- BIG STORY: Lawmakers look to overhaul highway department
- MORE NEWS: Shutdown threatens food aid for 100,000 S.C. mothers, children
- LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: The know-nothings
- BRACK: From Frisbeetarianism to Dude-ism to anti-fascism
- MYSTERY PHOTO: Big white building
- FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
Lawmakers look to overhaul highway department
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | Ninety years ago this month, S.C. Gov. Olin D. Johnston launched what was almost certainly the most dramatic Highway Department reform initiative in South Carolina’s history when he ordered a company of machine-gun-wielding National Guardsmen to march on the agency and seize it by force.
This year, S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, appears to be taking a more traditional approach to the Palmetto State’s age-old problem with roads. In May, he appointed a bipartisan committee to work on a plan to modernize the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and its $2.76 billion annual budget.
“This committee will take a comprehensive look at how SCDOT can better serve the needs of our citizens — today and in the future,” Smith said in a release. “From innovation and technology to organizational structure and long-term planning, no idea is off the table.”
The last time that the legislature really looked at roads was in 2017. After three decades of not adjusting the state’s gas tax, lawmakers raised it from $0.16 to $0.28 per gallon — closer to the national average of $0.33. Currently, the average South Carolinian pays a total of about $200 a year in gas taxes to pay for road construction and maintenance, according to data from the S.C. Alliance to Fix Our Roads.
But as S.C. Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell told Statehouse Report on Oct. 9, the new gas tax dollars were mostly earmarked for long-overdue road repairs — not expansion of the already overburdened system.
“It was a fix-it-first bill to overcome 30 years of deferred maintenance on the system,” Powell said. “And we’ve worked hard to deliver on that.”
Since the legislature passed the bill, SCDOT has repaved almost 10,000 miles of roadways, with traffic fatalities falling 20% on completed projects. But now, Powell explained, the state needs to address several structural challenges to its transportation system.
First, despite being the country’s 11th smallest state, S.C. has the fourth largest state road network in the country, with 41,000 miles of asphalt that needs regular repaving and upkeep.
What’s more, with the nation’s fourth fastest-growing population, frustrated motorists from Greenville to Beaufort are demanding new and wider roads to ease the traffic congestion.
And finally, with the cost-per-mile of U.S. road projects more than doubling over the past decade according to the Federal Highway Administration, the state’s existing funding and planning mechanisms can’t meet demand.
“How do we accelerate and streamline project delivery across the state?” Powell said. “That’s what the committee is trying to solve.”
Preparing to legislate
Since August, the House Ad Hoc SCDOT Modernization Committee has held four public meetings around the state, gathering testimony from state agencies, business leaders and citizens.
“We’re listening to folks about what SCDOT is doing well and where it’s falling short,” said S.C. Rep. Shannon Erickson, the Beaufort County Republican who co-chairs the committee . “And we’re working to come up with ways to help the department move faster and make things happen, while making sure we can all afford it.”
The goal, she said in an interview, is to gather enough information to be able to legislate when lawmakers return in January.
“At this point,” she said, echoing the House speaker, “everything is on the table.”
As for what that “everything” is, state transportation experts tell Statehouse Report that the proposed solutions are likely to fall into two major buckets — one labelled “More Money” and another marked “More Bang for the Buck.”
On the revenue side, the committee is expected to consider higher fees on electric vehicles, which don’t contribute to roads via the gas tax, and additional “newcomer” taxes to offset some of the cost of population growth.
But the committee’s real focus is expected to be on the second bucket — making SCDOT’s existing dollars go further. And on that side of the equation, lawmakers are expected to look at two major areas where other states have achieved savings: procurement and permitting.
In terms of procurement, the goal is to speed up the process by shortening lengthy bidding periods that add time and costs to projects without adding value. And with permitting, lawmakers will consider taking advantage of a federal program that allows states to conduct federal environmental reviews.
Currently eight states, including California and Texas, participate in the program. They say it has allowed them to better align the timing of reviews with state priorities, ensuring that permitting is complete by the time major transportation projects are ready to break ground.
Also in the mix, and with significant public support at committee meetings to date: more state resources for public transportation and bike-ped options.
Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority Chairman Mike Seekings called that broader focus “critical.”
“If approached the right way, the modernization commission can make a huge difference in the state,” Seekings said. “But it can’t just be about building roads — public transit has to be a part of that conversation.”
Asked about transit, Erickson noted the large number of public comments the committee has received on the issue, and said it was part of a larger discussion about getting state and local transportation planning on the same page.
That’s an issue the committee will be taking up at a future meeting, she said, where members will hear from local officials about the positives and negatives of turning some state roads over to counties and cities, reducing the size of SCDOT’s maintenance network.
It’s a tricky idea due to cost and complexity, but one that many believe could be key to modernizing the system.
“How do we make it worthwhile for local governments to manage their own roads?” Erickson said. “Because in many cases, they could do it more efficiently. They’re afraid they just wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
She added, “It’s up to us to make sure we figure out a way to make that work.”
While no dates have been announced, the committee is expected to meet next in Charleston and Sumter.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Shutdown threatens food aid for 100,000 S.C. mothers, children
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | With the federal government shutdown now well into its second full week, a critical government program that serves pregnant and nursing mothers and their children is feeling the pinch.
About 100,000 South Carolinians receive free healthy meals, breastfeeding support and nutrition education through the Women, Infants and Children program, which is funded by the federal government and managed by the state Department of Public Health (DPH). One of the fathers of that program was the late U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., who wrote a highly touted policy book in 1970 called The Case Against Hunger.
Today, according to federal and state officials across the country, the federal shutdown immediately stopped the flow of funds to the states, forcing some, like Mississippi, to temporarily limit access to the program in order to protect current beneficiaries.
But here in South Carolina, a DPH official told Statehouse Report on Oct. 9 that it hasn’t had to take similar measures — yet.
“Currently we are able to operate all programs as usual,” DPH spokesperson Casey White said in a statement. “Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, we may have to make some adjustments in the future.”
The shutdown began at midnight on Oct. 1, when Republicans couldn’t muster 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to break a Democratic budget filibuster. Democrats say they won’t agree to the spending package until Republicans agree to restore the Affordable Care Act subsidies that keep health insurance rates affordable for 24 million Americans.
In headlines over the past week
Unvaccinated Greenville County students quarantined as measles spreads Upstate. More than 150 unvaccinated students at two Greenville County schools have been told to stay home while state health officials scramble to deal with a measles outbreak that has now infected 11 Upstate residents.
‘Government’ is not a dirty word. From roads, bridges, schools, agricultural subsidies, regulation of commerce and a host of areas, good government does that practical stuff in our society that makes it easier to live — without having to canoe to the beach or grow food for sustenance.
SLED investigating fire that consumed home of S.C. judge, former state senator. The State Law Enforcement Division says it’s actively investigating the blaze that destroyed the Edisto Island home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein.
2026: Evette notches slight lead in GOP governor primary. The latest poll from the Trafalgar Group shows Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette with a lead outside of the margin of error. Evette led with 20%, while Rep. Nancy Mace came in second with about 16%.
What to know about four 2025 S.C. Statehouse special elections. South Carolina voters in S.C. House Districts 21 and 88 and Senate District 12 can vote early in the primary election through Oct. 17. The primary election for all three seats is Oct. 21. If necessary, a runoff will be held Nov. 4.
S.C. lawmakers look at harsher penalties for child sex offenders after May, Gosnell arrests. With former state Rep. R.J. May, R-Lexington, and former Charleston County Magistrate James Gosnell in jail on child sexual abuse charges, S.C. lawmakers are looking at harsher penalties for the crime, including the death penalty and surgical castration.
State committee holds hearing on children’s issues. A state legislative committee held a hearing Wednesday on children’s issues in North Charleston.
S.C. Ports names former CCO as next CEO. Micah Mallace, who previously served as the chief commercial officer at the Ports Authority before becoming president of a private harbor logistics company, will assume the position as a president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Activists file book ban lawsuit against S.C. superintendent. South Carolina public school students and librarians on Oct. 7 filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block enforcement of the state’s book banning regulation and a classroom censorship memo issued by state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
The know-nothings
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for poking a little fun in just the right way. This week, he takes a poke at the modern Republican Party, suggesting it has something to do with the “know nothing” movement before the Civil War.
- Love this week’s cartoon or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
From Frisbeetarianism to Dude-ism to anti-fascism
By Andy Brack | Seems like news and discussions these days have a lot more focus on “-isms.” Hardly a day goes by that you won’t hear about authoritarianism or fascism or racism, sexism, ageism or something else.
There are even crazy-sounding religious -isms like Frisbeetarianism (comedian George Carlin’s pitch that someone’s soul gets stuck on a roof after death) and “Dude-ism” for people who advocate the odd, harmonious lifestyle based on the satirical performance by actor Jeff Bridges of The Dude in The Big Lebowski.
In art, you’ve got Dadaism, minimalism, pointillism, cubism, surrealism, impressionism, and on and on.
But it’s the political -isms that seem to be all over the place these days, perhaps because in our increasingly polarized society, there’s a national need to figure out the tribe in which people live.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation about some of these -isms. In particular, it’s around the use of the new term “antifa,” which MAGA America has coined to stand for anti-fascism. Truth be told, there is no real or viable antifa organization – despite what the conservative talking heads purport. Rather, if it even exists at all beyond the brains of people who want to divide America, it’s an unorganized political philosophy that espouses, wait for it, democracy, not anything related to an organized conspiracy to bring down the country. So don’t get suckered into the fear that there’s some big antifa terrorist organization out there, despite the nonsense you may read on some social media.
To understand what “antifa” even means, you first should understand what fascism is. Remember World War II? That was a war against Nazi fascism, with fascism being the far-right form of authoritarian uber-nationalism noted for its dictatorial power (i.e., Adolf Hitler), forced suppression of dissent (no freedom of the press or speech) and a regimented society.
So, then, the people fighting the fascists, like the American, British, French and global patriots in World War II, were fighting for freedom and democracy – the exact opposite of fascism.
Therefore, for people today to characterize groups as “antifa” who are protesting the right-wing MAGA policies of, say, President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, is wholly inappropriate and just plain wrong to use that term. Those protesters are pro-democracy, not against it.
Quite frankly, anyone who really believes there’s an antifa movement taking over the United States has got more than one screw loose after drinking a bunch of KoolAid. So before you start throwing around discussions laced with a bunch of political -isms, it might be good to study up a bit:
Anarchism: Belief that government is unnecessary, causes harm and needs to be abolished.
Authoritarianism: Form of government concentrating political power in a single leader or small group, either of which have little or no tolerance for opposition.
Communism: Form of socialism that seeks to replace private property with collective ownership.
Conservatism: Political philosophy that emphasizes traditional institutions and values. It generally is opposed or skeptical of big changes, preferring continuity and stability.
Liberalism: Political philosophy that concentrates on individual rights and liberties and the rule of law. Classical liberalism focuses on limiting government interference, while the more modern version promotes equality, opportunity, social justice and social welfare.
Nationalism: Belief that a nation’s interests supersede every other nation’s. It’s rooted in identity politics.
Populism: Approach that focuses on representing regular people against a corrupt or elitist establishment.
Progressivism: A political philosophy similar to modern liberalism that concentrates on social reform for regular people through more active government.
Socialism: A broad political and economic philosophy that highlights collective ownership and equality. A form is social democracy, which seeks to reform capitalism through social programs and democratic regulations.
These -isms help us to make sense of our world. But when we use these terms, let’s make sure we all understand what we’re actually saying.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Big white building
This week’s mystery photo shows a big white industrial building somewhere in South Carolina. Where is it – and for bonus points – what can you tell us about what’s made here? Send your best guess – plus hometown and name – to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Last week’s mystery, “Where’s this speech being given,” shows an Iwo Jima statue at Parris Island’s Marine Corps boot camp.
Lots of readers recognized it – or at least used some kind of digital detective work to figure it out. Congrats to Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Frank Bouknight of Summerville; David Lantrip of Houston, Texas; Will Bradley of Las Vegas, Nevada; Addison Ingle of Charleston; Bill Segars and Michael Webb, both of Hartsville; John Hart and Jay Altman, both of Columbia; Michael Tucker of West Columbia; and David Lupo of Mount Pleasant.
- SHARE: If you have a Mystery Photo to share, please send it to us – and make sure you tell us what it is!
Send us your thoughts
Please send us your thoughts about politics and policy in South Carolina, but make sure to leave phone numbers and hometowns to help us verify them for publication. We publish non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your views.
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Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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