Harvey Peeler

Just when you thought South Carolina politics couldn’t get any weirder, it does. The big news over the past week was that my long-time Senate colleague turned Congressman, Joe Wilson yelled out and called President Obama a liar during his congressional speech on health care.

While I believe Joe’s timing was off, I know that Joe’s actions symbolized what many of us feel. I for one am very concerned. I’m concerned about President Obama’s massive spending sprees. I’m tired of South Carolina taxpayers having to bailout greedy Wall Street CEOs. I’m sick of Washington politicians thinking that more debt will create jobs or that government run health care is the answer.

It just doesn’t make sense.

Most off all, I’m concerned at just how out-of-touch many politicians have become with America’s working families. And it isn’t just a Washington problem folks. It’s a South Carolina problem too.

All of this has really solidified my resolve to represent your views at the State House. During my nearly 30 years representing you in Columbia, I’ve learned two very important lessons:

1. Politicians think they have all the answers.

2. They don’t!

That’s why I’ve launched a new website at www.harveypeeler.com this week. When I first ran for office, we talked to people by going door-to-door and over the phone. It still amazes me how much has changed and how we can communicate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, instantaneously. I’ve launched this site to keep you informed of what’s happening in Columbia on the most important issues facing our region’s families.

But that’s not all. I don’t want this website to be about me talking to you. I need you to talk back to me. I need to know what’s on your mind. Tell me about the problems you are facing and please don’t forget the positive things too. Through all the negativity in politics and on the news, it’s good to hear about what’s going right in your life.

Over the next few weeks you will find my 2009 Constituent Survey on the homepage. It’s very important that you take the time to tell me your thoughts on these urgent issues.

Should the General Assembly pass a constitutional amendment limiting the growth of government and the amount of money legislators can spend each year?

Do you support my plan to give tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed South Carolina workers?

Should we raise the cigarette tax?

Should we invest more state resources into our Technical College system to make our state more attractive to new companies looking to relocate to South Carolina?

Should we widen I-85 to attract new business to our area?

These are just a few of the big issues that will be coming up soon in the General Assembly. I’ve also provided plenty of space for you to give me your opinion on other issues. You can give me your opinion on Governor Sanford, the President’s liberal health care plan, or local issues like roads and crime.

I believe conservative principles can solve our problems. That’s the approach I take to Columbia, but that doesn’t mean I have all the answers. No one does. That’s why we have to work together and share what’s on our minds.

Please visit www.harveypeeler.com today.

We hope you are having a fun and safe Labor Day weekend.

Just in case you’ve taken a break from the grill to surf the web, we’ve posted this snippet from Senator Peeler’s interview with the South Carolina Radio Network on state restructuring.

Sen Peeler on subcommittee

South Carolina Senate Majority Leader and Medical Affairs Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) today announced his plan to move three big restructuring bills aimed at improving the efficiency of state government. Senator Peeler has appointed Senate Majority Whip Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) to chair a subcommittee examining restructuring of five health agencies. [...]

Good things happen to me on August 8^th.  August 8, 1969 – Donna and I were married.  Today is our 40^th wedding anniversary.  August 8, 1970, 39 years ago today, I graduated from Clemson University.  Today, August 8, 2009 – I am receiving this most prestigious degree.  I am honored and humbled beyond words.

Members of the Board of Trustees, President Barker, Distinguished Faculty, Graduates, Guests,  – and Donna and our children, Brantlee, Smith and Boone –  Thank you.  Thank you for the honor and thank you for allowing me a very few minutes to speak with the new graduates.

Clemson University will always have my support as long as I am in the State Senate because Clemson University is one of South Carolina’s greatest assets.  It produces and molds unmatched economic potential — YOU!

We are counting on you to use what you have learned here — and be the solution to our State’s and our Nation’s problems.

Let me give you a couple of reasons we are counting on you.

First — the automobile industry.  The automotive industry of Michigan is dying because of new innovations from other countries.  In the 1970’s, we suffered because we did not change.  We did not adapt.  It was the same as it always had been.  Bigger cars and bigger gas tanks.  Foreign automakers beat us to the punch then and they have been out front lately.  But now we are working to reverse that trend right here at Clemson University with ICAR.

To be able to affect economic change, we all need to bring something to the table.  With Clemson University, the State of South Carolina and private industry working together –  we now have a genuine economic engine that is bringing jobs to the upstate.  It is also building for the future.

I do not have to tell you that engineering is not the easiest major.  But the ICAR program is so popular that the number of students who want to be a part of the cutting edge far outweigh the space available.  You see – these students — and others like them across the country — are eager to learn.  It is that new knowledge – the products of their imagination – and their hard work which will put American back on top.

Now for a personal reason we are counting on you.

H. Smith Peeler feared no man and very few animals.  A member of our Greatest Generation, he was a military policeman – an MP.  I think Mama and the military shaped his personality as much as anything.

If you asked him, he would give you the shirt off of his back — but if he caught you trying to steal gas out of one of his milk trucks, he would shoot you!

Smith Peeler owned and operated a small dairy in Gaffney.  The dairy was responsible for milk – from the cow to the consumer.  He enjoyed competing with the “big boys” and winning.

He liked everyone he met, but he was partial to the ones who could work with their head and their hands — at the same time.

He could fix anything.  I think if he had enough baling wire he could mend a broken heart.

He was admired for his sense of humor and his sense of fair play.

His advice was sought by Presidents and paper boys.

He could preach you a sermon just by looking at you.

Smith and Sally Peeler raised four Clemson graduates.  I am the oldest.  Twins, Bill and Bob.  Twins?  God figured it would take two to compete with me!  And a daughter, Susan.

Bob –  former two-term South Carolina Lieutenant Governor and current Clemson Board Member.

Bill  –  former Chairman of the Board of Deacons at the Gaffney First Baptist Church and a current member of the Board River Electric Co-Op Board of Directors.  By the way, — to our daddy, Lieutenant Governor and Senator paled in comparison to being elected to the Electric Co-Op Board.

Susan –  two high callings in South Carolina are Mother and Classroom Teacher.  My sister is both.

As my friend and confidant, Nicky McCarter would say –  Smith Peeler was an over-achiever.  Some of you are thinking, “this man had it ‘going on’”.  And you would be right.  But there is one thing he did not have.  Smith Peeler did not have what you are about to receive –  a college degree.

Even so, he recognized and understood that if his children and his grandchildren were going to compete in a growing global marketplace — they needed to be better prepared.  And for him — furthering his children’s and his grandchildren’s education became a top priority.

You have earned this degree — with all of its rights and privileges.  By accepting this diploma, you are also accepting a responsibility.  You are responsible for making this a value-added product.  You are responsible for keeping this piece of paper so valuable that some great men die wishing that they had it in their possession.

So I ask you, my fellow Tigers — will you increase its value?

Peeler: “During this time of economic pain, we need someone who deals with working families and small businesses on a daily basis.”

Gaffney, SC – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler today announced his intention to appoint local accountant Ben Kochenower to the South Carolina Tax Realignment Commission (TRAC). Kochenower is the CEO of Cline Brandt Kochenower & Company, an accounting firm with offices in Boiling Springs and Gaffney, South Carolina. He has spent his career helping families, small businesses, and non-profit organizations maneuver through our state’s complicated tax code.

While South Carolina’s unemployment rate remains one of the highest in the nation, many are blaming our state’s antiquated and piecemealed tax structure as the primary cause of our woes. Called “loophole-riddled” and a “special-interest driven tax system” by The State newspaper, the tax code is an obstruction to economic growth in South Carolina.

The TRAC Commission is modeled after the federal BRACC program. In an attempt to overhaul the tax code while removing the political pressures from the process, an independent commission of financial and economic experts was created to assess the effectiveness of the current tax system structure and to provide recommendations for changes to the General Assembly.

Ben Kochenower has been a CPA in Gaffney and Spartanburg since 1975. He has extensive experience working with governmental, non-profit and commercial clients. He is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association of South Carolina and holds licenses in Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, Tennessee and Massachusetts as well as North and South Carolina, and he is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

“Ben hasn’t spent his career in Columbia surrounded by politics. He’s been working in small town South Carolina giving financial advice to working families and small businessmen facing too much government red tape and an outdated tax structure. I’m appointing Ben because he’ll bring a much needed common sense approach to the commission,” Senator Peeler said in making the appointment.

Peeler continued “during this time of economic pain, we need someone who deals with working families and small businesses on a daily basis.”

Majority Leader Peeler: “Tom Davis’ knowledge, experience, and commitment to running an efficient port operation made him the obvious choice.”

Columbia, SC – July 6, 2009 – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler announced today that he has recommended State Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) for appointment to the State Ports Authority Legislative Oversight Committee. The 10-member legislative committee was recently created with the passage of the port-restructuring bill to help ensure stability and efficiency in state ports operations.

The new port-restructuring bill creates a 10-member legislative oversight committee, one of whom is appointed by the Senator Glenn McConnell, the Senate President Pro Tempore, upon the recommendation of the Senator Harvey Peeler, the Senate Majority Leader.

In appointing Senator Davis, a former member of the State Ports Authority Board, to the committee, Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said, “Tom Davis’ knowledge, experience, and commitment to running an efficient port operation made him the obvious choice.”

“Senator Davis will take a conservative approach to the oversight committee that ensures accountability and a focus on economic development. His extensive background and knowledge of port issues is exactly what we need on this committee,” Senator Peeler continued.

In response, Senator Davis commented “I am pleased that Senator Peeler recommended me to Senator McConnell to serve on the committee and accept that appointment.”

He continued, “I sincerely appreciate the faith that Senator Peeler has shown in me. It is no secret that I opposed the port-restructuring bill, but now that it has become law it is time to move on and do the best we can for South Carolina ports. And in that regard, I think I am well suited and qualified to oversee the operations of the South Carolina State Ports Authority and to screen the qualifications of new members to the ports authority board to ensure that the its objectives are met.”

The three legislative objects set forth in the port-restructuring bill:

• Section 54-3-115 of the new law requires the ports authority to: 1) “expeditiously develop a port in Jasper County in accordance with the Intergovernmental Agreement for Development of a Jasper Ocean Terminal on the Savannah River within the State of South Carolina that was entered into between the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the Georgia Ports Authority”; 2) enter into an Interstate Compact to operate a Jasper Port on or before December 31, 2010, as such compact is generally outlined in the Intergovernmental Agreement”; and 3) “make specific inquiries regarding the merits of using private capital to finance the construction of that port to a greater extent than historically has been used by the South Carolina State Ports Authority in connection with their existing port operations.”

• Section 54-3-118 of the new law requires the ports authority to “consider public-private partnerships with private investors that increase capital investments in port facilities and in the State of South Carolina.”

• Section 54-3-700 of the new law requires the ports authority to sell the abandoned port site in the Town of Port Royal by December 31, 2009 – a “hard” deadline – and if it is not sold by such time, requires that the property “must be transferred to the State Budget and Control Board for sale…” The new law also requires the ports authority to use expeditious means toward selling the former port site in the Town of Port Royal as, “including the conversion of a nonperforming asset into revenues in the most expeditious manner.”

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Gaffney, SC – June 19, 2009 – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler released the following statement today in response to South Carolina’s new unemployment figures:

“Understanding the dire circumstances many families across the state are facing, the State Senate passed my bi-partisan jobs plan with a unanimous vote nearly two months ago. South Carolina’s economy has been cut and we are bleeding more jobs everyday. My plan was the only one introduced in the General Assembly this year to help stop the bleeding. Today I call on the House to take up my plan as soon as their rules allow.”

Senator Peeler’s Jump Start Plan creates jobs by getting government out of the way, not by growing government with more spending:
Any employer who hires an unemployed South Carolinian will receive a $100 per month tax credit per employee beginning July 1, 2009.

• The tax credit is available for 24 months – maximum of $2,400 per employee in tax credit over a 2-year time.
• Defines an unemployed South Carolinian as:

Someone who gets a job between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010
Has been receiving unemployment benefits in SC for at least 4 weeks
Remains in this position with the employer for at least 4 weeks – working a minimum of 35 hours per week
Has no return to work date or promise of future employment
Provides a notarized affidavit that the individual is a US citizen or has a green card
Was unemployed immediately prior to being employed

• The employer becomes eligible for the tax credit when the employee has completed four consecutive weeks of work. A workweek consists of a minimum of 35 hours.

• The amount of tax credit cannot exceed the amount of taxes the employer pays in a year, but any amount in excess may be carried over to the succeeding year.

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South Carolina’s Republican Senators today pushed a bill out of Judiciary Committee that protects workers from union intimidation. H.3305, introduced by Rep. Eric Bedingfield, is a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a worker’s right to voting by secret ballot during union organization.

The legislation is a reaction to the deceptively named federal “Employee Free Choice Act,” which US Senator Jim DeMint has more appropriately dubbed the “Secret Ballot Elimination Act.” The federal legislation would strip workers of their right to vote for unionization by secret ballot, opening them up to intimidation and harassment by unions.

Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) is the lead sponsor of a Senate companion bill. “The fundamental right to a secret ballot vote is essential to a free nation. Our Senators will not let liberal Washington insiders take that right from South Carolina’s workers,” said Senator Peeler.

“We’ve seen what happens when unions control the economy. It’s called Detroit. And we’ve seen what happens when unions fail. Congress bails them out on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. South Carolina must continue to be a right-to-work state and we must protect our workers’ right during this tough economic crisis,” Peeler said.

The legislation protects workers’ rights through an amendment to the SC Constitution stating “To preserve and protect the fundamental right of individuals to vote by secret ballot, where local, state, or federal law requires elections for public office or ballot measures, or requires designations or authorizations for employee representation, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot is guaranteed.”

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Majority Leader’s Job Plan Will Give Tax Credits To Businesses That Hire Unemployed South Carolina Workers

Columbia, SC – April 28, 2009 – A jobs plan introduced just two weeks ago by South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler has already passed the State Senate. Peeler’s “Jumpstart Plan” provides tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed state workers and grows our economy by promoting the private sector, not growing government. It was approved on second reading yesterday by a vote of 39-0. It was passed out of the Senate on third reading today.

Under Peeler’s plan any employer who hires an unemployed South Carolinian will receive a $100 per month tax credit for each employee hired beginning July 1, 2009. The tax credit is available for 24 months, a maximum of $2,400 per employee over two years.

Senator Peeler said, “Today the State Senate approved our jobs plan on a unanimous vote because we understand the dire circumstances too many families are facing. We’ve spent weeks talking about skyrocketing unemployment numbers and declining state revenues. We’ve talked about laying off teachers and closing prisons. Now we are moving past the problems and laying out a common-sense solution that can put South Carolina back to work.”

Peeler continued, “We can’t grow South Carolina’s economy with increased spending and big government projects on the backs of our state’s businesses and working families. Government isn’t the solution. Government is the problem. The solution must come from the private sector and the only thing government can do to help right now is to empower businesses and working families.”

Details of the “Jumpstart Plan:”

• Any employer who hires an unemployed South Carolinian will receive a $100 per month tax credit per employee beginning July 1, 2009.

• The tax credit is available for 24 months – maximum of $2,400 per employee in tax credit over a 2 year time.

• Defines an unemployed South Carolinian as:

o Someone who gets a job between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010

o Has been receiving unemployment benefits in SC for at least 4 weeks

o Remains in this position with the employer for at least 4 weeks – working a minimum of 35 hours per week

o Has no return to work date or promise of future employment

o Provides a notarized affidavit that the individual is a US citizen or has a green card

o Was unemployed immediately prior to being employed

• The employer becomes eligible for the tax credit when the employee has completed four consecutive weeks of work. A workweek consists of a minimum of 35 hours.

• The amount of tax credit cannot exceed the amount of taxes the employer pays in a year, but any amount in excess may be carried over to the succeeding year.

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It’s time to move past the problems plaguing South Carolina and find real solutions that will put our families back to work.

We all know that we’re facing some serious problems. South Carolina now has 248,600 people drawing unemployment benefits while the state coffers run dry and we rank as the second most unemployed state in the nation. All that means less money coming to our state to fund essential services like education, healthcare, and public safety.

These are serious problems folks, but we can’t harp on them. We have to move past the problems and start finding solutions. Extreme liberals believe that solutions mean raising taxes on businesses, but that will kill economic growth in our region. Solutions won’t come from bigger government and more spending. They will come from common-sense conservative principles.

Senator Jim DeMint has termed President Obama’s spending plan the “porkulus package.” I agree with Senator DeMint’s sentiments. President Obama says that spending more of our hard-earned tax dollars will create jobs. The truth is that it will just increase our debts to foreign nations like China while making us dependent on one time money. Unfortunately our liberal controlled Congress has already passed this wasteful legislation and South Carolina taxpayers will be stuck with the bill regardless if we take the money or not. That’s why I’ve stood firm in my position that we should take OUR money from the feds.

We aren’t going to grow our economy if we keep growing government on the backs of our state’s businesses and working families. Government isn’t the solution. Government is the problem. The solution must come from the private sector and the only thing government can do to help right now is to get out of the way.

We have to relieve the burden on business owners so that they can afford to hire new employees and jumpstart our economy. We must do everything in our power to empower businesses and working families. That’s why I’ve developed a jobs plan based on conservative principles.

My jobs plan is simple. I want to give a $2,400 tax credit to any business that hires an unemployed South Carolinian. Any employer who hires an unemployed South Carolina worker will receive a $100 per month tax credit for each employee hired beginning July 1, 2009.

The tax credit is available for 24 months, a maximum of $2,400 per employee over two years. The unemployed worker must have been receiving unemployment benefits in South Carolina for at least four weeks and they must remain in their new position for at least four weeks before the employer can draw down the state tax credit. In addition, the worker must provide a notarized affidavit proving that he/she is a United States citizen or they must have a green card. We must ensure that only legal South Carolina residents are taking advantage of this new plan.

Critics are already saying that we cannot afford this tax credit during such harsh economic times. That’s simply untrue. Currently weekly unemployment benefits range from $20 to $326 per week for each recipient. The average is $248.08 a week, which equals $992.32 per month. Our tax credit is only $100 per month, meaning the state would save about $892 per worker per month. Also, the newly employed worker will be paying state taxes, which generates new funds for education, healthcare, and public safety.

We are facing tough economic times and so far no one has stepped up and put forth a plan to put our state and region back to work. I don’t have all the solutions, but I do know that our problems won’t be solved if we just sit on our hands. Solutions won’t find themselves. It’s time to get to work and give the private sector the tools they need to create jobs for our state.