Harvey Peeler

When the South Carolina 118th General Assembly embarked upon its legislative year in January, it faced a daunting task: advancing the state and addressing some unavoidable issues, despite being overwhelmed with a rising statewide unemployment rate, an over $500 million dollar budget shortfall, highly publicized investigations into the travel of Gov. Mark Sanford, and an upcoming election season, including that for a new governor. One would expect that given this political environment, 2010 could have resulted in less-than-a-banner-year for the government and citizens of our state.

Despite those obstacles, the past six months at the Statehouse, from a pro-business perspective, actually have been quite productive. The answer may lie in the continuing dialogue and the stronger, ever-growing relationship between the Upstate business community and our elected leaders who represent us. From the perspective of the Upstate Chambers of Commerce, I believe we are building a better and stronger future for the Upstate, because of our commitment to building a better and stronger relationship between the primary stakeholders responsible for our area’s health and well-being.

Examples of this cooperative relationship from the 2010 legislative session include:

• The highly publicized, multi-partner, multi-tiered effort to land Southwest Airlines for the Upstate. After years of trying to capture the attention of a low-cost air carrier to provide better options and lower fares for businesses and citizens, Rep. Bill Wylie of Greenville introduced H4343 to provide incentives, in the form of competitive grants, for low-cost carriers considering location at any commercial airport in the state.

Armed with facts related to the “bleed” of passengers to other airports and detrimental effects of inadequate airfare options to the Upstate’s economic development pursuits, House Ways and Means Chair Dan Cooper and Rep. Brian White of Anderson joined hands with Speaker Bobby Harrell of Charleston to move the bill quickly through the House.

Though this legislation never reached a final verdict in the Senate, Upstate senators — led by Majority Leader Harvey Peeler of Cherokee and Chairman Mike Fair of Greenville, and backed by House leaders, local governments, the business and education community, and other allies — never gave up the fight. It was in this unprecedented display of teamwork and cooperation that Southwest officials recognized our commitment to the airline’s success in South Carolina and ultimately made its decision to locate in the state — without the legislation and incentive package.

• The preservation of the secret ballot in union elections. Spearheaded by Rep. Eric Bedingfield of Greenville and Sen. Peeler, the General Assembly passed a bill drafted in response to the business community’s concerns and as a further protection for South Carolina’s right-to-work status. Passed by the Legislature as a constitutional amendment, it will appear on the ballot for consideration by the general electorate in November elections.

• Legislation addressing unemployment and economic development issues. With the creation of the new Department of Employment and Workforce, legislators restructured the troubled and financially unstable Employment Security Commission. They also worked to make solvent the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and helped pass a sweeping economic development bill to help agencies such as the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) and Upstate SC Alliance market the region and recruit new business for our community.

• Partnership between Upstate Legislative Caucus and Upstate Chamber Coalition. Though both in their infancy stages, the groups are working in tandem toward the creation of jobs and raising our overall per capita income. The Upstate Chamber Coalition, a consortium of 10 local Chambers of Commerce representing 8,000 member businesses and more than 200,000 employees, is serving to give the Upstate business community a unified voice in public policy and legislative issues that impact our region’s business climate.

By the same token, the Upstate Legislative Caucus, led by Greenville Rep. Dan Hamilton, is comprised of both House and Senate members whose districts lie in the Upstate and who represent around one-third of the total General Assembly. It, too, carries the unified message of the Upstate through legislators who are committed to playing a bigger role in crafting pro-business legislation. The symbiotic relationship of these two important groups will mean the difference in the betterment of the Upstate as the premier place to live, work, and play.

Indeed, the last six months at the Statehouse have been challenging ones, particularly for those lawmakers writing the state budget and for those agencies dependent on state funding. Unfortunately, next year’s budget forecasts do not bode well for 2011, signally one of the most challenging years yet.

However, in the can-do spirit of cooperation and communication, and absolute commitment to solving our problems together, the Upstate business community and our legislative delegation have locked arms and shown that tough economic times do not necessarily mean stagnation. By working together as one unified Upstate, we will demonstrate, as this year, that we can and will make South Carolina the best place in the world to do business.

By Mark Cothran • June 26, 2010
“Greenville Online”