The Cost of Speaking Out: Why South Carolina Needs Anti-SLAPP Laws

Quality of Life
Blog · July 9, 2025

Have you ever felt the need to speak out against a powerful entity— such as a large corporation, government regulatory agency, or public figure— only to worry about getting sued for it?  In South Carolina, that is a very legitimate concern. The Palmetto State lacks basic protections against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs,

Regulatory Makeover: A Fresh Face for Cosmetology Licensing in South Carolina

Quality of Life
Blog · June 30, 2025

Currently in South Carolina, an estimated 17,057 potential job opportunities have been regulated out of existence by overreaching state occupational licensing laws and regulations. Now, don’t get us wrong. Because of health, safety, and consumer protection concerns, standards are important. But our state’s licensing system is currently placing unnecessary roadblocks in front of many South

Rating South Carolina: Pensions, Elections, & Roads. Oh my!

Quality of Life
Blog · June 19, 2025

At Palmetto Promise Institute, we are big on ratings and rankings. If done properly, a grade or score in a policy area can help a state know where it stands on freedom issues and how efficiently and effectively that state spends taxpayer dollars. Comparisons to neighboring states can be particularly useful. Trusted national organizations produce

Commentary: Legislators should fix the lawsuit problem — the whole problem

Quality of Life
Blog · April 30, 2025
Close up photo of a wooden gavel

This commentary by Palmetto Promise board chair Phil Hughes was originally published in the Post and Courier. From stem to stern, South Carolina’s lawsuit system is broken — and anyone who’s run a small business, owned a restaurant that offered alcohol or driven a truck knows it. Sky-high insurance rates, nuclear verdicts and the chilling

The Senate’s Lawsuit Reform Bill: Here’s What You Need to Know About S.244

Quality of Life
Blog · April 14, 2025

After four weeks of heated debate, in the late hours of the night on March 26, the South Carolina Senate reached an agreement on S.244, the tort reform legislation that aims to make South Carolina’s civil liability system fairer, particularly in complex cases that involve multiple parties.  Senate passage of the bill was a tremendous

Liquor Liability is Not The Whole Story – South Carolina Needs True Lawsuit Reform

Quality of Life
Blog · March 20, 2025

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

Licensing Labyrinth: How Occupational Regulations Disincentivize Work

Quality of Life
Blog · March 17, 2025

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,

SC’s Liability Laws are Judicial Socialism, Plain and Simple

Quality of Life
Blog · March 4, 2025

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

Cutting Red Tape for Businesses with the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act

Quality of Life
Blog · February 27, 2025

Regulatory review and consolidation have become a hot topic in the South Carolina Statehouse, particularly as they pertain to our state’s small businesses. This is welcome, because, in 2022, South Carolina was home to 463,549 small businesses, accounting for 99.4% of the state’s businesses. One effort to ensure our state’s business climate is friendly for

Lawmakers See Tort Reform, Like Tax Relief, As Way To Reduce Costs

Quality of Life
Blog · February 19, 2025
Close up photo of a wooden gavel

Palmetto Promise’s report Sandlapper Shakedown is cited in this piece originally published in Forbes. South Carolina has been among the most successful states recently in attracting individuals, families, and employers from other states. In fact, last year the Palmetto State’s population grew faster than all 49 other states. State lawmakers in South Carolina and Governor