In The News
Opinion: Why Health Insurance Tax could mean skyrocketing premiums
Sunday | November 24, 2019Whether I am home in Charleston or visiting with South Carolinians in Washington, D.C., I hear this concern echoed time and again: Health care costs are too high for too many. Indeed, the latest government projections show that health-care spending continues to increase at a rate of 5.5% annually - faster than wages or inflation - and will consume nearly 20 percent of our economy by 2027. In light of this trend, you'd think Congress would be taking steps to lower consumers' health-care … Continue Reading
Opportunity zones attract developers to hard-hit communities
Thursday | November 21, 2019by John Jeter
Let's say you just made a tidy haul in real estate, stock trades or hedge funds or from selling your business - with capital-gains taxes as high as 23%. Now, you can invest those returns in a low-income neighborhood, and IRS will thank you with a tax deferral for years. Welcome to "opportunity zones," an economic-development initiative that South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker tucked into the congressional 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In … Continue Reading
Find way to foster opportunity
Wednesday | November 20, 2019South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was an architect of legislation creating Federal Opportunity Zones to foster private investment in low-income communities via tax incentives. Scott wrote in September: "Today, there are over 52 million Americans living in distressed communities. … My Opportunity Zones initiative, part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, aims to bring long-term private investment to economically distressed communities, potentially unleashing $6 trillion in … Continue Reading
Sen. Tim Scott on impact of impeachment hearings
Friday | November 15, 2019South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott on many Americans opposing impeachment and the inquiry's impact on 2020. You can watch the full video … Continue Reading
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott on Giuliani’s role in the Ukraine controversy, his personal journey and more
Friday | November 15, 2019Washington, D.C. - "Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren" on Sunday, November 17, 2019, features an interview with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. In the interview, Scott discusses Giuliani's role in the Ukraine controversy and Scott's personal journey, among other topics. Click here to watch excerpts from the … Continue Reading
Sen. Scott Leads Letter to Treasury Regarding International Insurance Capital Standard Negotiations
Thursday | November 14, 2019WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 -- Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: Today, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), along with Senator Mike Rounds, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and 27 Senators lead a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, urging members of Team USA to seek a clear pathway to formal recognition of the U.S. insurance regulatory system as "comparable" or "outcome equivalent" to the ICS. Additionally, they call on members of Team USA to oppose adoption of … Continue Reading
Editorial: South Carolina should lead on Opportunity Zone development
Saturday | November 9, 2019Cities and counties across South Carolina are working to take advantage of the anti-poverty Invest in Opportunity Act that was part of the 2017 tax reform bill. Our state ranks 10th in the nation in the percentage of its population living below the federal poverty line, and stands to benefit greatly if the act succeeds. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and the Legislature should take further steps to ensure that South Carolina is a national leader in realizing the aims of the act, which directs … Continue Reading
Sen. Tim Scott: Tax reform is helping our economy, and communities most in need
Thursday | November 7, 2019As Democratic presidential candidates promise to repeal the 2017 tax reform law and trip over themselves trying to determine who wants to tax Americans at the highest rates, it's important to remember one thing: the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) is working. I wrote and championed a key part of the tax reform package aimed at helping our communities most in need, the Opportunity Zones initiative. Chosen by governors and mayors, not Washington bureaucrats, Opportunity Zones and the communities … Continue Reading
Scott Praises HHS decision to protect religious liberty
Monday | November 4, 2019On Friday, United States Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the following statement following the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decision to repeal the regulation that threatened faith-based foster care and adoption agencies in South Carolina. "It is fitting that this National Adoption Month, HHS has sided with our most vulnerable children in restoring the rights of the faith-based adoption agencies who care for them," said Senator Scott. "South Carolinians can rest assured that … Continue Reading
US Sen. Tim Scott, Womble Bond Dickinson Attorney Stephanie Few Discuss Opportunity Zones
Tuesday | October 29, 2019US Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was the architect of federal Opportunity Zone legislation designed to drive private investment and job creation in America's poorest neighborhoods. Sen. Scott remains one of the most enthusiastic champions of the Opportunity Zones program and at the recent South Carolina Opportunity Zone Summit, he and Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Stephanie Few had a "Fireside Chat" about the successes, challenges and promises of Opportunity Zones. Few, who works extensively with … Continue Reading
SENATE TO VOTE ON FUNDING FOR ‘HEIRS PROPERTY’ INITIATIVE
Monday | October 28, 2019by Chuck Abbott
The 2018 Farm Bill included a provision to make it easier for farmers operating on so-called heirs property - land that passed from one generation of a family to another without a clear title - to obtain a USDA farm number and, thus, gain access to a multitude of government programs. The Senate is scheduled to vote this afternoon on an amendment by Alabama Senator Doug Jones to provide $5 million for a relending program that would be a step toward resolving ownership issues. One expert … Continue Reading
Senator Scott accepting applications for Spring 2020 Internships
Saturday | October 26, 2019SOUTH CAROLINA - U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has announced he is accepting congressional internship applications for available positions in his Washington DC, North Charleston, Columbia and Greenville offices for the spring of 2020. The internship program offers undergraduate and graduate students practical experience in constituent services, the legislative process, government policy, and press. The internship provides students with the ability to work with and learn from public service … Continue Reading
Sen. Tim Scott: Opportunity zones are really working
Friday | October 18, 2019by Sen. Tim Scott
The 2017 tax reform law was a once-in-a-generation tax cut for America's families, small businesses, and workers. A huge part of that victory was that we were able to bring hope and prosperity to communities that have been left behind through new Opportunity Zones. I grew up in economically distressed neighborhoods, and I know that the last thing struggling communities need or want is the federal government telling them what their problems are or what their solutions should be. So, instead of … Continue Reading
Sen. Tim Scott advocates for civility in politics
Monday | October 14, 2019by Dan Hunt
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott visited Hilton Head Island last week to talk politics, or rather, how Americans talk politics. Scott was invited by the Judie Aronson Social Justice Initiative, along with moderator Rabbi Brad Bloom, to speak simply on the topic of respectful debate - or as the program put it, "the importance of civility in our public discourse." "One of the places where we are failing as a nation is the latest polls say two-thirds of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats do not have a … Continue Reading
Sen. Tim Scott, speaking on Hilton Head, calls for nationwide civility, talks impeachment
Friday | October 11, 2019by Katherine Kokal
Days after the end of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina visited Congregation Beth Yam on Hilton Head Island to encourage people with differing views to talk to each other. He spoke Thursday evening of the racism he experienced growing up, blaming evil on the perpetrators, not the president at the time. Deep polarization has damaged the country, he said. "A tribal America is a dangerous place to live." Scott, a Charleston Republican, was invited to … Continue Reading
Protest outside Trump rally in Minneapolis 'sickens my stomach,' GOP senator says
Friday | October 11, 2019by Charles Creitz
Full video at the link below.U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., blasted the hundreds of protesters outside President Trump's Minneapolis rally on Thursday night, accusing the raucous crowd of trying to intimidate everyday citizens. "It's the most ridiculous thing I saw on TV today," Scott told guest host Jason Chaffetz on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle." "I've spent the day today running around South Carolina thanking law enforcement officers -- from Charleston to Aiken to Hilton Head -- thanking … Continue Reading
South Carolina boasts over 130 'opportunity zones' that could bring tax benefits
Thursday | October 10, 2019by Renee Wunderlich
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Three hundred and fifty people from over 20 states gathered Thursday at the Greenville Convention Center to network and learn more about investing in specific areas across South Carolina called "opportunity zones." Opportunity zones are areas within designated communities where investors can get a tax break for bringing things like jobs or affordable housing. Over 130 places across South Carolina, including Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Spartanburg, are now opportunity … Continue Reading
PHOTOS: U.S. Sen. Tim Scott guest speaker at NAACP banquet
Saturday | October 5, 2019South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was the guest speaker for the 36th Annual West Spartanburg Branch of the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet at USC Upstate on Oct. 5, 2019. Photos at the link … Continue Reading
Scott takes lead against sickle cell
Monday | September 30, 2019The Orangeburg Area Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation has a mission of promoting awareness of sickle cell disease, an incurable and sometimes painful blood disorder. Its services include genetic counseling, prescription assistance, emergency patient assistance, testing, transportation, referrals and community education, including health fairs. A highlight of the foundation's campaign is an annual walk, which was held Saturday with the theme, "Taking a step towards breaking the sickle cell … Continue Reading
Entrepreneurs create most new jobs: Why aren't we talking about them?
Monday | September 23, 2019by WENDY GUILLIES
In recent weeks, there has been talk about a possible recession and tools policymakers should use to protect American workers and the domestic economy. Some are talking about protection of jobs from global competition. Others talk about addressing income inequality. Still others refer to a menu of options, calling for interest rate cuts, tax cuts, and increased tax incentives. Missing almost entirely from the national discussion is entrepreneurship. This despite the fact that entrepreneurs, … Continue Reading
