Reflecting on family, transitioning to legislation: Priorities for South Carolina’s 126th General Assembly

Just like that our last child left to go back to school this afternoon and the house is quiet again with all the decorations and evidence of the season back in the respective areas of the attic waiting to be retrieved and carefully placed next year to welcome home the part-time occupants whose time here simply flew by too quickly. 

Despite the chaos and occasional conflicting personalities that now comes with a full house of adults, our time together was the best present I could have received – except if I could turn back the clock 10 years or so! 

With the New Year now upon us, the General Assembly is prepared to return to Columbia every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday beginning the second Tuesday in January and continuing until the second Thursday in May for the first year of the two-year legislative session, the 126th General Assembly.  My return to Columbia includes a renewed enthusiasm and continuing commitment to work with all of my House colleagues in an open, transparent and ethical manner, doing the people’s business in public. 

I have been re-elected as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and along with Judiciary Committee Staff, have been reviewing as many of the 323 out of the around 400 bills pre-filed in the House that have been assigned to our committee as possible.  Generally, two-thirds or more of all legislation is assigned to our committee for vetting.  Prioritizing the bills and the order in which they may be vetted can be a difficult task, but by engaging as many of the 124 House Members as possible and coordinating with other leadership and the majority caucus, our scheduling work becomes more apparent. 

Many of our priorities include items of importance to various constituencies that did not make it to the finish line during the 125th General Assembly, including concerns over squatting, organized retail crime (smash and grab), liquor liability and skyrocketing insurance costs, parental consent for minor’s social media accounts, artificial intelligence morphed images of child pornography, strengthen penalties for juveniles who commit violent crimes and magistrate’s court reform. These are just some of the Judiciary Committee highlights and are not meant as an exhaustive list of priorities. 

After hearing from each of the standing committee chairs last week at a Speaker/Chairman Retreat, the issues expected to receive early attention from the other standing committees include Education Savings Accounts and the expansion of school choice options for families from the Education, Public Works and Transportation Committee chaired by Representative Shannon Erickson from Beaufort. 

Representative Bill Herbkersman’s Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee will begin hearings on an energy capacity and generation promotion bill as well as a small business regulation reduction bill (the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act). 

The Agriculture Committee will begin taking testimony on the impacts and the recovery costs from Hurricane Helene and the 2024 flooding events, consider venomous reptile legislation and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Palmetto Pride program and related spending. 

The Municipal, Medical and Military Committee will debate the appropriateness of 16 being the medical age of consent in SC and of restricting access by minors to “soft drinks” containing THC. 

Finally, the Ways and Means Committee is expected to evaluate and recommend historic income tax cuts, simplifying our tax system with the goal of cutting the South Carolina state income tax rate to a level below that of our border states. 

Collectively, these priorities reflect our commitment to building on the successes of past sessions and addressing the most pressing needs of South Carolinians. 

It is an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of South Carolina District 120 in the SC House.  If I may be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call upon me.

Weston Newton is the representative for District 120 in the State House of Representatives. WestonNewton@schouse.gov