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South Carolina House Endorses Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill

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South Carolina House Endorses Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill


The South Carolina House of Representatives has approved a framework for paid family leave insurance in the state, sending House Bill 4832 to the Senate.

By a vote of 110-0, the House last week passed the bill that would allow but not require paid leave insurance products to cover at least two weeks of paid time off for workers who need to care for family members, including newborn children. The measure authorizes life and disability insurers to create the policies, and the insurers would be subject to a 1.25% tax on total premiums written.

The bill comes two years after South Carolina lawmakers approved six weeks of paid family leave for state employees, and a year after similar paid leave was provided to teachers and school employees. At least four Southern states have expanded paid family leave for educators and public workers in the last four years, the advocacy group A Better Balance has reported.

Kentucky was the most recent, when lawmakers voted in January voted 92-1 to allow the insurance plan. Supporters said the measure would help make Kentucky more competitive with other states that offer

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Employers nationwide must comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows eligible employees to take unpaid leave. At least 13 states have added their own leave laws that require paid time off for family and medical reasons for private employers. Nationwide, eight states have adopted voluntary paid leave insurance provisions, the Bipartisan Policy Center reported.

South Carolina’s HB 4832 was sponsored in part by Rep. Kevin Hardee, R-Loris. If it passes the Senate and is signed by the governor, it will take effect July 1, 2025.

“The policy of insurance shall set forth: the amount of benefits that will be paid for covered family leave reasons; the definition of the wages or other income upon which the amount of family leave benefits will be based; and how wages or other income will be calculated,” reads the bill.

By next year, the state Department of Insurance must provide annual reports on the utilization of the insurance, including the number of insurers offering it and the number of employers that have purchased it, broken down by industry and company size.

The South Carolina-based Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, which has advocated for more paid leave time for state workers, did not take a position on HB 4832.

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A similar bill has been approved by a Senate committee and appears on its way to passage by the full Senate.

The Hartford to Offer Vermont’s Family Leave Insurance for Employers

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South Carolina commitment cracks recruiting rankings top 100

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South Carolina commitment cracks recruiting rankings top 100


South Carolina football signee Malik Clark has been on the recruiting industry’s radar for a while. However, thanks to a strong senior season at Rock Hill High School, the Palmetto State native has seen his stock rise in recent months.

On Thursday, when On3 released its updated player rankings, Clark moved up again. Outside of the top 300 (but still a 4-star prospect) prior to the update, the explosive wide receiver now ranks No. 101 nationally, No. 2 in South Carolina, and No. 16 among all receiver prospects.

Because other outlets also like Clark as a player, he now sits at No. 88 nationally in On3’s industry ranking, a composite of the four major recruiting rankings from On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. He is a consensus 4-star prospect and is now inside the top 180 national players according to each outlet.

Win tickets: A’ja Wilson’s jersey retirement, South Carolina-Auburn

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When watching Clark’s film (check out GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark and Kevin Miller break it down here), the rankings jump makes a ton of sense.

The most notable trait on Clark’s film (for clarity: that’s Malik Clark, not Chris Clark) is that he is really fast. A track athlete in high school, Clark clocked some sub-4.4 laser times last spring. That speed translates to the gridiron as he easily gets behind opposing defenses. He also accelerates well, allowing him to reach top speed quickly. However, Clark’s speed isn’t only about straight-line sprinting. He moves comfortably and displays elite quickness that allows him to break opposing cornerbacks’ ankles as he runs crisp routes or looks for yards after the catch.

Listed at 6’2″ and 180 pounds on South Carolina’s preliminary roster for 2025, Clark brings needed size to the USC receiver room. Before the 2025 signing class enrolled, only 6’5″ Nyck Harbor was taller than 6’1″ at wide receiver.

The Football City, USA product is a good catcher of the football, an overlooked necessity at his position. Though he makes all the routine plays, Clark has shown the ability to make spectacular catches, as well.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

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Like fellow 2025 signee Donovan Darden, 247Sports also bumped up Clark quite a bit. With their recent rankings update, the outlet now considers him the No. 108 player in America.

Clark enrolled at the University of South Carolina this January. He will go through spring practice with the Gamecocks. USC likely will need at least one young wideout to play in 2025, and he might be the one.

Joining Clark in the class are five other freshman receivers. Jayden Sellers, Brian Rowe, Jordan Gidron, and Lex Cyrus also have enrolled already. Donovan Murph will enroll this summer.



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10 takeaways from SC Gov. McMaster’s State of State address; tax reforms, teacher pay hike

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10 takeaways from SC Gov. McMaster’s State of State address; tax reforms, teacher pay hike


South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster gave his eighth ‘State of the State’ address Wednesday night, with proposals that included tax reforms, increased pay for teachers and first responders, the reconfiguration of two statewide mental health departments, and disaster relief.

The longest-serving governor in Palmetto State history spoke for just over 50 minutes before a joint session of the General Assembly and guests in Columbia about the state’s successes, challenges, and opportunities in 2024. The Republican governor highlighted the third-best performance of capital investments in the state’s history, at about $8.2 billion and $1.8 billion in unexpected revenue.

McMaster recognized several Upstate companies, AFL and Keurig Dr. Pepper in Spartanburg County; EnerSys and Magna in Greenville County, for their investments in the state.

He declared the state of South Carolina in “superior fiscal shape” due to government savings and non-spending methods but kept his speech focused on the priorities of 2025 and beyond.

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“We’re doing great, but we’ve got work to do in a number of places,” McMaster said. “We’ve got some decisions to make.”

Following his address, state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews of Colleton County gave the Democratic response. She raised questions about a $1.8 billion discrepancy in the state treasury that led to resignations and a Securities Exchange Commission investigation, encouraged taxpayer dollars to be invested in public education instead of school choice efforts, and applauded lawmaker bipartisan efforts to bring jobs to the state.

Here are 10 takeaways from McMaster’s speech.

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Cut personal income state taxes in South Carolina

In 2022, McMaster signed a law reducing personal state income taxes from 7 to 6.2 percent over five years. During Wednesday’s address, he said South Carolina’s booming economy had helped accelerate the tax cuts in just three years.

Because of those successes, McMaster proposed reducing personal state income taxes from 6.2 percent to 6 percent, eventually ending the statewide tax.

“We should not stop at 6 percent… until we can eliminate the personal income tax for our people, all together,” he said.

McMaster estimated that the 0.2 percent reduction would save South Carolina residents $193.5 million per year.

Proposed changes to statewide disaster relief

McMaster recounted the massive effects of Tropical Storm Helene on South Carolina, including damage to nearly 6,300 homes and $621 million in agricultural damages across the 20 million acres of state jurisdiction.

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He noted that as of Jan. 29, there were about 441,000 applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In the future, he would like to circumvent the disaster relief process further, proposing a $150 million appropriation to create a “South Carolina Public Assistance Program” administered by the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

This state grant program would allow local government, public utilities, charities, and nonprofit agencies to apply for state disaster recovery funds denied by the federal government or those that did not meet FEMA thresholds for damage reimbursement.

“That’s how we take care of our people,” he said of the proposed changes.

Consolidation of two statewide mental health agencies

McMaster proposed reviewing and funding the state’s behavioral health delivery systems. He described a fragmented and confusing process that people seeking services must navigate while others in need are never treated or fall through the cracks because the agencies responsible for helping don’t collaborate or communicate.

“We must fix this,” he said, recommending consolidating the Department of Mental Health and Department of Disabilities and Special Needs as cabinet-level agencies accountable to the governor. 

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Newly proposed neurological health center in South Carolina

He also proposed lawmakers assist in funding a new neuro-health rehabilitation center with 80 beds for critical care and 32 beds for neurological rehabilitation. The newly constructed health facility would be managed by the Department of Health & Human Services and operated by the University of South Carolina.

Increase minimum salaries for teachers

Eight years ago, the state’s minimum starting teacher salary average was $30,113, which was below the Southeast average. McMaster said the goal was to raise the average salary to $50,000 by 2026.

The governor said the starting minimum salary now stands at $47,000, which exceeds the Southeast average. He said teacher salaries increased by 56.1 percent, higher than in Georgia and North Carolina.

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To stay competitive and attract the “best and brightest,” McMaster recommended lawmakers increase the minimum salary for teachers in the state to $50,000 this year.

“Educating our children is the most important thing we do,” he said.

Funding for school choice

In addition, McMaster vouched for continuing investments in K-4 programs, stating that state-funded, low-income households enrolled in the programs have been shown to produce students who excel with the necessary skills to learn.

He asked lawmakers to help him establish an “Education Scholarship Trust Fund Bill,” requesting $30 million to help low-income families choose the education and environments that best suit their children. He asked that the bill address last year’s state Supreme Court ruling that public money could not be used to pay for private education.

Debit cards for Education Lottery tickets

McMaster proposed to allow debit card purchases of South Carolina Education Lottery tickets as the statewide lottery commission estimates debit card purchases would generate an additional $52 million that could be used for education purposes.

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Safety resource officers in schools

According to McMaster, integrating safety resource officers into all 1,284 public schools is a top priority. He said there are 177 schools in the state without the officers.

He proposed that the state’s Department of Public Safety fund and administer an SRO grant program by the year’s end to ensure parents’ safety and comfort.

Continued freeze on South Carolina public college tuition

For the sixth consecutive year, the governor requested a freeze on tuition for in-state students who attend public colleges, universities, and other higher learning institutions in South Carolina. In exchange, the schools would receive metric-based appropriation and incentives.

In addition, for the fourth straight year, $80 million is expected to support college students at public institutions who qualify for federal Pell grants. Private, independent, and historically Black colleges and universities would receive an additional $20 million in tuition assistance.

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Proposed increases for law enforcement, prisons

The governor proposed $14.5 million in pay raises for hiring new officers across South Carolina. He recommended a $2,000 state income tax credit for every active duty first responder employed by a public entity, totaling around $43 million in tax relief.

McMaster’s executive budget recommends the South Carolina Department of Corrections receive a new appropriation of $43.2 million for cell phone and contraband confiscation, increase correction officers, deferred maintenance, and medical and mental health at the 21 prisons across the state.

He also mentioned providing additional funding to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to increase dog fighting prevention efforts.

For a full breakdown of McMaster’s speech, go to the S.C. Governor’s Office website.

– A.J. Jackson covers business, the food & dining scene and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription. 

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Deadly flu season tightens its grip on South Carolina

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Deadly flu season tightens its grip on South Carolina


COLUMBIA, S.C. – As flu season continues, data from the Department of Public Health shows thousands of South Carolinians have been getting sick.

And it’s claimed dozens of lives in the Palmetto State, including one Midlands child.

The good news is that no South Carolina counties in the CSRA are seeing a number of cases above the state baseline.

South Carolina is at the highest possible level of flu activity on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data tracker, and neighboring Georgia isn’t far behind.

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According to South Carolina DPH’s Flu Watch report released in mid-January, the state is reporting sweeping effects due to the flu with over 20,000 lab-confirmed tests reported and 2,098 flu-associated hospitalizations for the 2024-25 season.

HEALTH HELP

Symptoms: Is it a cold, the flu or COVID?

  1. COVID symptoms may include fever or chills, cough, body aches, headaches, tiredness, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts say a sore throat, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, and a running or stuffy nose are less common with COVID-19.
  3. Someone with the flu may experience all these ailments, but the loss of taste or smell is more frequent with COVID-19.
  4. When it comes to colds, fever or chills are not common, but you may have a cough, body aches, tiredness, be sneezing or have a runny or stuffy nose.
  5. In winter months, even allergies can act up, but generally that will not cause fever or chills, body aches or a loss of taste or smell.

This is a sharp increase in comparison with the previous report released in early January, where only 14,000 tests and 1,492 hospitalizations were reported.

As of the most recent report, there have been 30 flu-associated deaths statewide this flu season.

Data from the Statewide Immunization Online Network dosage report also shows immunizations for the flu have dropped this season.

CDC flu map
CDC flu map(Contributed)

Around 952,000 people, or 18.3% of the Palmetto State’s population, were administered a dose of the flu vaccine during the 2024-25 season, according to SIMON. In the 2023-24 season, SIMON showed around 1.18 million South Carolinians, or 22.7% of the state, got a flu shot.

Breaking the data down based on age, immunization rates for children between six months and 18 years old have remained steady between the two seasons.

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While flu season should be coming to a close soon, it’s still not too late to get a vaccine.

The Department of Public Health recommends everyone over the age of six months get a flu shot every year, due to the strains of flu changing from year to year.

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