This will be a hectic and confusing week for the Senate budget process. No one knows what will happen as the Senate tries to find a solution to the state’s budget mess. That is why it is so important for you to contact as many Senators as you can to make two points very clear.
First, lottery money will be allocated and small businesses need $34 million to go for technical college tuition assistance. This is the same budget as last year for this vital program that enabled about 18,000 South Carolinians to have 78% of their tuition covered. These are the high school graduates and current workers who small businesses desperately need to be well trained and technically skilled.
Second, income tax reduction for small business must be a part of any plan to increase revenue for the state through additional taxes. Numerous plans to raise revenue will be under discussion. Several of these include reducing income tax on small businesses from7% to 5%. Of course, we encourage this small business tax relief effort to be included in any plan.
Governor Mark Sanford has proposed an Economic Recovery Tax Relief Act that achieves our targeted small business tax relief over approximately 15 years. His plan would also generate needed funds for the state’s Medicaid program through a 53-cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes. Adequate funding for Medicaid is important to avoid cost shifting that contributes to increases in health insurance premiums for small businesses.
Please contact our state Senators immediately and ask them to:
1. Fund technical college tuition assistance with $34 million in lottery money.
2. Support the Governor’s Economic Recovery Tax Relief Act, which will reduce income tax on small businesses from 7% to 5% and provide needed money for Medicaid.
Senators
Glenn McConnell SJU@scsenate.org 803-212-6230
Hugh Leatherman SFI@scsenate.org 803-212-6640
John Drummond PTE@scsenate.org 803-212-6455
J. Verne Smith SLC@scsenate.org 803-212-6350
John Land JCL@scsenate.org 803-212-6180
Nikki Setzler SLC@scsenate.org 803-212-6140
Phil Leventis PL@scsenate.org 803-212-6000
Harvey Peeler MED@scsenate.org 803-212-6430
Warren Giese wkg@scsenate.org 803-212-6250
David Thomas SBI@scsenate.org 803-212-6240
Kay Patterson KAY@scsenate.org 803-212-6048
Yancey McGill JYM@scsenate.org 803-212-6132
John Matthews jwm@scsenate.org 803-212-6056
William O’Dell WHO@scsenate.org 803-212-6100
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
Arthur Ravenel AR@scsenate.org 803-212-6016
Bill Branton WSB@scsenate.org 803-21206032
Larry Grooms LKG@scsenate.org 803-212-6024
Clementa Pinckney ccp@scsenate.org 803-212-6056
Donald Holland NONE 803-212-6148
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
William Mescher SGE@scsenate.org 803-212-6320
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
John Hawkins DH@scsenate.org 803-212-6024
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
Ronnie Cromer CROMERR@scsenate.org 803-212-6124
Jake Knotts JAKE@scsenate.org 803-212-6032
John Kuhn JRK@scsenate.org 803-212-6008
Larry Martin SRU@scsenate.org 803-212-6340
Glenn Reese GR@scsenate.org 803-212-6108