State agencies are not required to receive permission from elected state officials to pursue the development of goods and services that compete with the private sector. Consequently, businesses have no protection from unfair and unjustified competition from taxpayer supported public agencies and their related organizations. The most recent egregious example of this problem is the University of South Carolina Development Foundation’s hotel, which when complete will take up to 4 million dollars from locally owned hotels.
While some goods and services produced by state agencies are justified (ex. prison inmates growing food for their own consumption), many are not and need to be stopped.
On Tuesday, January 27th, an amendment will be offered to Senate Bill 560, the Life Sciences Act. This amendment will give small business the protection we need from unfair and unjustified state agency competition.
This amendment is being sponsored by Senators Arthur Ravenel, Glenn Reese, John Kuhn, John Drummond and Jake Knotts. Senators already indicating they will vote for the amendment are John Land, David Thomas, William O’Dell, Bill Branton, Ronnie Cromer and John Hawkins.
The amendment would require any state agency that wants to produce goods and services that compete with the private sector to get permission from the Budget and Control Board. To receive permission, the Budget and Control Board has to find that:
l. The “goods and services to be offered are not or cannot be made readily and competitively from private sector businesses or other organizations in this State; and
2 offering of these goods and services will measurably enhance the ability of the state agency in the performance of its primary governmental purpose.”
Please contact the state Senators listed below before noon on Tuesday, January 27th and ask them to support the Knotts amendment to S.560. Tell them that small businesses need protection from unfair and unjustified competition from state agencies.
Contact:
Senators Email State House Telephone
Glenn McConnell SJU@scsenate.org 803-212-6610
Hugh Leatherman SFI@scsenate.org 803-212-6640
J. Verne Smith SLC@scsenate.org 803-212-6350
Nikki Setzler SLC@scsenate.org 803-212-6140
Harvey Peeler MED@scsenate.org 803-212-6430
Warren Giese wkg@scsenate.org 803-212-6250
Kay Patterson KAY@scsenate.org 803-212-6048
Yancey McGill JYM@scsenate.org 803-212-6132
John Matthews jwm@scsenate.org 803-212-6056
Robert W. Hays set@scsenate.org 803-212-6410
Greg Ryberg str@scsenate.org 803-212-6400
Linda Short LHS@scsenate.org 803-212-6100
Thomas Alexander TCA@scsenate.org 803-212-6040
Larry Grooms LKG@scsenate.org 803-212-6024
Clementa Pinckney ccp@scsenate.org 803-212-6056
Thomas Moore TLM@scsenate.org 803-212-6156
Robert Ford RIF@scsenate.org 803-212-6124
Maggie Glover MWG@scsenate.org 803-212-6116
Darrell Jackson DJ1@scsenate.org 803-212-6048
Luke Rankin LR@scsenate.org 803-212-6132
Dick Elliott DE@scsenate.org 803-212-6000
Robert Waldrep SAG@scsenate.org 803-212-6230
Michael Fair CP@scsenate.org 803-212-6420
Brad Hutto CBH@scsenate.org 803-212-6140
Ralph Anderson RA@scsenate.org 803-212-6108
Scott Richardson SR1@scsenate.org 803-212-6040
Jim Richie JHR@scsenate.org 803-212-6008
Danny Verdin DBV@scsenate.org 803-212-6016
Gerald Malloy malloyg@scsenate.org 803-212-6148
John Courson SIV@scsenate.org 803-212-6220
Greg Gregory SFG@scsenate.org 803-212-6330
Larry Martin SRU@scsenate.org 803-212-6340