This week, the House of Representatives took up the 2021-2022 state budget. I’m happy to report that this may be the most conservative budget yet.

In short, this budget funds only necessary government services while recognizing that we are still in uncertain pandemic conditions. Although we expect state revenue to go up (as COVID-19 cases continue to fall), we cannot bank on that quite yet… and as such, we must be prepared by being conservative with our state’s resources.

After hours of debate and casting 220 votes, the House passed a balanced budget that prioritizes a renewed dedication to improving education, funding resources for law enforcement, and expanding broadband internet access.

The House will not meet next week. This gives us a week off - time to be back in our districts, regroup and refocus after an intense 11 weeks of session. By furloughing next week, we’ll save taxpayers over $50,000.

This Monday, March 29th at 2 pm the Georgetown County Legislative Delegation (comprised of Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, Sen. Ronnie Sabb, Rep. Carl Anderson and myself) will meet to discuss appointments to various county boards and commissions, such as the Board of Elections, Transportation Committee, Water and Sewer District Board, and Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District Board. The meeting is at the Goldfinch Winslow Law Firm, 1119 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island. The public is welcome to attend.

There will be an important virtual public meeting this Thursday, April 1st at 6 pm to present the findings of the Draft US 17 Corridor Study in Georgetown County and receive comments. The project study area covers the Waccamaw Neck area of Georgetown County from the Waccamaw River bridge to the Horry County line. Among other recommendations, this Grand Strand Area Transportation Study project is recommending widening Highway 17 to six lanes from Bellamy Avenue in Murrells Inlet north to Myrtle Beach.

Click here for the link to the Zoom meeting.
Click here for the corridor study and supporting materials.
Comments can also be sent to: [email protected]

This Wednesday, March 31st, all South Carolinians aged 16 and up are eligible for COVID vaccinations. Click here to find a vaccination provider.

26.4% of South Carolina citizens have started the vaccination process. 14.2% are fully vaccinated. 1,629,77 vaccines have been given to South Carolina residents.

It’s an honor to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

I hope you’re doing well.

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee I serve on was busy considering a lot of legislation.

On Wednesday, the Property Tax Subcommittee met to consider bills to provide property tax exemptions for manufacturers and renewable energy resource properties. We also considered a bill concerning property tax installment payments.

The full Ways and Means Committee met on Thursday to consider 14 bills, ranging from tax issues and S.C. Workforce Industry Needs Scholarships to abandoned building revitalization.

On Tuesday, the bill I cosponsored to address the sustainability of our important flounder fishery, H. 3957, passed the House by a vote of 106 to 3. The legislation is an effort to rebuild the depleted flounder stock, while keeping the fishery open year-round. The bill, supported by SCDNR, now goes to the Senate for consideration. Click here for Coastal Conservation Association praise of the bill.

A House Judiciary subcommittee passed S. 147, legislation that protects businesses operating in accordance with health guidelines from liability associated with COVID. This legislation is very important to the business community and helps us get South Carolina back to work.

Next week is budget week in the House. We’ll meet for four days, usually running into the late evening hours, debating and voting on the state budget for 2012-2022.

The budget will be built on the foundation of protecting taxpayers, a renewed commitment to being resourceful and efficient, funding core functions of state government, and providing value for every dollar we spend. There is also a new sense of awareness and preparedness for disasters, whether we face a weather-related natural disaster or health emergency.

South Carolina is still in phase 1B of the COVID vaccination process. Click here to find out if you qualify for a vaccine. Click here to find a vaccination provider.

23.1% of South Carolina citizens have started the vaccination process. 12.8% are fully vaccinated. 1,451,957 vaccines have been given to South Carolina residents.

It’s an honor to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

This week, I voted in favor of legislation, H. 3444, regarding our state's election laws. This legislation has two goals: one, to maintain the integrity of each and every vote cast, and two, to ensure elections are run consistently across the state. After the elections of 2020, it became clear that there were discrepancies in the way each county handled votes. Simply put, we learned that counties were employing inconsistent processes, which is unacceptable.

I voted for the Religious Freedom Act, legislation that reinforces our First Amendment Right to worship, even during a State of Emergency. It deems religious services essential and protects our ability to worship in times of crisis when we need it most.

On Thursday, the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee approved the bill, H. 3957, I cosponsored to address the sustainability of our important flounder fishery. The bill should hit the House floor for a vote very soon.

This week, our state began the transition into Phase 1B, which makes a new group of individuals eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination: people 55 and older, teachers, law enforcement personnel, store clerks, and other at-risk individuals. Click here to locate a vaccine provider.

As of March 11th, 1,244,565 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the state.

In response to concerns about the poor surface condition of the Sampit River bridge in Georgetown, I contacted SCDOT Director Christy Hall to get the bridge assessed and repaired. SCDOT engineers found no structural issues. Surface repairs will take place as soon as possible.

Here’s the link to my official House webpage, where you can find the bills that I have either sponsored or cosponsored, view my voting record, search for bills and access video feeds of the House sessions and committee meetings.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee I serve on worked diligently to craft a 2021-2022 state budget. The committee unanimously passed a conservative budget bill that will likely hit the House floor the week of March 22nd for debate. We took into consideration the recommendations made in Gov. McMaster’s executive budget that focus on COVID relief, pay raises for law enforcement and rebuilding our state’s reserve fund.

The budget bill recognizes the uncertainties caused by the pandemic. It also invests millions of dollars in K-12 education and our state’s struggling hospitality industry to recover from devastating COVID impacts.

On Wednesday, I presented the bill I cosponsored to address the sustainability of our important flounder fishery, H. 3957, to the House Wildlife Subcommittee. The bill is an effort to rebuild the depleted flounder stock, while keeping the fishery open year-round. It reduces the daily bag limit to five fish per person (ten per boat) and creates a slot size limit of 16 to 20 inches with an allowance for one “trophy fish” over 20 inches per person (two per boat maximum).

The bill was passed out of the subcommittee with a favorable report and now heads to the full House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs Committee for consideration.

This week, the Governor announced that starting this Monday, March 8th, the following groups may schedule an appointment to receive their COVID vaccine:

*Anyone over the age of 55.

*People 16 and over who have a high-risk medical condition.

*Teachers, store clerks, law enforcement and other frontline jobs that put an individual within 6 ft of other people for more than 15 minutes.

Click here to locate a vaccine provider.

As of March 4th, over 995,309 doses of the COVID vaccination have been given in South Carolina. This is due to the hard work and sacrifice made by volunteers, medical professionals, the National Guard, and many other folks in our state. I’m proud and thankful for the progress we continue to make and the fellowship our state has shown during these tough times.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

I hope all is well. Here’s my legislative report for the week.

On Monday, I was privileged to participate in the East Cooper Republican Club’s State of the State legislative panel, where area legislators provide an update on legislation and important issues and take questions. It was a great opportunity to hear from Charleston County constituents.

This week, the House Ways and Means Economic Development Subcommittee I sit on met to consider legislation I cosponsored that would authorize the use of funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and determine how the funds would be distributed to eligible renters. This U.S. Dept. of Treasury program makes available $25 billion to states to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID pandemic.

There were a series of bills in the House Judiciary Committee to reform the election system in our state. Currently, our state’s election process is a confusing patchwork – each region of our state has a unique system and there is no central authority to cover the cracks and holes that exist in the system. These bills aim to streamline and structure our state’s election system, preserving the integrity of every citizen’s vote.

During the nationwide shutdowns of the COVID pandemic, churchgoers of all religions were denied the ability to gather and worship. We deserve the right to make that decision within our religious bodies. The South Carolina Religious Freedoms Act that was introduced this week, protects the right to hold religious services, even during a state of emergency.

This week, a legislative oversight committee met with leaders from SCDHEC, MUSC and Prisma Hospital systems on COVID vaccinations. The meeting allowed members to get a pulse on where we are, where we are going, and how we can better work together to vaccinate South Carolina. Clearly, our state is still not getting its fair share of the vaccine.

Currently, frontline healthcare workers and anyone 65 or older is eligible to receive the vaccine. Click here to find a vaccine location near you.

Click here to see the flow chart of future vaccine eligibility based on the availability of vaccine.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

I hope you’re doing well. Here’s my legislative update for the week.

The focus of the House of Representatives, now and over the next several weeks, is on improving education, reviewing and restructuring the Governor’s powers, and developing a fiscally sound state budget.

On Monday, I was privileged to attend the South Carolina Beach Advocates’ annual meeting on the Isle of Palms. I participated in a panel of legislators to provide the group with a legislative update and outlook for our beaches. My thanks to Senator Stephen Goldfinch and Representatives Joe Bustos and Spenser Wetmore for their participation in the panel.

I very much appreciate the efforts of SC Beach Advocates to educate the public, governmental authorities, and elected officials as to the environmental, economic, and social impact of our beaches and inlets.

Thank you to the frontline workers and healthcare professionals for their hard work and dedication in performing COVID vaccinations.

Here are some recent updates and developments concerning vaccinations:

• As of February 8th, people aged 65+ began receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Click here to make an appointment.

• On February 10th, 17 CVS Pharmacies throughout the state began offering over 15,000 COVID vaccinations to eligible individuals. Click here for the CVS locations and to make an appointment.

• To date, SC has received 970,250 vaccinations from the Federal government; 548,214 have been given.

On Thursday, Deborah Whelan, a Pawleys Island constituent, was recognized by the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation with the National Citizen Scientist Champion Award for her commitment to Alzheimer’s research. I sponsored a House resolution that passed unanimously honoring Deborah for her very impressive efforts in fighting this terrible disease. Click here for the resolution.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

We’re a month into the 2021 legislative session and progress is being made in fighting COVID.

As of February 2nd, South Carolina ranks 5th in the nation in completed vaccinations. This is attributed to the hard work and collaboration of frontline workers, healthcare professionals, DHEC, and the Governor. Despite the hard work we have seen, we still have room to improve.

Starting this Monday, February 8th, any South Carolina resident age 65 or older can begin scheduling their appointment to receive the COVID vaccine. Click here for more information.

It was announced this week that 17 South Carolina CVS Pharmacies will be offering over 15,000 COVID vaccinations to eligible individuals beginning February 11th. Appointments will be available as early as February 9th. Click here to find a location near you.

As of Thursday, 777,250 vaccinations have been received for distribution from the federal government; 439,888 vaccinations have been put in arms.

Education improvement remains a top priority. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been a challenge for educators, parents, and students. This has also brought many areas of weakness in education to our attention.

Last year, we began an overhaul of education with a few large bills. This year, we’re breaking down the bills. Through this, I’m hopeful that more legislation will pass, and we can get students to where they need to be. This week I was proud to vote in favor of legislation that does the following:

• Reduces the amount of literacy screening and testing for Kindergarten-3rd grade.
• Revises the criteria for retention ensuring students are reading on grade level before promotion.
• Provides reading and literacy coaches to schools who have below average achievement in English/Language arts.
• Establishes “Schools of Innovation” in multiple South Carolina school districts to allow for more flexible models.

On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Economic Development Budget Subcommittee I sit on met to hear budget requests from state agencies. I approach these meetings by keeping the interests of taxpayers at the forefront to ensure state spending is cost effective and not wasteful.

It’s an honor to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

The House of Representatives reconvened this week in Columbia after a week of virtual meetings. Progress was made on improving the expediency and transparency behind the COVID vaccination process, resolving the issue of Santee Cooper, and improving education and teacher pay.

This week, I voted in favor of a $208 million COVID relief bill, appropriating $63 million to DHEC, $45 million to MUSC and $100 million to establish the COVID Vaccine Reserve account to offset the costs associated with administering the vaccine. Additionally, the House unanimously passed a bill that would allow qualified personnel such as South Carolina-licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, and Registered Nurses to administer the COVID vaccine.

This week Becker’s Hospital Review, a national healthcare information forum, released a report showing South Carolina ranks 10th in the nation for how quickly the state is vaccinating people for COVID.

Now, SC just needs to get its fair share of the vaccine -- SC’s vaccine allocation is 61% below the national average. I’ve joined with other state legislators representing Horry and Georgetown counties to pushed our federal representatives to help South Carolina get its fair share of COVID vaccine.

Click here for a news report about the effort.

On January 22nd, I had the opportunity to tour the Tidelands Health COVID vaccination clinic in Murrells Inlet. My thanks to Tidelands, especially the frontline medical providers, for their impressive efforts to expedite vaccinations.

The House passed a bill to put state-owned Santee Cooper back up for sale in an effort to get a better offer, while at the same time mandating needed reforms for this troubled and heavily in debt utility.

I proudly supported a bill to appropriate $9 million in one-time, surplus funds to address some of the funding shortfalls being experienced by the State's public charter schools due to increased enrollment in 2020-21. I also voted to restore Teacher Pay Step Increases, retroactively awarding $50 million in step increases for the 2020-21 school year-- a significant step in the right direction as we work to raise our teacher pay above the national average.

I wanted to make sure you had this link to my official House webpage, where you can find the bills that I have either sponsored or cosponsored, view my voting record, search for bills and access video feeds of the House sessions and committee meetings.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt

Please click here to donate to my reelection campaign.

SC’s vaccine allocation 61% below national average

CONWAY – State legislators representing Horry and Georgetown counties Friday pushed federal representatives to help South Carolina get its fair share of COVID vaccine, citing Center for Disease Control numbers showing the state is getting 61 percent less vaccine than the national average.

Sixteen legislators from the Horry and Georgetown County legislative delegations signed identical letters to U.S. Senators Lindsay Graham and Tim Scott and Congressman Tom Rice that said, “While we understand that the entire country is competing for the vaccines, South Carolina’s allocation of vaccine doses is only 28 doses per 1,000 by the CDC, while the overall country average is 46 doses per 1,000. This is not acceptable, and it will continue to cause our vaccine supply to be gridlocked.”

Click here for the letters.

Legislators point out the new record high COVID cases and positivity rates for the state, stating, “we anticipate those numbers to continue to rise and we are very concerned for our constituents.”

“We are seeking your assistance in helping our communities and others statewide to receive more vaccine doses so that our medical professionals can vaccinate more South Carolinians more efficiently and effectively,” the legislators said. “The sooner we can receive more doses, the earlier our communities can begin to heal from this agonizing pandemic and our economy can bounce back quicker as well.”

On Thursday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation issued a joint order expanding the number of medical professionals who may administer COVID-19 vaccine to include retired nurses and medical students with appropriate training.

“While we applaud this major effort, South Carolina is simply not receiving enough vaccine doses to make this a reality,” the legislators wrote. “We have spoken with many of our local hospitals and health care workers who are more than ready and prepared to administer more vaccines, but they simply do not have it.”

Horry County legislators who signed the letter are Senators Greg Hembree, Luke Rankin and Kent Williams, and Representatives Lucas Atkinson, William Bailey, Case Brittain, Heather Ammons Crawford, Russell Fry, Kevin Hardee, Jackie Hayes, Jeffery Johnson, and Tim McGinnis.

Georgetown County signers are Senators Stephen Goldfinch and Ronnie Sabb and Representatives Carl Anderson and Lee Hewitt.

I hope you’re doing well.

The 2021 session of the SC House of Representatives started on Tuesday.

I was pleased to be reappointed to a House leadership position, as a Majority Whip, and especially honored to be appointed by House Speaker Jay Lucas to a coveted seat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

So far, over 900 bills have been prefiled and many were introduced this week. Here are some of the bills I’ve refiled from the last session:

H 3430: Makes it illegal to lure a child into a vehicle using things like candy or puppies. Surprisingly, this is not already a crime in South Carolina.

H 3368: Vastly expedites the regulation of synthetic opioids or “designer drugs” by the S.C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control. My bill would allow the SCDHEC Director to immediately list it, allowing law enforcement to immediately crack down on its sale.

H 3429: Makes entering into anyone’s dwelling, during a declared state of emergency, an upgraded charge of felony burglary in the first degree. This is in response to break-ins that occurred in the district during evacuation orders.

I was pleased with Gov. McMaster’s State of the State address on Wednesday. I joined him in praying for and honoring the members of law enforcement that we have lost this year and thanking the many frontline workers who have made huge sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor spoke about the goal of having students back in the classroom five days a week as soon as possible, expanding broadband internet to rural areas, better law enforcement funding and putting an end to the corruption behind Santee Cooper.

On Wednesday, COVID vaccinations began for those 70 or older. You can find a location to receive the vaccine through this online locator tool: www.scdhec.gov/vaxlocator or by calling the DHEC Care Line at (855) 472-3432.

I know Tidelands Health in our area is working diligently to do what is necessary to bring in extra staff and equipment to speed vaccinations. However, a major issue is a vaccine shortage in South Carolina, which is slowing vaccinations.

Our state is not getting its fair share of the vaccine. South Carolina’s allocation of vaccine doses is only 28 doses per 1,000, while the overall country average is 46 doses per 1,000. That’s just not acceptable.

Myself and other local legislators are reaching out to U.S. Senators Lindsay Graham and Tim Scott and Congressman Tom Rice for immediate assistance in solving this very critical problem that imperils lives.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to represent District 108 in the House. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Rep. Lee Hewitt