Last week I got a call from a legislator in another state asking for help.

North Carolina Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, called about the House Resolution, H. 3856, I introduced and cosponsored opposing the private ownership of our federal fisheries through “catch shares” that was unanimously passed by the House this month.

Sen. Rabon wanted to use the same language in a Senate Resolution since he also represents a lot of fishermen and fishing communities that would be economically hurt if access to fisheries were restricted by private ownership.

I welcomed his efforts and provided assistance, which resulted in Sen. Rabon’s introduction of Senate Resolution 370 on Thursday in the N.C. General Assembly. I applaud Sen. Rabon for standing up for fishermen and the coastal economy.

On Monday, I spoke to both the East Cooper and Waccamaw Neck Republican Clubs. Both meetings were well attended. It was great to discuss issues and get feedback from constituents.

The pace in House was slower last week with most of the work in committees to get bills out to the floor to meet the April 10th crossover deadline. There were just 27 floor votes. I just want to highlight a couple of my votes.

I voted for H. 3427, the "South Carolina Computer Science Education Initiative," which will expand access for all students to computer science learning experiences. No later than the 2019 school year, each public high school and public charter high school must offer at least one rigorous, standards based computer science course. I believe this is an important step in improving our workforce development.

I also voted to improve the S.C. Freedom of Information Act through H. 3352, which will provide greater government transparency and accountability to taxpayers. The legislation adjusts time frames for responding to FOIA requests to require more prompt compliance from public bodies. The fees that government bodies may charge for complying with FOIA requests are revised to better ensure that they do not become prohibitive.

I hope this information if helpful. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt