on crime. First, I propose that we toughen laws on persons committing lewd acts on children. If passed, this offense would become non-parolable and require "serious" crime status so that it will qualify for a three-strikes/life in prison mandate. Second, is a bill to tighten laws on burglary, specifically of our homes. Current law imposes stiffer penalties for breaking into a storage shed at night than the violation of our homes during the day and is not what is in the best interest of our citizens. My legislation would change that and make our homes as important as outbuildings, always. We are off to a strong start and I look for us to make great strides this year. As always, thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on these issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me at shannonerickson@schouse.org, 843.263.1867 on my cell or my Columbia office at 803.734.3261.