I was recently in the news concerning the Murrells Inlet dredging project.
After leading the effort to fund the $35 million dredging project for all of the channels and basins used by boaters (16 miles) in the inlet, I’m extremely disappointed that three years after Georgetown County applied for the dredging permit, the US Army Corp of Engineers is still dragging its feet on issuing the permit. As this February 7th Coastal Observer news report states, the county and I are now reaching out to US Senators Tim Scott and Lindsay Graham and Congressman Russell Fry for help in moving forward.
Last week, House Republicans worked on cutting burdensome taxes on small businesses, improving our roads, raising standards in our schools, and strengthening public safety.
On Wednesday, the House unanimously passed the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which I cosponsored, delivering real relief to the small businesses that are the backbone of our communities. This bill exempts the first $10,000 of assets from the Business Personal Property Tax, ending a tax that penalizes owners for investing in their own growth and allowing them to keep more of what they earn to reinvest, hire, and serve their communities.
Also, on Wednesday, the Revenue Policy Subcommittee I sit on held a hearing on H.5071, a bill that focuses on improving how South Carolina plans for and delivers road projects and is the result of more than nine months of work by the SC-DOT Ad Hoc Committee, including public hearings held across the state and extensive conversations with citizen stakeholders, business owners, local leaders, and transportation experts.
The Tenure Accountability Bill, another bill I cosponsored, promotes transparency and fairness in higher education by requiring annual performance evaluations for all public university faculty and regular post-tenure reviews for tenured professors. This legislation guarantees that taxpayer-funded educators continue meeting measurable professional standards throughout their careers.
In subcommittee, we advanced the Public School Grading Reform Bill to ensure grades reflect what students actually earn, not provide shortcuts that hurt long-term success. Parents deserve an honest picture of how their child is performing. This bill restores integrity to GPAs and graduation data, reinforces strong academic standards, and helps ensure our children are truly prepared for college, careers, and real life.
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a comprehensive juvenile crime reform package, the Juvenile Crime Reform Bills (H.5117, H.5120, H.5121) to protect families, hold violent offenders accountable, and keep communities safe. These measures ensure due process when considering whether serious juvenile offenders should be transferred to adult court, improve communication between schools and law enforcement when serious offenses occur, and invest in prevention programs such as mentoring, job training, recreation, and family support services.
I’m honored to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Rep. Lee Hewitt