The South Carolina House of Representatives is once again buzzing in its first week of session.
Prime Minister Henry McMaster presented his budget proposal on January 5. Raise the minimum wage for teachers to $45,000, provide $95 million in workforce technology grants, and invest $50 million in building and establishing training centers at technical colleges as manufacturing sites to train skilled workers . BMW in the Upstate and Scout Motors in the Midlands are among McMaster's agenda items in his plan to meet the needs of a growing state.
Meanwhile, House Republicans began the new legislative session with a crusade to ban sex-based health care for minors. A similar bill has yet to pass the Senate.
Most of the speakers — pediatricians, medical experts, therapists, parents, advocates and transgender residents — gathered at a House subcommittee meeting on Jan. 9 to inform lawmakers about the dangers of denying gender confirmation to transgender children. They have been prepared with personal stories, case studies and pages of widely accepted research showing the safety of puberty blockers, as well as LGBTQ+ inclusive advice, to stop lawmakers from passing a controversial anti-trans bill.
But lawmakers quickly moved the bill forward.
Here's what happened in the State House's first week back to work:
McMaster prioritizes economic development in his new budget proposal.
South Carolina has exceeded economic expectations for two consecutive years. In 2023, the state experienced the highest population growth in the entire country.
McMaster said he wants to spur growth by investing more in technical schools and programs to attract about 20,000 skilled workers to meet the needs of manufacturers such as BMW. He also wants to invest $50 million to expand the state's commercial airports.
Last year, the Army Task Force on Teacher Retention and Recruiting made several important proposals to address the teacher shortage. The task force called on policymakers to give teachers more money for teaching materials so that teachers do not have to pay for the necessary materials out of pocket. Another proposal is to simplify the salary range and increase the minimum wage from 23 years of service to 30 years. Experienced teachers will therefore receive a pay rise if they have more than 23 years of teaching experience.
McMaster plans to spend $13.43 million on 175 new school resource officers (SROs) in public schools. In the financial year 2023-2024, 1,091 SROs were operational. Additionally, there is a shortage of skilled workers due to declining birth rates and declining college and university enrollments. The U.S. student population is expected to decline by 15% by 2025. McMaster plans to spend $3 million to study the current state of South Carolina's colleges and universities. The governor's office told reporters on Jan. 5 that while enrollment at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina continues to grow, other state institutions such as technical colleges are seeing enrollment declines, raising questions about whether some schools should be consolidated.
We are talking about a different situation. South Carolina's bridges are in trouble. SC DOT's 2023 Accountability Report found that approximately 9,000 bridges between 60 and 80 years old need to be rehabilitated and repaired. McMaster said lawmakers could use $500 million from the farm exemption fund, a 1% sales tax, to address the problem. It was part of the controversial 1% sales tax law. 388. The legislation helped eliminate school property taxes on owner-occupied properties. This has greatly affected the ability of public schools to raise funds. Lawmakers then enacted a 1% sales tax to address the problem and shift the burden from homeowners to short-term rental properties. The fund was in short supply until recently, when aggressive fundraising saw the state amass millions of dollars.
As part of the other appropriations, McMaster proposed that the Legislature give $1 million to the Anne Frank Center, supported by the University of Southern California, the only one of its kind in North America. McMaster's office said this came in response to a conversation the governor had with members of the Jewish community in response to Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip. Clemson University will also receive another $70 million in funding for a new school of veterinary medicine.
Lawmakers quickly passed a bill that would ban grooming of gender-confirmed minors.
There are approximately 3,700 transgender youth between the ages of 13 and 17 living in South Carolina, according to new estimates from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
Doctors, parents and advocates told lawmakers on Jan. 9 that these young people's lives would be at risk if lawmakers prevented transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and trans-inclusive counseling. Campaigners have also highlighted the danger of school staff being forced to "exclude" children by informing unsupportive parents of their children's gender identity.
Latest session: US Senate debates anti-transgender bills that would ban changes in gender identity and birth certificates
Representative. Greenwood resident John McCravey said the bill aims to protect "vulnerable children." McCravey cited statistics that are in stark contrast to widely accepted peer-reviewed studies. He cites a statistic: About 60% of transgender adults regret having undergone gender reassignment.
But a 2021 review of 27 studies, including the experiences of nearly 8,000 transgender patients, found that only 1% regretted their transition. Meanwhile, a January 2023 study, believed to be the largest of its kind, found that transgender and nonbinary youth taking hormones and puberty blockers had fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a pediatrician at Columbia University, told lawmakers that the bill's provisions would exacerbate the mental health crisis for children who already struggle with social stigma, discrimination and limited mental health support. Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Mack of the American Academy of Pediatrics focused on "mythbusting" and said gender confirmation is an umbrella term for a series of steps that require close attention from parents.
“First of all, South Carolina does not perform gender confirmation surgery on minors,” Mack said. "Nothing. So there's nothing to worry about and you can cross that off the list of things to worry about with our newlyweds."
Charleston residents David and Rebecca Bell were visibly moved to affirm the importance of gender-based care in ensuring the well-being of their daughter, who suffered from suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
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“A few days ago we explained to our daughter that we came here because of this law, and she asked us directly, why don't you all believe or why don't people believe? “He knows who he is and it really hurts me when I can't give him an answer,” Rebecca said.
Eric Childs, military veteran and father of a transgender teenager, downplays government involvement in personal health care decisions. He also noted the bill's religious undertones, as most of the bill's supporters framed the legislation against the backdrop of biblical references. “I joined the military as a young man to protect this country. I was forced to fight religious extremism and help bring democracy to another country on the other side of the world,” Childs continued. “I have to go back and defend myself now from another extremist religious group in my backyard.”
However, their requests were not listened to.
Lawmakers quickly moved the bill to committee. Parliament is expected to consider the bill on January 16.
Devyani Chhetri covers SC Politics. He can be reached at dchhetri@gannett.com or @ChhetriDevyani.
This article originally appeared in Greenville News: S.C. Republicans push for gender affirmation in first week of session.
