Lunch with Bobby Harrell

September 18, 2007: Bobby Harrell spoke to our club about some hot issues faced by the South Carolina legislature in the past years and those likely to be visited in the upcoming year. He stressed the fact our state government must focus on economic development in the coming decades as its top priority. Mr. Harrell noted that business development should be a priority today so SC can attempt to build existing businesses and new ones, small and large.

Some key issues the legislature faced in the past years were: workers compensation reform; tort reform legislation; funding and other issues relating to the Department of Transportation; and taxation issues. There was talk in the past about South Carolina being unfriendly to businesses from the viewpoint of workers compensation insurance. Mr. Harrell discussed how this was addressed in workers comp reforms with an eye towards being more fair all around. He also touched upon tort reform legislation, a related issue that has affected insurance and businesses.

Mr. Harrell gave a refreshing look into how he views the taxes assessed upon citizens of South Carolina. He discussed the sales tax on groceries that is soon to be eliminated. He also touched upon income tax, cigarette tax, and gas tax, which should continue to be important issues. Immigration will probably be an increasingly important issue for the state. Mr. Harrell discussed the possibility of our state taking a more active role in immigration reform if the Federal government continues to stall on progress. Mr. Harrell graciously fielded several questions from the audience. We were also pleased to have Mr. Harrell’s father join our meeting.

Submitted by Jackie Grau, Keyway Committee