Your SC politics briefing

Welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.

It’s official: South Carolina House budget writers have a spending plan.

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved its 2023-24 budget, sending the multi-page report to the floor.

It’ll be several weeks before the House debates the budget, given the time it takes to print the darn thing and legislators need to have time to read through it. Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s in it:

▪ $40 million: accounting system upgrades

▪ $69 million: freeze tuition rates for in-state students

▪ $121 million: state health insurance to ensure no one sees a premium increase

▪ $124 million: state employee pay raises, $2,500 each for employees earning less than $83,000 and 3% raise for those earning more than $83,000

▪ $200 million: SC Department of Commerce for economic development site preparation

▪ $261 million: teacher pay raises, to raise starting teacher pay by $2,500 a year

(Photo via Myrtle Beach Sun News’ Jason Lee)

Change in SC Dem leadership

A change up in SC Democratic Party leadership is coming.

This week, Chairman Trav Robertson announced he won’t run for another two-year term in this spring’s state party convention.

“With the hard work of our leadership — with the teamwork of many — we have made so much progress. I look forward to building on these relationships and serving South Carolina into the future,” Robertson said in a statement.

Robertson oversaw wins in his tenure since 2017 — for example, flipping both a Charleston-based congressional seat in 2018 and a couple of State House seats — but the last few years have overshadowed those wins and led to a greater push for leadership change.

In 2020, Republicans flipped five State House seats, and further grew their majority in the SC House in 2022.

Gov. Henry McMaster won reelection this November by 18 points — a further reminder to Democrats that they haven’t won the governor’s office since 1998 with Jim Hodges.

So far, two candidates are in the race. One has serious backers:

▪ Christale Spain, the party’s former executive director has Robertson’s backing to become the next chair. If she wins, she’ll be the first Black woman to run the party. She has endorsements from several current and former party leaders, including Carol Fowler and former Gov. Hodges.

▪ Brandon Upson, chair of the state party’s Black Caucus, is running with another slate of candidates

Gov’s office turnover

The SC Governor’s Office has a couple of departures after Gov. Henry McMaster won his second full term.

Madison Hall, the governor’s deputy director of legislative affairs, left Feb. 17 to work for US Rep. William Timmons in DC handling policy and operations.

Brian Symmes, the governor’s spokesman and communications director leaves Friday to join McGuire Woods.

2024 Bites

▪ The State: McMaster, Clyburn say age doesn’t matter when determining whether a politician is competent

▪ McClatchyDC: Nikki Haley’s campaign isn’t releasing her early fundraising. What that could mean

▪ Fox News: Self-help author Marianne Williamson, who unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for president in 2020, will travel to South Carolina after she makes her 2024 announcement in March.

▪ Des Moines Register: Nikki Haley returning to Iowa for foreign policy forum in March as caucus season ramps up

▪ POLITICO: Tim Scott makes ‘24 move, as Biden wobbles

(File photo via The State)

Buzz Bites

▪ Sam Orr, the policy communications director for SC Senate Republicans, and his wife, Catherine, are expecting their first child in September.

▪ SC House passed legislation, again, to expand who can own a gun. By a 90-30 vote, legislators approved so-called “constitutional carry” legislation that would end the permit requirement and training required to carry a firearm. It’s unclear whether the bill will move in the Senate.

▪ SC Senate passed a law that would shield the identity of pharmaceutical companies providing lethal injection drugs for state executions, the AP reports.

▪ David Aylor, a well-known Charleston lawyer died Jan. 2 at his home due to an accidental drug overdose, the Post and Courier reports. A mix of drugs were found in his system.

▪ Hair braiders and psychologists in South Carolina need licenses to work. But Rep. Jordan Pace, a freshman legislator and member of the House Freedom Caucus, has filed that would remove those requirements. The chairman of the bill-assigned committee called the legislation “dangerous.”

▪ The SC Senate will soon vote on a bill that would require new South Carolina residents to pay $500 total in one-time fees for new driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, dubbed the “Yankee tax,” the Associated Press reported.

▪ Gov. Henry McMaster’s supporters are setting up a nonprofit that organizers say will assist the Columbia Republican in promoting his legislative priorities over his final four-year term in office, the AP reports.

▪ A 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals panel has upheld a lower court’s ruling that found South Carolina’s “disorderly conduct” law is unconstitutionally vague, the Post and Courier reports.

▪ Nephron Pharmaceuticals has furloughed at least 70 employees as the company faces federal scrutiny over its drug manufacturing work in Lexington County.

▪ South Carolina has launched getconnectedsc.org to identify areas of greatest need when it comes to expanding broadband in the state. The campaign includes a 26-community listening tour and a better-internet survey.

▪ The SC House will again try to pass a hate crimes bill after it failed to gain traction in the Senate last session. A House subcommittee unanimously approved the bill, advancing it to full committee, the AP reports.

▪ After a $3.5 billion error, SC budget writers want the comptroller general to show them how he compiles his annual financial report.

(Photo via The State’s Javon Harris)

Mark your calendar

Feb. 28

Full SC House Education and Public Works Committee meets, 10 a.m.

Full SC House Judiciary Committee meets, about 2:30 p.m.

SC Senate Judiciary subcommittee meets on curbside delivery alcohol bill, 3 p.m.

March 1

Full SC Senate Transportation Committee meets, 11 a.m.

March 2

SC Senate Education subcommittee meets to discuss USC board bills, 9 a.m.

March 13

SC House begins budget debate

March 18

Palmetto Family Council holds presidential forum in North Charleston

March 20-24

SC House goes on furlough

April 10-14

SC House goes on furlough

August

RNC will hold 1st presidential debate

(Photo via Getty Images)

Before we adjourn

Alex Murdaugh is talking.

The former Lowcountry lawyer on trial for the murders of his wife and son made the surprising decision on Thursday to put himself on the witness stand — an eyebrow raising choice that seemed at odds with his attorneys Jim Griffin and state Sen. Dick Harpootlian.

Murdaugh sat on the stand for hours Thursday, and will continue to sit for hours today.

Meanwhile, the rest of South Carolina sat attached to their TVs and cellphones to watch what the former lawyer, who once sat on the governing body of the state’s trial lawyers association for 13 years and was the group’s president, said on the stand.

One State House staffer told a reporter they were staying off their phone so they could watch the trial back at home.

One lawmaker said they were checking Twitter regularly for updates, while another said he was staying off.

State Rep. Bruce Bannister, who runs the House’s budget-writing committee — which by the way approved their version of the budget this week — joked, “I see everyone is watching the Murdaugh trial on their phones.”

ICYMI: John Grisham was not sitting in the courtroom despite Twitter chatter. It was Walterboro Mayor Bill Young.

(Photo via pool photo by P&C’s Grace Beam)

Pulling the newsletter together this week was Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter), senior editor of the The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with her on Twitter and send her tips on Twitter at @MaayanSchechter or by email mschechter@thestate.com.

To stay on top of South Carolina politics and election news, you can chat with us on Facebook, email us tips and follow our stories at scpolitics.com.