Palmetto Promise Institute Internship Program

Our program is designed to provide young individuals with the opportunity to learn about state policy development and to gain hands-on experience working on policy research, legislative analysis, and communications.

2023-2024 Palmetto Freedom Agenda

Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) Signed Into Law

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, five thousand scholarships will be awarded to children from low and moderate income families (<$60,000 for a family of 4). Scholarships may be used not just for private school tuition but for a host of education providers. It is the ultimate customizable education. There are other restrictions. Children must have previously attended public school or be entering kindergarten. The portal for applying for these scholarships will open in March 2024. Schools are holding Open House events now. Get the ESA details here!

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May 9, 2025

How To Apply For A Life-Changing Education Scholarship

As a parent, I know firsthand how life-changing it can be to find the right school for your child. My own children each had different needs, and the right fit made all the difference in their growth, confidence, and success. That’s why school choice isn’t just policy to me—it’s personal. Over the past year, the Palmetto

May 7, 2025

SC bill would require every school board meeting to be recorded, posted

Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article, originally published in WJBF and WSPA. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – In Columbia, lawmakers are making headway on a bill that would make school board meetings more accessible to the public. Supporters said the legislation, if passed, would increase transparency between school districts and families. The bipartisan

May 6, 2025

KEY THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SOUTH CAROLINA TAX CUT PLAN

H.4216 would set South Carolina’s individual income tax—currently at 6.2%—on a path to 0%. No state has eliminated its income tax in 45 years, but H.4216 would set South Carolina on the road to repeal. H.4216 would also shift South Carolina to a federal AGI-based income tax calculation. Flattening tax rates is the clear trend

May 6, 2025

Economic Impact Analysis: House Republicans’ Income Tax Plan Will Boost SC Economy

Palmetto Promise Institute, in collaboration with The Buckeye Institute, has conducted an economic impact study on the newly amended H.4216, a proposal by the state’s Republicans leaders to move South Carolina’s highest-in-the-southeast income tax to two tiered rate of 5.39% and 1.99%, based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Our findings show how South Carolina’s economy

May 5, 2025

Seven FAQs About South Carolina Republicans’ Tax Cut Plan

1. What is actually in H.4216, the Republican Tax Cut Plan? H.4216 is a conservative-sponsored plan to cut the top current South Carolina individual income tax rate from 6.2% to 5.39%, then on down to 1.99% if the economy stays healthy. 2. Who will benefit from the Tax Cut Plan? Everyone will benefit from the

April 30, 2025

Commentary: Legislators should fix the lawsuit problem — the whole problem

This commentary by Palmetto Promise board chair Phil Hughes was originally published in the Post and Courier. From stem to stern, South Carolina’s lawsuit system is broken — and anyone who’s run a small business, owned a restaurant that offered alcohol or driven a truck knows it. Sky-high insurance rates, nuclear verdicts and the chilling

April 30, 2025

South Carolinians Should Always Have Access to School Board Meetings!

In 2025, live-streaming is a fact of life. Churches, political parties, sporting events, legislative bodies, and more are easily accessible online in realtime and for replay after the fact. But school boards across South Carolina still lag behind. That’s a huge problem. South Carolina citizens should have easy online access to watch their elected representatives

April 28, 2025

REPORT: Cooperation & Competition – The Case for an Energy Imbalance Market in South Carolina

South Carolina’s electricity market is at a crossroads. Composed of utilities operating under a vertically integrated model with limited competition, the state faces growing pressure to reduce costs, find new generation, and ensure long-term grid reliability. While efforts like the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM) have introduced modest reforms among a subset of utilities in

April 25, 2025

Families Fight Back as South Carolina Court Strikes Down School Choice

This column by Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron was originally published in the Daily Signal. South Carolina’s school choice program faced a crushing setback when the state’s Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional after hundreds of students had already started classes at new schools. However, a grassroots response has emerged to help families affected by the

April 23, 2025

Money is Stampeding into Florida But Trickling into South Carolina…Palmetto State Must Cut Income Tax to Compete

Over ten years ago, Travis Brown wrote How Money Walks: How $2 trillion Moved Between States, and Why it Matters. In the foreword, legendary economist Dr. Art Laffer summarized it as a study of “the migration of working wealth as a direct result of personal income tax rates…” Based on IRS tax return data, Brown

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