It’s always great when constituents are able to come to Columbia and visit with me in the House. Last week I had a lot of visits.

Thursday, it was my privilege to present the Waccamaw High School boys and girls cross country teams with a resolution passed by the House recognizing and honoring their state championships. The girls team has won the state championship two out of the last three years. This is the first state championship for the boys team. I was proud to have them at the State House and introduce them to my colleagues from the House well. The resolution also recognized the boys golf team state championship, but they were unable to attend due to a match.

Wednesday, it was great to meet with the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS at the State House. I appreciate the work they do and their interest in state government.

Also, on Wednesday it was State House Day for Alzheimer’s Advocacy. It was my privilege to meet with advocates Lisa Phelan, Becky Thomason and Ashley DesMarteau, who are doing their part to make legislators aware of the plight of Alzheimer’s victims and caregivers.

This was crossover deadline week. Tuesday was the last chance to get bills out of committee and on to the House floor for a vote to meet the April 10th crossover deadline. Any legislation that clears either the House or Senate after April 10th requires a two-thirds majority vote to even be debated by the other body this year.

I wanted you to know that the legislation Rep. Russell Fry and I sponsored to fix the Horry-Georgetown County border error is in the Senate now. We’re hopeful a version of the bill supported by both counties and the House will ultimately be passed.

The border error affects about 200 parcels of land, long believed to be in Horry County, which are actually in Georgetown County, raising potential issues concerning property taxes, school attendance and voting.

Our bill calls for a referendum to be held in the affected area to allow voters to decide as to whether they wish to stay residents of Horry County or officially become part of Georgetown County.

I’m honored and privileged to serve District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Reelection campaign donations can be made by clicking here.

I wanted you to know that the filing period for office ended and I’m unopposed going into the November election. I’m so thankful for all of the supporters who made this possible!

The campaign is far from over. Work still needs to be done to ensure a good turnout in November and there is always the possibility of petition or write-in candidates. I’m going to continue reaching out to voters and listening to their concerns. I ask for your continued support and prayers as the reelection campaign moves forward.

The House was back in session last week after an Easter break.

Wednesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a Santee Cooper reform bill to protect ratepayers and prevent another failure like the V.C. Summer nuclear project from happening again. The legislation authorizes the governor to remove at-will all current Santee Cooper board members, shortens the board terms from seven years to four years and creates a nine-member committee to evaluate a sale of the utility.

I’m supportive of the bill, but as someone who represents a district served by Santee-Cooper, I’m concerned there are no requirements that any of the nine-member sale evaluation committee be from the Santee Cooper service area.

On Thursday a bill I cosponsored to protect red drum from overfishing and gigging passed the House. This fishery is very important to recreational and charter fishermen.

A recent SC Dept. of Natural Resources stock assessment of red drum determined the stock is overfished and that current landings are unsustainable. The bill reduces the daily bag limit from three per person to two per person, institutes a boat limit of six fish per day and prohibits gigging red drum. The current size slot limit of 15 to 23 inches remains the same.

Also, on Thursday the House passed legislation I cosponsored, H. 3896, giving counties the same authority as municipalities to put the owner of a public nuisance property on notice requiring clean up. If not corrected on a timely basis, the bill gives counties the authority to clean up the property and place a lien on it for the costs.

In February, the Georgetown County Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the bill, citing problems with public nuisance properties in the county.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Reelection campaign donations can be made by clicking here.

I wanted you to know that the legislation Rep. Russell Fry and I sponsored to fix the Horry-Georgetown County border error passed the House this week.

For many years, Horry and Georgetown counties have recognized a border that differs from the official border as enacted in statute. As a result, about 200 parcels of land, long believed to be in Horry County, are actually in Georgetown County, raising potential issues concerning property taxes, school attendance and voting.

If the bill is passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. McMaster, a referendum will be held in the affected area to allow voters to decide as to whether they wish to stay residents of Horry County or officially become part of Georgetown County.

On Monday, I had an opportunity to speak about this issue at the Georgetown County Republican Club meeting. Click here for the news coverage.

As a member of the House Opioid Abuse Prevention Study Committee, I was pleased that a number of bills the committee created to address the opioid addiction epidemic passed the House this week. These bills do the following: increase accessibility to life-saving opioid overdose antidotes, create a prescription monitoring program that will keep track of information relating to opioid prescriptions, set limits for initial prescriptions of opioid prescriptions at five days for acute pain and 14 days for post-operative pain, and require tamper-resistant prescription pads to decrease counterfeit prescriptions being used to obtain opioids illegally.

On Tuesday it was my pleasure to spend time at the State House with the Coastal Carolina Association of REALTORS leadership class and class president Jamie Broadhurst. We had a good discussion about my beachfront jurisdictional line reform bill, which will be considered by the Senate Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee next week.

Next week, the House is furloughed for an Easter break.

One week from today is the end of the campaign finance reporting period. With the upcoming election, it’s important for my campaign to report as much money in the bank as possible.

Please help by donating to my campaign by March 31st. Please click here to donate. Your help is greatly appreciated!

It’s an honor to serve the district. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

P.S. Please donate by March 31st. Campaign donation checks can be mailed to Lee Hewitt for House, P.O. Box 928, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 or please click here today to donate online. Thank you in advance for your support!

I wanted you to know that Friday I officially filed for reelection.

Serving in the state House is a real privilege and I’m hopeful district voters will send me back for another term. I’m very appreciative of the outpouring of support I’ve received and will continue working hard in Columbia representing the district.

Also on Friday, Rep. Russell Fry, R-Horry, and I announced legislation to fix a Horry-Georgetown County border error. For many years, Horry and Georgetown counties have recognized a border that differs from the official border as enacted in statute. As a result, about 200 parcels of land, long believed to be in Horry County, are actually in Georgetown County, raising potential issues concerning property taxes, school attendance and voting. The border error was recently discovered by the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. Click here for news coverage.

The legislation, if passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. McMaster, will call for a referendum in the affected area to allow voters to decide as to whether they wish to stay residents of Horry County or officially become part of Georgetown County.

Passing a state budget bill consumed the entire House session last week. During the marathon session, I cast nearly 230 votes on the bill. The budget that passed the House is balanced and does not increase taxes.

I’m pleased the budget included nearly $20 million to our technical schools to train students for high-skill and well-paying jobs businesses are looking to fill, $60 million for teacher salary increases, new school buses, and opioid abuse prevention funding.

On Wednesday, after the House budget session was finished, I went over to the Senate and testified before the Environmental Subcommittee in support of my beachfront jurisdictional line reform bill. The subcommittee voted unanimously in favor of the bill, which will now go to the full Senate Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee.

And finally, I hate asking for money, but there is an upcoming election and the Democrats have made it a priority to contest all the elections this year. The best thing I can do is have a well-funded campaign, prepared to take on any challenger.

Please financially support my reelection campaign with a donation today by clicking here. Your financial support is needed and would be greatly appreciated.

It’s an honor to serve the district. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

P.S. Campaign donation checks can be mailed to Lee Hewitt for House, P.O. Box 928, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 or please click here today to donate online. Thank you in advance for your support!

MURRELLS INLET – State Representatives Russell Fry, R-Horry and Lee Hewitt, R-Georgetown, Friday announced they will be introducing legislation calling for a referendum to address a recently discovered error in the border between Horry and Georgetown counties.

For many years, Horry and Georgetown counties have recognized a border that differs from the official border as enacted in statute. As a result, at least 199 parcels of land, long believed to be in Horry County, are actually in Georgetown County, raising potential issues concerning property taxes, school attendance and voting. The border error was recently discovered by the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.

Click here for a map of the borders.

Fry and Hewitt will introduce legislation next week that, if passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. McMaster, will call for a referendum in the affected area to allow voters to decide as to whether they wish to stay residents of Horry County or officially become part of Georgetown County.

Click here for the legislation.

“Many of these residents have been residents of what they were told is Horry County for decades and have done nothing wrong,” said Russell Fry. “Their lives should not be turned upside-down because of this error. We will be immediately introducing legislation that will allow registered voters in the affected area to vote to stay residents of Horry County if they so choose.”

“It’s unfortunate this border error has occurred and that many residents and property owners are caught up in this through no fault of their own,” Lee Hewitt said. “This legislation Russell and I are introducing is the best and most equitable way to resolve the issue.”

I wanted you to know that my bill, H. 4683, for fixing the process for determining beachfront jurisdictional lines passed the House Thursday on a 98-0 vote.

Where these lines are drawn impacts first, and in many cases, second row properties regarding the structures that can be built or rebuilt. Most of the 20,000 beachfront property owners were not aware of the line review last year until it was almost too late to comment or appeal.

The bill now moves to the Senate Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee, where it's set for a hearing next Wednesday.

On Wednesday the House continued to stand with utility ratepayers by voting 107-1 to amend a Senate bill to stop SCE&G from billing customers for any of the costs of the failed VC Summer nuclear reactor project, which amounts to $37 million per month.

The House is frustrated by the Senate's inaction in stopping ratepayers from being charged for the project. The only bill the Senate has passed is a resolution to extend the deadline to review the proposed Old Dominion-SCE&G merger. I joined House Speaker Jay Lucas at his news conference Wednesday, where he cited the package of ratepayer protection bills the House has already passed and called on the Senate to take action to protect ratepayers.

Thursday, I welcomed members of the Georgetown County School Board and Superintendent Randy Dozier to the House chambers. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of our teachers, administrators and school board.

On Monday it was my privilege to present McClellanville Mayor Rut Leland with a House Resolution recognizing and honoring his leadership and dedicated service as one of the longest serving mayors (over 41 years) in state history. I'm proud that Mayor Leland is a constituent and appreciate the outstanding job he does for the town and coastal area.

Next week the House starts the challenging process of considering the state budget. It will likely result in hundreds of votes and sessions that go through the night. I'm committed to finding ways in the budget to save taxpayers money.

I'm thankful for the privilege of serving District 108 in the House! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

P.S. I'll be filing for reelection next week and the election is just around the corner. Please help me win reelection by clicking here today and donating to my reelection campaign. I really need your help. Thank you in advance!

I think you would agree that efficiency and accountability are qualities we all want in state government.

One of the things that being in the state House has made very clear to me is that our state government is very lacking in both. Our antiquated 1895 state constitution gives most of the power to a handful of senior legislators, which means these legislators are effectively in charge of our government. In South Carolina, the legislature, judiciary and office of governor are not co-equal branches of government.

Last week I joined with a bipartisan group of 26 freshmen legislators, House and Senate, to fix our state constitution by introducing legislation, H. 5043, to hold a referendum for state citizens to call for a constitutional convention so the constitution can be rewritten to fix the structural flaws in our government. Click here for news coverage.

The Agricultural, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee I serve on met every day last week to consider bills. One important to our area is a bill to protect red drum from overfishing and gigging. This fishery is very important to recreational and charter fishermen.

A recent SC Dept. of Natural Resources stock assessment of red drum determined the stock is overfished and that current landings are unsustainable. The committee approved a bill that reduced the daily bag limit from three per person to two per person, instituted a boat limit of six fish per day and prohibited gigging red drum. The current size slot limit of 15 to 23 inches for red drum would remain the same.

The committee approved another bill that's important to the coast, one that gives sheriffs, in addition to SCDNR, enforcement authority over the abandonment of boats in our waters, which is illegal. The abandonment of boats can present very real safety, navigation and environmental issues, in addition to the unsightliness of a boat hulk in a saltmarsh or on a river bank.

Saturday, I presented a General Assembly Resolution to the family of Midway Fire Battalion Chief Josh Carney, who passed away last year at the age of 41, recognizing and honoring his 18 years of service and leadership to the department. Josh is a real hero and my sympathies are with his wife Lillian and daughter Shayla in their terrible loss.

I'm thankful for the honor of serving District 108 in the House! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

P.S. I'll be filing for reelection in two weeks and the election is just around the corner. Please help me win reelection by clicking here today and donating to my reelection campaign. I really need your help. Thank you in advance!

Recently I was made aware of concerns by Mt. Pleasant and law enforcement officials about attempted efforts by adults to lure children into cars or vans, sometimes using puppies as lures, and the inability to charge the person with a crime.

It's sickening to know there are people out there trying to take advantage of children to harm them.

Last week, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston, and I introduced a bill, H. 5006, to make child luring a crime and keep our children safe. Our bill is modeled after Florida's child luring law and has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary.

Most of last week in the House was spent clearing the uncontested bill calendar and getting those bills to the House floor for a vote.

My beachfront jurisdiction line reform bill is now scheduled for debate on the House floor March 6th. In the meantime, I'm meeting with SCDHEC officials to iron out some details on the property owners' appeal process.

On Wednesday it was Myrtle Beach Night at the State House, and a good opportunity to meet with area leaders. I enjoyed speaking with Murph Fore, Horry-Georgetown Tech President; Brad Dean, Myrtle Beach Chamber Executive Director; Austin Beard, Georgetown County Council Vice-Chair; Don Smith, Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors President; and many others.

Myrtle Beach Night happened to coincide with the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism's announcement on Wednesday that tourism spending in SC grew to a record $21.2 billion. Tourism supports one in ten jobs in the state and generates more than $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenues. It's a vital industry to Georgetown and Charleston counties.

And finally, I attended the East Cooper Republican Club meeting in Mt. Pleasant on Monday. It was a great opportunity to meet and talk with Charleston County constituents and hear from the GOP gubernatorial candidates.

I'm thankful for the honor of serving District 108 in the House! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

P.S. I'm up for reelection this year. Please donate to my reelection campaign today by clicking here and make the largest donation that you can afford. I really need your help. Thank you in advance!

COLUMBIA, SC -- A new bill in South Carolina could make luring or enticing a child to get into a car or a building against the law.

The proposed legislation, called the Anti-Luring Bill, was first introduced in the State House Thursday by District 108 State Rep. Lee Hewitt.

According to the bill, luring a child into a conveyance, dwelling, or structure without the consent of the child or legal guardian will be prosecuted.

Click here for the WMBF video

The heart of the bill is to stop a situation from getting much worse. The reason Lee wrote it is because of something that happened a month ago in Mount Pleasant with some of his constituents.

Lee said a family reached out to him for help after their kids were playing outside and a man approached them in a van and tried to entice them to get in by saying, "Come look at my dog." The children ultimately ran back to their house and the mother got the license plate for police.

"The problem was they could never charge him with anything because there wasn't a criminal act," Lee said. "Asking somebody to look at your dog isn't a criminal act, even though what could have happened if they got in the van could have been."

Lee's bill would give law enforcement more discretion.

"That when you have someone going around, trying to lure kids in the car by offering candy or something that is not criminal, it gives them the ability to charge that individual," he said.

The first offense would be a misdemeanor. If multiple offenses occur, the person could face a felony.

"As someone who has raised kids, I couldn't imagine if something happened to one of my kids," Lee said. "So if something like this can prevent a bad situation with children, hopefully we can get it done."

One mother in Carolina Forest is thankful to see the new bill, as the situation hits close to home.

Last August, Dr. Barb Horn's 10-year-old son was playing outside with his friend when a group of men told the boys to get inside their car.

Neighbors found the car and told police, but Horn said ultimately no charges were filed.

"Not only did we have to plea, the whole community had to become outraged, and had to make something happen and we said we wouldn't stand for it," Horn said. "Something was done and this type of bill can actually help next time something happens. Hopefully it doesn't, but people will have protection against this. If they feel they can't fully commit to kidnapping as a crime or attempted kidnapping, this gives them the option of luring and it's absolutely needed."

Horn said she hopes no one has to live through what she endured. She does think the bill should apply to others, and not just those 18 years of age or older.

"If you are old enough to drive a car and old enough to make a poor decision to try to lure a child into your car, then you should face the consequences as well, no matter what age," Horn said.

Lee said he received a lot of support from fellow legislators and law enforcement, who have heard of similar instances across the state.

Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said he fully supports the Anti-Luring Bill and thinks it's a strong piece of legislation.

The judiciary committee will review the bill next.

On Thursday, Reps. Lee Hewitt and Nancy Mace, R-Charleston, introduced a bill, H. 5006, to make child luring a crime. The legislation is in response to concerns from Mt. Pleasant and law enforcement officials about attempted efforts by adults to lure children into cars or vans, sometimes using puppies as lures, and the inability to charge the person with a crime. The bill is modeled after Florida's child luring law.

Reps. Nancy Mace and Lee Hewitt with the bill they filed to make child luring a crime in South Carolina.