This article was originally published in The Lion. Up to 10,000 South Carolina students will be eligible for school choice this fall after Gov. Henry McMaster signed legislation restoring and expanding the state’s previous program. The Palmetto State had a school choice program last year, but the state Supreme Court abruptly halted it in September, just weeks into the
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
