California Lawmakers Propose Government Takeover Of Private Utility, While South Carolina Officials Look To Sell A Palmetto State-Owned Power Co.

Energy
News · February 27, 2020

Palmetto Promise’s Oran Smith and board chair Phil Hughes are quoted in this Forbes pieces comparing California and South Carolina’s approach to their utilities. To learn more about the research referenced in this article, click here.  By Patrick Gleason, Forbes Contributor  California lawmakers and state officials recently went through a very high profile failure in

South Carolina on the verge of removing obstacles to work for military spouses

Quality of Life
Blog · February 21, 2020

On Thursday, H.3263\S.455 passed through conference committee and now awaits ratification and a signature by the Governor. Once signed into law, the new statue will allow the state to issue a temporary professional or occupational license to spouses of military service members who move to South Carolina with an existing license from another state. This

South Carolina considers bill to standardize complex business license tax process

Tax & Budget
Blog · February 20, 2020

On Tuesday, the SC House Labor, Commerce & Industry Committee unanimously passed H.4431, a bill to standardize South Carolina’s business license tax process and provide relief to local businesses. Over 230 of the total 271 municipalities levy a business license tax on local businesses. Because municipalities have different processes for collecting theses taxes (different forms,

Palmetto Promise Institute Responds to DOA Santee Cooper report

Energy
February 11, 2020

Columbia, SC. (Feb. 11, 2020) – Palmetto Promise Institute (PPI), the most prolific publisher of independent analysis of state-owned utility Santee Cooper, issued the following statement in response to the report released this morning by the state Department of Administration (DOA): “The facts of the DOA report are clearly in line with what our two

A recap of South Carolina’s eventful National School Choice Week

Education
Blog · February 6, 2020

Last week, Palmetto Promise Institute and My SC Education joined states across the country in celebrating the 10th Annual National School Choice Week. Here are some of the highlights from the eventful week. Governor Henry McMaster declared support for K-12 education choice in a new video. “Everybody doesn’t learn the same way. We must give our

Legislators to decide Santee Cooper’s fate amid legal setbacks

Energy
Blog · February 5, 2020

On Thursday, The Post & Courier reported that Justice Jean Toal denied Santee Cooper’s request to stop the case against them from remaining a class-action lawsuit. This was a severe blow to Santee Cooper’s court fight over whether or not their customers should shoulder the burden of billions in debt from their failed nuclear project.

Potential last-ditch efforts by Santee Cooper ahead of report release

Energy
Blog · February 4, 2020

Before the bell rang on the 2019 legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that set the stage for a potential sale of Santee Cooper in 2020. The bill stipulated that the Department of Administration would receive proposals to (1) sell the state-owned utility, (2) management offers, and (3) a proposal from Santee Cooper to reform themselves.

McMaster, Evette help South Carolina celebrate School Choice Week

Education
Blog · January 31, 2020

This week, we joined states across the country in celebrating the 10th Annual National School Choice Week. Both the South Carolina Senate and House adopted resolutions recognizing January 26 – February 1 as National School Choice Week in South Carolina. We were excited to have support from Governor Henry McMaster and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette during National School