SC Club for Growth

06/07/2023

Deep State Alert 🚨 The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the most powerful association that you’ve never heard of.

This shadowy organization, and the unelected bureaucrats who work there, have the power to push through policies that raise costs and decrease choices for families, retirees, and seniors in every state.

And when they do, there is absolutely zero accountability.Now, these unchecked, self-dealing bureaucrats are at it again: trying to jam through new penalties that will disproportionally hurt smaller insurers at the behest of behemoth insurers – requiring them to play by different rules.

This will stifle competition, distort the market, and effectively serve as a tax increase on American households who are simply trying to protect their loved ones and save for their futures.

05/05/2023

Consumers should not lose affordable options in the insurance marketplace! Please contact Governor Henry McMaster and the SC Department of Insurance to stop this attempt to stifle competition.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has voted to advance penalties on certain life insurance companies backed by private investment while allowing the big incumbent insurers to play by their own set of rules.

Of real concern is the fact that these penalties were pushed through without a sufficient analysis of the impact they would have on smaller insurers.

As it currently stands, the combined life insurance market share of the top 10 providers is approximately 46%. Consumers are more likely to look at and rely on more competitive offers which the remaining 54% of smaller competing insurers provide.

Life insurance is crucial to the financial stability of millions of American households, and products including annuities provide a unique and vital benefit to cover the expected and unexpected in life.

This includes protection from loss-of-life, or longevity—the risk of outliving your retirement savings. Protections and guarantees such as these are not available from any other institutions.

Unfortunately, these penalties will have a dire and cascading effect. In addition to driving smaller insurers out of the market and stripping consumer choices, plan costs will likely increase and threaten the financial security of millions of hardworking Americans and retirees.

Ask the Governor and SCDOI to do what is right for American families and stand up to the NAIC and reject their penalties which will only harm smaller insurers and cause irreparable and widespread financial instability.

08/23/2022

"South Carolina must find a way to modernize Santee Cooper without further burdening taxpayers. If the utility isn’t reformed, selling the utility to a private operator should remain on the table.

This is no time to allow the utility to blame coal miners, foreign wars, rail companies, inflation, or hot weather."

"If the utility isn’t reformed, selling it to a private operator should remain on the table."

02/02/2022

Special interest groups, funded by companies that profit from subsidies, continue their attempts to carve up South Carolina’s tax code like Swiss cheese. 🧀 Contact your State Legislators and tell them NO.

https://www.facebook.com/115053130197279/posts/473287771040478/?d=n

The S.C. House of Representatives is expected to vote on H. 4504 this week — a bill which would cap the sales tax on outboard motors at $500. H. 4504 is the first step to much-needed tax relief for South Carolina boaters. Right now, the range of sales tax applied on a new outboard motor depending on the county is between 6% and 9% — costing boaters and anglers thousands of dollars (see chart below).

We appreciate the leadership of Rep. Hewitt of Murrells Inlet (and co-sponsors Reps. Huggins, Forrest, McKnight, Wooten, M.M. Smith, Bennett, Lowe, William Bailey-, Kirby, and Ligon) for this attempt to lower the tax burden when re-powering or purchasing a new outboard engine. Please, contact your state representative and let them know you support H. 4504. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/legislatorssearch.php

01/26/2022

Winner! Congrats to Mike Reichenbach for Senate on taking the GOP nomination in Senate District 31. Mike ran as an unabashed conservative who will shake up Columbia. We were proud to give Mike the Club's endorsement and support!

01/11/2022

🚨Endorsement Alert: 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲🚨

We're endorsing Mike Reichenbach for Senate in the January 25th special Republican primary. District 31 covers portions of Florence and Darlington counties and was formerly represented by the late Senator Hugh Leatherman.

Mike is the conservative choice for District 31 voters. He is committed to stopping tax hikes, eliminating wasteful spending, and reforming government.

Mike is a true political outsider and job creator in the P*e Dee. The state of South Carolina needs that kind of experience more than ever. We encourage Republican voters to choose Mike on January 25th!

10/25/2021

🚨South Carolina needs Judicial Reform!🚨

"South Carolina’s system of justice is designed for corruption. It’s designed for the powers that be to remain powers that be, come hell or high water. Circuit judges are elected by the legislators. The result is built-in cronyism. It puts old law school buddies, and old legislative colleagues on the bench, and lawyers who are sitting legislators are allowed to practice before them in court. The inherent result is unequal justice."

Read more at:

The state’s justice system is designed for the powers that be to remain powers that be, come hell or high water.

08/09/2021

Corporate welfare alert🚨: School districts across South Carolina collectively lost $472.3 million to "economic incentive" deals in 2020, with regular taxpayers increasingly on the hook for "penny taxes" to make up the difference. Learn more.

Schools in South Carolina lost more property tax money to economic incentive deals than in any other state, according to a recent study.

04/27/2021

Advocates of merging some of South Carolina’s 79 school districts say it promises to improve the quality of student education by diverting money from administration and into classrooms. It is one of those rare issues that attracts support from across the political spectrum.

Just about everyone agrees SC school districts must merge, so why hasn’t it happened already? Here’s what it could look like.

04/21/2021

Important point🚨 ➡️ The State Senate has a fiduciary duty to do what is RIGHT for ratepayers and taxpayers. It’s clear the best way to get South Carolinians off the hook for Santee Cooper’s massive debt to SELL. Senators: ensure this “garbage bill” goes beyond fake reform and includes a pathway to sell!

AUDIO: Climer says Santee Cooper bill on the Senate floor is 'garbage,' expects over 20 amendments

04/20/2021

Republicans in the Upstate know that selling Santee Cooper is good for our entire state. The Spartanburg County GOP overwhelmingly voted for a resolution to sell Santee Cooper! Here’s how that vote turned out: 304 for a sale with only 35 against. That is good news that needs to make its way to Columbia!

Read more:

Republican voters in the South Carolina Upstate overwhelmingly endorse offloading debt-addled utility ...

04/19/2021

Santee Cooper is BIG GOVERNMENT at its worst: squandering your money, misleading legislators, opposing transparency, and benefitting a few insiders at the expense of customers. Read more:

By RICK BRUNDRETT Special to the Chronicle Taxpayer-owned Santee Cooper’s part-time board members are paid more than $12,000 each annually.