In 2023, the SC Chamber helped advance major government restructuring including Act 60 which created a new standalone “one-stop shop” environmental affairs agency for the regulated community, and Act 67, the Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act, which realigned and consolidated all publicly funded workforce development efforts in the state.

In 2022, South Carolina saw its largest tax cut and taxpayer rebate through the passage of S.1087, the Comprehensive Tax Cut Act of 2022. The legislation reduced the top individual income tax rate, simplified our tax code by collapsing individual income tax brackets, effectively reduced the industrial property tax for manufacturers, and provided a one-time rebate of $1 billion. While the Chamber has long supported comprehensive tax reform, we were encouraged by, and supportive of, this first step towards comprehensive reform.

H. 4431, the Business License Standardization Act passed in 2020 after a multi-year effort led by the Chamber. The bill requires local governments to uniformly administer the business license tax, simplifying the process and cutting compliance costs for small businesses. The bill also imposes restrictions on third party tax collectors.

After a decade-long fight, the business community had a major victory with the passage of H.3516, the Roads Bill, raising $600 million in sustainable revenue to fix South Carolina roads and bridges. This bill also reformsthe Department of Transportationand provides tax relief.

After eleven years of the SC Chamber pushing the issue, the legislature passed H. 4145, creating the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development. The Council develops and implements procedures to prepare the state’s current and emerging workforce to meet local business needs.

We successfully lobbied for The Read to Succeed Act which requires pre-K and kindergarten students to be administered a readiness assessment. The Act also requires that 3rd-grade students who fail to demonstrate substantial reading proficiency be held back, with the option to attend special summer reading camps to get back on track.

The Chamber worked with the Technical College System to develop a Statewide Manufacturing Skills Certification Program (SCMC) that is now offered at each of the state’s sixteen technical colleges. The 200-hour certificate program prepares a portion of the SC workforce for entry-level positions in the manufacturing industry.