Last week, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the 2026–27 state budget conference report and sent it to the Governor. Getting to this point was not easy. The House and Senate had real disagreements over portions of the budget. But rather than allow those disagreements to hold up tax relief,Continue Reading
Delivering on Our Conservative Agenda As the gavel fell at 5 PM this Thursday, the House officially adjourned Sine Die, Latin for “without a day”, bringing the first year of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session to a close. This week was a final sprint to the finish, and I was proudContinue Reading
With just five weeks remaining in this year’s legislative session, we’re not slowing down. This week, we continued delivering on our House Republican Caucus’s Pillars for Progress—supporting legislation that defends merit-based opportunity, expands career-ready education, and protects children and families from emerging threats. These aren’t just bills—they are promises keptContinue Reading
It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the 2025 legislative session—but we’re not slowing down. This week, I joined my House Republican Caucus members in announcing a historic tax reform plan that will cut taxes, simplify the system, and make South Carolina the most competitive state in the nationContinue Reading
This week, I proudly stood with House Republican Caucus members to pass a balanced, fiscally conservative budget — one that cuts taxes, eliminates waste, and invests in the priorities that matter most to South Carolina families. While Washington, D.C. continues to spend recklessly, we do things differently in South Carolina.Continue Reading
By Representative Nathan Ballentine 2025 Week 8 – Delivering on My Promise to Promote Business-Friendly Policies This week, my colleagues and I took major steps to deliver on the promises we made to you—reducing burdensome regulations, providing relief to small businesses, cracking down on crime, and ensuring property owners haveContinue Reading
The fight to expand educational freedom, protect and empower our children, and promote fiscal responsibility continued in full force this week at the State House. My colleagues and I in the took bold steps to strengthen school choice, close dangerous loopholes in our child exploitation laws, and advance a conservative,Continue Reading
Strengthening Public Safety, Energy Security & Online Protections The fight to protect South Carolina families, businesses, and values is in full swing at the State House. This week, we took major steps to crack down on organized crime, secure our energy future, and protect kids online—proving once again that weContinue Reading
By Nathan Ballentine I am proud to be working with like-minded colleagues in the State House to fight for conservative reforms that put South Carolinians first. We are taking bold action to rein in wasteful spending, secure South Carolina’s energy future and eliminate conflicts of interest in auditing. This week,Continue Reading
We’re two weeks into our legislative session and the excitement is building. House committees are currently engaged in taking public testimony and preparing for the upcoming floor debates on many issues you’ve let me know are important to you. In total, there were more than 31 committee and subcommittee meetings,Continue Reading
On Thursday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law H.3594, commonly known as the “permitless carry” or “constitutional carry” bill. The legislation makes South Carolina the 29th state in the United States to implement constitutional carry, allowing individuals aged 18 and older to openly carry loaded handguns without theContinue Reading
By Al Dozier The gunfight at the Statehouse is about done. On February 1 The S.C. Senate passed a controversial bill that would allow any adult without a felony background to carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit. Often referred to as the “constitutional carry” bill, the legislationContinue Reading
By State Representative Nathan Ballentine The first few weeks of the year have been focused on committee work rather than full debate on the House floor. Specifically, I have been very busy with hearings from our state’s colleges and universities as they present their needs (and wants) for the 2024-2025Continue Reading