Roads bill becomes law… Governor Nikki Haley signed S.1258, a road funding and reform bill, into law Wednesday afternoon. S.1258 reforms DOT, requires the STIB to follow the prioritization process, and allocates much needed resources to begin addressing roads issues like widening I-85 in Greenville, fixing Malfunction Junction, eliminating structurally deficient bridges on the interstates, and fixing all load restricted bridges. Bottom line: S.1258 is an improvement in terms of funding and accountability. Chamber President Ted Pitts released the following statement:
“The state’s business community thanks Governor Haley for her commitment to fixing South Carolina’s roads and bridges demonstrated by her signing of S.1258 today. We agree with the Governor that this bill is far from perfect and falls woefully short of a sustainable, long-term solution to a problem that has plagued our state for too long. However, we also agree that the bill the Governor has signed into law today is better than what we have in terms of governance and funding, and is a step in the right direction. The Chamber will continue to make infrastructure a top priority, and we look forward to working with the Governor and the General Assembly on a long-term solution to fix our state’s roads and bridges.”
Primary Election Day approaching… The polls will open Tuesday, June 14 for all South Carolina residents. Visit scgoodgovernment.com to learn more about getting involved, and remember to vote on Tuesday! You can find your polling place here.
SC receives Golden Shovel Award... South Carolina is one of only six states this year to receive Area Development's Golden Shovel award for major economic development announcements. From Area Development, “Employment grew 3.3 percent in South Carolina in 2015, thanks to increased output from key industry sectors, especially aviation and automotive.” Read more about the award here.
Calling all YP's... You're Invited to the LeadSC Young Professionals Summit! Join some of the best and brightest YP's for a day and a half of professional development and networking. Covering a variety of topics from strategic volunteering to how to create your professional development plan, YP's will take home some critical life skills while building professional connections with peers. Learn more here!