Business leaders are eyeing this year’s upcoming legislative calendar for what is to come of a few key pieces of legislation that could affect their businesses.
Transportation funding tops the list of important issues, and a unified business community aims to push the issue hard, said Mark Cothran, vice president of public policy at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
S.C. Alliance To Fix Our Roads is a coalition of 60 major businesses and business organizations. It is headed by Bill Ross, who previously spent 14 years as government affairs representative with the South Carolina Trucking Association.
“It really is the first time in a long time the business community has come together, all singing from the same song sheet, and they’re being very vocal,” Cothran said. “That’s going to have to happen for anything significant to occur.” He said the group may push the Legislature to seriously consider addressing a gas tax increase as a way to fund much-needed infrastructure repairs and improvements, something lawmakers have so far avoided.
Another large group, the South Carolina Civil Justice Coalition, is pushing to see legislators move on the issue of tort law reform. The coalition’s agenda includes issues such as workers’ compensation, liability for injury to trespassers, and reducing retailers’ liability for injury that results from a product’s manufacturing process.
Businesses also hope continuing momentum from the Angel Investor Bill that last year allowed tax credits for people who invest in startups will push action on more than one crowdfunding-related bill under consideration this year. A bill sponsored by Rep. Dwight Loftis of Greenville that would ease interstate restrictions on crowdfunding has already passed in the House.
Parties that have been pushing for regulatory reform might be pleased by progress in that arena this year. In particular, Rep. Eric Bendingfield, also of Greenville, is sponsoring legislation that aims to ease regulations for businesses.
“We anticipate that legislation coming out pretty soon, and that’s something that a lot of the pro-business organizations can get on board with,” Cothran said.
“Flow control,” or where businesses dispose of solid waste, is one hotly debated issue that might see action this year. It would remove counties’ authority to dictate how and where solid waste is disposed of. It has manufacturers and environmental advocates pitted against each other, and municipalities taking various stances or remaining somewhat quiet, as is the case with Greenville County.
But flow control might be one of those issues that are sidestepped by politicians keenly aware that this session coincides with an election year. Even with these and other pressing issues at hand, bills such as the nullification of the Affordable Care Act are expected to get a great deal of attention for their political capital, though they may not produce any actual results for South Carolina residents.
At the Greenville Chamber’s legislative breakfast last month, Rep. Tommy Stringer of Greenville exhorted the audience of business and community leaders to call representatives to task should they drag their feet on politically sensitive issues this year. It’s up to voters to refuse to accept lame-duck sessions, he said, placing the responsibility squarely at their feet.
