K-12 education sees a tsunami of cash: what about parents?

Education
Blog · September 21, 2021

As Palmetto Promise has previously reported, South Carolina public schools are on the receiving end of an “unprecedented” $3.4 billion in one-time pandemic-related funds. South Carolina lawmakers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wisely steward these resources to support students and families who have been most dramatically impacted by school closures and lack-luster remote learning, as well as expand innovation and create unprecedented transparency.

Op-Ed: After COVID – 3 things that states can do now to fix health care

Healthcare
Blog · June 14, 2021

PPI visiting fellow Dr. Marcelo Hochman coauthored this op-ed in USA Today to discuss healthcare reform and repealing CON laws. Policymakers talk about comprehensive health care reform. They see a broken system and want to fix everything at once. Emergency room workers can relate, but they take a more strategic approach when patients arrive with multiple

Mobile Barbershops Legislation Passes Committee, Moves to House Floor

Quality of Life
Blog · March 4, 2021

South Carolina could be on the “cutting edge,” says Rep. Pat Henegan, of a new innovation in the world of barbering. On Wednesday, March 3, 2021, the Medical, Municipal and Military Affairs (“3M”) Committee of the South Carolina House sent H.3024 to the floor in a unanimous vote. The committee’s approval was a huge step

COVID Liability Protection Passes South Carolina Senate

Quality of Life
Blog · February 25, 2021

On February 25, 2021, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill to protect SC business from predatory COVID-related lawsuits. Just last month, Governor McMaster delivered his State of the State address, outlining South Carolina’s 2021 policy priorities. In that speech, the Governor touted 7 of the 10 recommendations in Palmetto Promise’s 2021 Freedom Agenda, a common-sense,

A 2021 Freedom Agenda for South Carolina

Blog · December 18, 2020

Last week, we asked our email subscribers to rank their priorities for South Carolina in 2021…and the response was overwhelming! It was a dead heat for first place, but cutting our highest-in-the-Southeast income tax rate was the winner by a nose, closely followed by expanding education choice and lowering health care costs.  With Christmas coming up next week, we are

Meet Janie Neeley: Mom, Teacher, Advocate

Education
Blog · September 28, 2020

“SAFE Grants have created the opportunity for our family and families like ours to truly have school choice, give our children the chance to succeed and give us the ability to fully support their learning needs.” Columbia, SC “I have three children. My oldest is 23. She chose to commission into the army and she’s

Students with special needs being left behind with virtual learning, SC parents say

Education
Blog · September 23, 2020

“The public-school district was looking at four to six hours in front of a computer for virtual learning. Developmentally, that’s just not appropriate for a four-year-old with Down syndrome.” Janie Neeley has a four-year-old son with Down Syndrome. In late Spring, she decided to enroll her son in K4 at their local public elementary school

550+ SC Parents speak out on need for SAFE Grants

Education
Blog · September 16, 2020

Public policy work can never be ho-hum, when you realize that it’s all about making people’s lives better! That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to sharing the stories of real people and promoting policy solutions that provide real relief for our South Carolina neighbors. Amid the Coronavirus fallout, there is no better example of impactful, common sense policy than SAFE Grants, which would open up new education hope for struggling low- and moderate-income families. These grants would provide qualified families with the financial support they