Tightening (?) Income Disclosure Laws

LEGISLATION WOULD TIGHTEN SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR STATEMENTS OF ECONOMIC INTEREST — AND LOOSEN OTHERS Late in March, House Republicans, including Speaker Jay Lucas, sponsored a bill requiring increased disclosure on elected officials’ statements of economic interest. On its face, the legislation seems to tighten disclosure laws pretty significantly. The main items: (1) Officials would be […]

The Ethics Bill Is Back

THREE PROVISIONS THAT SHOULD BE AMENDED, PRONTO Today, a Senate Select Committee on Ethics will consider H.3945, the ethics bill that failed to make it out of the Senate last year. The bill has gone through several manifestations, each one generally worse than the last. Our hope is that Senators Rankin, Campsen, Hayes, Hutto, Jackson, […]

Income Disclosure Laws: How Does S.C. Rank?

THERE IS NO COMPARISON. LITERALLY. South Carolinians have become accustomed to seeing their state placed at or near the wrong side of a variety of national rankings. Early childhood education, SAT scores, domestic violence, per capita income, physical fitness, cardiac health – the state usually finds itself somewhere between 40 and 50 (and in at […]

What Income Disclosure Would Mean for You

 FOR STARTERS, YOU MIGHT LEARN THE REASONS FOR SOME OF YOUR LAWMAKERS’ VOTES Suppose for a moment that you disapprove of a particular vote cast by your lawmaker. You think the bill is unwise, unfair, and you can’t imagine why your lawmaker would vote for it. Then you wonder if he had financial reasons for […]