You’ve probably heard the saying: “Winning the battle but losing the war.” That’s exactly what the South Carolina General Assembly risks doing if it narrows its focus to fixing liquor liability problems while leaving the rest of our broken civil liability system untouched.  Let’s be clear: Liquor liability is a massive and urgent issue. Over

As South Carolina looks to curb overregulation, one major area in need of attention is occupational licensing. South Carolina is ranked 27th in the nation on occupational licensing burden with 159 licenses (You can view the full list of occupational licenses here, on South Carolina’s Department of Labor Licensing & Regulation page).  In recent years,

This article by Patrick Gleason originally appeared in Forbes. The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a decision last September to strike down the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF), upending a new education savings account (ESA)-style program enacted by South Carolina lawmakers the prior year. The ESTF program struck down by the South Carolina Supreme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DeVos Foundation Donates $250,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund COLUMBIA, SC — The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has made a generous $250,000 donation to the ESTF Families Fund, an initiative launched by Palmetto Promise Institute to assist low-income families impacted by the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to

To justify its decision striking down Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) grants for low- and moderate-income K-12 students in September of last year (2024), the South Carolina Supreme Court presented a Palmetto State history lesson, but it was a perverse one. In the majority’s peculiar characterizations of South Carolina’s past, the words of arch-racist Ben

Palmetto Promise President and CEO Wendy Damron is honored to have been featured on the State Policy Network’s Neighbors in the Network podcast this week. Read about her interview and check out the whole episode below! When the South Carolina Supreme Court unexpectedly ruled mid-school year against the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund, thousands of low-income students suddenly faced

Jeb Bush writes that thousands of students “could finally afford the education of their dreams” with the state’s proposed Education Scholarship Trust Fund.

Our state’s civil justice statutes are in dire need of reform—on many levels.    But specifically, it is our system of modified comparative negligence that is often so scandalously unjust. “Nuclear” outcomes have become common, especially in venues like Richland County, where eight-figure verdicts have become routine in recent years. In 2024, a jury awarded a

In the 126th General Assembly, key South Carolina legislators are working to pass S.46, a bill that signals that physician non-compete agreements both interfere with physician-patient relationships and corporatize the practice of medicine. The bill is designed to put an end to medical non-competes.  What is a noncompete agreement?  A noncompete agreement is a legal

South Carolina is at a turning point. With one of the fastest-growing populations in the country and a booming economy, the demand for reliable, affordable energy has never been higher. Yet, our outdated energy system—dominated by utility monopolies—is struggling to keep up. Without modernization, we risk not only higher costs but also potential energy shortages