Dear Friends,
Today we celebrate Presidents Day, in honor of George Washington's birthday. Both Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays are in February. A Federal holiday honoring George Washington was originally started by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices. By the mid-1980's the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was revised to include both Washington and Lincoln's birthdays. As we go about our business today, let us take amoment to think about "The Father of our Country", George Washington who was the Electoral Colleges' unanimous choice to become the first President. He was seen as a unifying force for the new republic and set an example for future holders of the office.
Last week, Governor Nikki Haley signed an executive order establishing the Governor's Regulatory Review Task Force, an eleven member group that will include the chairman of the Small Business Regulatory Review Committee, to review and reduce government involvement in business and create a more simplified and market-friendly regulatory system. Governor Haley's goal is to access the impact of the regulations to determine whether their costs to businesses and employers outweigh their intended benefits. To view the article that appeared in "The State" on February 12, 2013, click here.
On February 9, 2013, I had the opportunity to spend the day with 14 young hunters in search of squirrels as part of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Take One Make One (TOMO) program. I tried to express to them that having a great day in the field doesn't mean harvesting the bag limit. It's about being outdoors and creating lasting memories. TOMO is designed to teach safe hunting practices to students who have no previous outdoor experience. This program will increase their awareness and the value of wildlife and the natural environment by encouraging experienced adults to "pass on" traditional outdoor skills. TOMO emphasizes teaching safe and ethical hunting, the conservation and responsible use of our natural resources and character education.
In order for me to have a strong voice in Columbia, I have to communicate with my constituents. And that is you! My website, newsletters, mailers and Facebook are the communication tools that I use. It takes extra time, staff and campaign funds to maintain them.
If you would like to contribute, please mail a check to Hixon for House, P.O. Box 7927, North Augusta, SC 29861, or contibute online by going HERE.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – February 18, 2013
The week of the 5th was a very busy week in Columbia as the rubber hit the road on a number of important issues facing the General Assembly. We were on furlow the week of the 12th but will be returning tomorrow, the 19th.
Blocking Obamacare:
A House Judiciary subcommitee opened debate on two bills that will block the implementation of Obamacare in our state. This is a Caucus agenda item, and something that voters told Republican candidates they wanted in no unspecific terms last November.
Shortening the Legislative Session:
The House gave strong, bi-partisan approval to shortening the legislative session by nearly two months. The 91-9 vote on the constitutional amendment sends the bill to the Senate. If approved by two-thirds vote in the Senate, it would go to the voters for approval in November 2014. We have worked for 20 years to shorten the legislative session – which would save taxpayer money by forcing the General Assembly to work more effeciently. Since this is ultimately an issue about sending the questions to the voters, we hope the Senate will act quickly
Ethics Reform:
The House Caucus Ethics Reform Study Committee gave its finding to the Caucus. The full report included four pages of the bullet points, so I will summarize just the major points.
The committee recommends amending the State Constitution to create an independent commission from both the legislative and executive branches of government to investigate all complaints against public officials.
As the Constitutional Amendment is moving through the process, the committee recommends establishing a Public Integrity Unit comprised of Attorney General, Chief of SLED, Director of the Department of Revenue, the executive Director of Ethics Commission, and the State Inspector General. This unit will report facts for the commission to abjudicate in the same way SLED will investigate for the state solicitors.
If the Constitutional amendments are approved, it will abolish the House and Senate ethics committees and end the practice of the Hosue and Senate "policing themselves". Until that amendment is approved, they will continue to abjudicate their bodies based on the findings of the Public Integrity Unit.
Next, the committee recommended these reforms of the Ethics Reform Act:
- Require the disclosure of private income sources as a component of the annual Statement of Economic Interest filed by all public officials.
- Abolish "Leadership PACs"
- Enhance both the level and number of penalties available to the Ethics Commission for violations of the Ethics Act.
- Expand the definition of "lobbyist" to include parties who appear before counties and municipalities thereby triggering the requirement that they register with the state commission and are subject to the same restrictions as lobbyist who appear on the state level.
- Require recusal on a matter extends to committee and subcommitee votes.
- Require lobbyists to disclose all income received from lobbyist principals for all services rendered.
- Define "economic interest" to include not only economic benefit but also the avoidance of loss.
- Numerous new requirements and restrictions about public officials' financial relationships with state and local governments as well as companies with lobbying interests.
Also, the committee endorsed several changes to the Freedom of Information Act, specifically endorsing the legislation filed by Rep. Bill Taylor (H.3163). The General Assembly will be debating ethics reform over the next few months. This is an important issue since our ethics laws have not fundamentally changed since the creation of the Internet.
