The 2021-2022 South Carolina legislative session is over!   Sort of.  Last Thursday, the South Carolina General Assembly adjourned “sine die” (a phrase which is pronounced in the Statehouse in a way that would make any Elementary Latin student cringe).   Legislation that did not pass both chambers or receive a Conference Committee appointment by

For Stewart Spinks, it’s all about opportunity. When he went to work for Shell Oil Company in 1968, he didn’t know that he would come to own a chain of 80 Spinx gas stations and convenience stores that, this year, will have its 50th anniversary. It happened because someone saw promise in him. Spinks started

At Palmetto Promise, we celebrate all types of students and all forms of schooling. This week, we’re highlighting the 40,000 South Carolina students who receive their education at one of the 81 public charter schools in the state. Charter schools in South Carolina are flexibly positioned to meet a variety of needs. For example, 41%

The Governor has asked the South Carolina House of Representatives to fully repeal Certificate of Need.

“As a physician I think Certificate of Need (CON) laws are detrimental to patient care – particularly in rural areas, because folks are less able to establish avenues of care.” “There is no data to support that these laws improve access to care. In fact, there’s more than sufficient data to show that they’re actually detrimental.” 

“Repeal of the current South Carolina CON laws will establish fair competition which will lead to more choices and access to care, greater value, and higher quality care.” “CON laws were designed to provide oversight and prevent wasteful duplication of services. However, there has been severe overshoot of those goals resulting in suppression in new

South Carolina’s CON program is one of the most restrictive in the United States. South Carolina requires a CON for 18 different services, including hospital renovations/new equipment that is over $600,000 and adding one or more hospital beds to a facility.

Thanks to strong state laws and aggressive legal initiatives taken to defend them (one of which was fought—and won—before the US Supreme Court) South Carolina has preempted many problems and largely avoided debacles like those experienced by our neighbors in Georgia and elsewhere.

Certificate of Need is that odious, decades-old law that requires permission from the state (and often one’s competitors) to build a healthcare facility or even offer a healthcare service.

H.4586 would open up the opportunity for criminal record expungement to more people and bring South Carolina’s criminal record expungement laws in line with the rest of the nation.