Goodbye Incrementalism?

Healthcare
Blog · May 12, 2023

The photo you see adjacent to this post is of a group of true believers who assembled on January 21, 2020 on the first floor of the Statehouse to call for a total repeal of the state Certificate of Need program. Earlier this week, Senator Tom Davis referred to this event humorously as “a few

What will CON repeal mean for you?

Healthcare
Blog · May 8, 2023

This week, South Carolina residents have reason to celebrate as the state has repealed Certificate of Need (CON) laws. While most people may not be familiar with the term, the effects of these laws are felt every day. CON laws were introduced in the 1960s as a misguided way to control healthcare costs by limiting

CERTIFICATE OF NEED LEGISLATIVE ANALYSIS

Healthcare
Blog · May 1, 2023

Effect of House 3M Committee Amendment (S.164) In both 2022 and 2023, the South Carolina Senate under the leadership of Majority Leader Shane Massey, Medical Affairs Committee Chairman Danny Verdin, and Senators Wes Climer and Tom Davis sent the South Carolina House a bill fully repealing Certificate on Need (CON). Certificate of Need is the

Thanks, Citizen Sleuths!

Education
Blog · April 5, 2023

Thanks, Citizen Sleuths! It appears that some in the education lobby didn’t like our “citizen sleuth” exercise from two weeks ago. (This was our call for your help calculating ease of access to health [sexuality] education curricula on school district websites.) Our simple research effort was spun this way in a Senate hearing on curriculum

ESA Bill in a Nutshell

Education
Blog · April 5, 2023

The following is the statement of Palmetto Promise Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith before the House Education and Public Works Committee on the matter of S.39, the Education Scholarships Accounts Act. Update: S.39 was signed by Governor McMaster on May 4, 2023. The effective date of the bill, now Act 8, is June 3,

Six Weeks Left

Education
Blog · March 30, 2023

It is hard to believe that there are only six weeks left in the first session of the 125th South Carolina General Assembly. But it is looking like a promising first year for the Palmetto Freedom Agenda. Here are some highlights with links to a deeper dive: Stay tuned for a full tracking of Palmetto

It’s School Choice Spring!

Education
Blog · March 16, 2023

With a Certified Public Accountant now at the helm of Palmetto Promise Institute, it is time to step up our numbers game! So, are you ready for a bit of simple “Education policy math”? To build our equation, consider events this week at the South Carolina Statehouse… If my calculator is right, that means— Again,