I wanted you to know that while the legislative session is over, I’m still busy representing the district.
Last month, I was honored to be with McClellanville Mayor Rut Leland and his wife Kathy at the unveiling of his portrait at town hall. Mayor Leland is the longest serving mayor in S.C. history, having served for over 41 years so far. I’m proud that he’s a constituent of mine and appreciate the outstanding job he does for the town and coastal area.
Also last month, I was pleased to be named a “Business Champion” by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, who gave me a 100 score on their latest legislative scorecard. I’m one of only 24 in the 124-member House to receive their highest score.
This month, I met with Army Corps of Engineers officials about the upcoming renourishment project for 7.5 miles of beaches in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Surfside and Garden City. The project got accelerated due to contractor availability and is now starting this week in Surfside Beach.
While we’re very appreciative of the needed beach renourishment, I shared with the Corps my concerns about the impacts of the work on visitors this summer. It looks like the impacts on Georgetown County tourism will be less, as the project is not scheduled to start in Garden City until after Labor Day.
Last week, I got a chance to meet with Horry-Georgetown Tech president Dr. Murph Fore at the unveiling of the design plans for the Advanced Manufacturing Center for the Georgetown campus. The center will offer training in advanced welding, CNC machine tool, robotics and the mechantronics programs – skilled jobs that employers are having a hard time filling. I appreciate the great job Dr. Fore and HGTC are doing in providing much needed training for our workforce.
I was in Greenville last Wednesday as a member of the House Opioid Abuse Prevention Study Committee for our first public hearing, which was well attended. We heard compelling testimony about this addiction epidemic from parents who lost children to overdoses, law enforcement officers and addiction counselors.
This bipartisan committee is working to find legislative ways to help fight addiction and curb the hundreds of opioid-related overdose deaths in the state. We’ve got to conquer this problem as soon as possible.
I’m privileged to represent District 108 in the House! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Rep. Lee Hewitt