Senator Tim Scott: Issues Facing Voters in Our State

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October 25, 2016 – Our keynote speaker this week was Senator Tim Scott (“Senator Scott”).  Senator Scott answered numerous questions from our Club members regarding the various issues facing South Carolina voters. 

Senator Scott spoke about the effects of Hurricane Matthew and the devastation that occurred in other areas of the State such as Edisto and the Pee Dee.  Senator Scott informed us that in lieu of his annual barbecue fundraiser at the Founders Hall at Charles Towne Landing he has decided to turn the event into an opportunity to help residents across the State who are dealing with the lasting effects of Hurricane Matthew.  He invited us all to attend the non-partisan event on October 27, 2016, wherein canned food, supplies and monetary donations will be collected for the Lowcountry Food Bank and the Lowcountry chapter of the American Red Cross.

In looking past the presidential election, Senator Scott believes that there will grid lock in Washington, D.C. due to the philosophical disagreement unless politicians agree on common interests.  Unfortunately, we only hear about the issues and what is wrong in D.C.  Senator Scott has recently sponsored and co-sponsored several bi-partisan bills, including the Investing in Opportunity Act, the Choice Act, the LEAP Act, and the Skills Act.

The Investing in Opportunity Act proposes a new solution to encourage economic growth and job creation in economically distressed communities. This bipartisan legislation offers a temporary capital gains deferral in exchange for reinvesting those dollars into distressed communities. Currently, more than 30 percent (30%) of South Carolina’s population, or 1.4 million people, live in an economically distressed area, a number that rises to 50 million Americans nationwide.  

The CHOICE Act seeks to expand opportunities and foster success by providing students and parents greater choice when it comes to education.  It empowers the parents of a child with a disability to choose the right school by making federal IDEA dollars portable, and expands access and awareness of the successful school choice program in Washington, D.C.  Senator Scott strongly believes that great teachers can make all the difference in a child’s life and every student should have access to the school that best suits their unique needs.

The Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, provides a tax credit to employers to help increase the number of registered apprenticeships in the U.S. to put more people to work and help fill the 4 million job vacancies across the United States.

Senator Scott offered the SKILLS Act as an original part of his Opportunity Agenda, which he announced last January.  Many key components of the SKILLS Act, whose main focus was delivering high-quality, efficient job training services to Americans who need them most, were incorporated into a bipartisan compromise, WIOA, which was signed into law on July 22, 2014.

Senator Scoot briefly discussed the idea of term limits, as he believes that the House should be limited to three (3) terms and the Senate should be limited to two (2) terms.  Essentially, he believes that “he would limit himself, if the people will not.”  He also spoke about the Affordable Care Act and that he believes it was created with good intentions but that it is now costing Americans more than expected. 

Senator Scott believes that the domestic outlook begins with a solid family formation coupled with improving public schools, which is one of the reason behind the CHOICE Act.  He explained that his proudest accomplishment of being a United States Senator is serving his constituents.

Based on Senator Scott’s application of the Club’s four-way test, most politicians would not pass the test: (1) Is it the truth?; (2) Is it fair to all concerned?; (3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships?; and (4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?  Unfortunately, most politicians would be eliminated by the first test.  Senator Scott believes that if politicians would adopt the four-way test, we would see more bi-partisan sponsored bills and (hopefully) less conflict in Washington, D.C.

Abe Gutting, Keyway Committee