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South Carolina is leading the nation in economic freedom and in resistance to federal government overreach, at least according to two new comprehensive rankings. A brand new report from the State Policy Network’s Center for Practical Federalism ranked South Carolina #4 in the nation on its Federalism Scorecard. This means that South Carolina outshines most

We are grateful to the South Carolina Senate for its recent passage of S.62, a bill by Education Chairman Greg Hembree that aims to restore school choice in South Carolina following the SC Supreme Court’s Eidson decision that left thousands of SC families with their promised scholarships ripped away. The legislation passed after several weeks

Teacher shortages have become a persistent problem for South Carolina’s public schools. But with new bills being proposed every legislative session to address this crisis, it’s hard to keep up with all the proposed changes.  At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school session there were 1,043 teacher vacancies compared to the prior year’s 1,613 vacancies. To

The lawsuit industry in South Carolina is out of control. Drive down any highway in our state, and you’ll see it lined with billboards for trial lawyers. The sheer quantity are a clear sign that something in our state is sorely wrong. Businesses with as little as 1% of fault are paying 100% of the

This op-ed by Palmetto Promise Research Fellow Jennifer Buckley was originally published in the Post and Courier. It also has been published in FitsNews. South Carolina’s dormant nuclear energy ambitions could be stirring back to life. Santee Cooper announced Jan. 22 that it is seeking proposals to acquire and complete, or propose alternatives for, the

Columbia, S.C. (February 4, 2025) — A supermajority of South Carolina’s general election voters overwhelmingly support the modernization of the state’s energy grid and a move away from the currently siloed monopoly-driven power systems. In a poll of 600 registered general election voters, 80 percent of those surveyed favored moving away from the current monopolistic

If you’ve read or watched the news in South Carolina in the last few years, you likely have noticed a strange and disconcerting phenomenon: scores of restaurants, bars, and music venues have announced their closures. From the iconic Smiley’s Acoustic Cafe in Greenville to Henry’s of Cayce, long-established businesses in the state have been shutting

This op-ed by Francesca Flores was originally published in The Greenville News. Imagine being a parent, watching your child thrive in a school that meets their unique needs — only to have that opportunity suddenly taken away. That is what happened to low-income families in the Palmetto State. Now that South Carolina’s legislative session has

In the 125th General Assembly (2023-24), South Carolina legislators passed a bill separating the behemoth Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) into separate agencies (Act 60, 2023). Following that much-needed reform, legislators’ efforts turned toward finding comprehensive measures that would streamline health functions across state government. The state had 6 separate agencies that all dealt

This article by Adam Whittenberg was published in The Lion about Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron’s recent award. When the South Carolina Supreme Court abruptly ended South Carolina’s school choice program just weeks into the school year, Wendy Damron didn’t take things lying down. Damron, who heads the Palmetto Promise Institute think tank,