Historic Judicial Reform Bill Headed to the Governor – Here’s What It Does

Quality of Life
Blog · June 28, 2024

Late in the day June 26, the Conference Committee on S.1046, South Carolina’s judicial reform bill, reached an agreement on the final text to be sent to the Governor. Shortly thereafter, both legislative chambers approved the conference report unanimously. The bill now goes to Governor McMaster’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into

South Carolina lawmakers send judicial reform measure to governor

Quality of Life
Blog · June 27, 2024

Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article from the Center Square by Todd DeFeo. (The Center Square) — South Carolina lawmakers have approved a version of a judicial reform measure following months of back-and-forth debate. S. 1046, passed during this month’s special session, ostensibly increases transparency and accountability by changing how

TPPF Announces Coalition of State-Based Think Tanks in Support of Americans’ Online Privacy Rights

Quality of Life
Blog · June 25, 2024
Person s hands on top of macbook air

This press release was originally published by the Texas Public Policy Foundation on June 17, 2024. AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and other state-based think tanks sent a coalition letter to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce stating their support for the spirit of the American Privacy Rights Act of

South Carolina Needs to Protect Free Speech With Anti-SLAPP Law

Quality of Life
Blog · May 30, 2024

South Carolina is behind the times on free speech protections, particularly regarding protections from SLAPP lawsuits, also known as strategic lawsuits against public participation. These predatory lawsuits arise when one party levels privacy, defamation, or libel charges at individuals or advocacy groups with the intention to financially cripple them and scare them away from public

McMaster: South Carolina ‘must have judicial reform’

Quality of Life
Blog · May 13, 2024

Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article from the Center Square by T.A. Defoe.    (The Center Square) — A legislative conference committee will soon hash out differences in a measure to reform South Carolina’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission. Last week, the South Carolina House passed S. 1046, a bill reforming the

Judicial Reform Lives, with House now Considering Senate Bill

Quality of Life
Blog · April 29, 2024

UPDATE: The SC House overwhelmingly passed S.1046, amended as outlined below. The Senate did not concur in those amendments, and the bill now heads to a Conference Committee, made up of Senators Rankin, Massey, and Malloy and Representatives W. Newton, Caskey, and Stavrinakis.  At the end of March 2024, following two weeks of debate and