The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce annual Competitiveness Agenda outlines its most pressing policy priorities for the year's legislative session. Year in and year out, the SC Chamber’s goal is to fight for policies that make South Carolina the best place in the nation to live, work, and do business.
The Competitiveness Agenda consists of initiatives impacting job creators and businesses from industry sectors and regions across the state. Competitiveness Agenda items will help South Carolina create a more competitive environment for jobs and businesses, especially as the economy continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aiken business community contributes to the development of the annual agenda by participating in the SC Chamber Alliance Grassroots Tour led by SC Chamber President/CEO Bob Morgan. Morgan was the guest speaker at the September First Friday Means Business and discussed agenda items and gathered input from over 100 Aiken businesses.
“As we enter the 2023 South Carolina General Assembly Session, the SC Chamber is committed to capturing the momentum from last year’s session to drive positive results for business in South Carolina,” said SC Chamber President and CEO Bob Morgan. “We have surveyed local companies from across the state about their challenges and priorities and have created a representative agenda that supports businesses – both big and small – throughout the state.”
THE 2023 COMPETITIVENESS AGENDA
As South Carolina continues to grow, the General Assembly can unleash our state’s full potential
by embracing these proposals.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
- Address current and future workforce shortages by continuing to provide funding for technical
college scholarships for critical-needs jobs, funding for the Be Pro Be Proud program,
incentives for apprenticeship programs and internships, and support for workforce reskilling/
upskilling initiatives
- Adopt policies to boost the state’s workforce participation, including reasonable occupational
licensing reforms, second-chance hiring initiatives for non-violent ex-offenders, enhancing
teacher recruitment and retention, and improving workforce housing and childcare
affordability and attainability.
TAX REFORM
- Reduce property tax burdens on businesses.
- Reform or repeal antiquated taxes that deter investment and innovation.
ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS
- Continue to invest significantly in all facets of the state’s critical infrastructure.
- Modernize recruiting incentives structure to attract knowledge-based employers.
- Support policies that improve energy availability,
affordability, and reliability to business consumers.
FAIR-SHARE LIABILITY
- Improve the lawsuit climate by basing fault on a fair share of liability, not the “deepest pocket.”
PRO-BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTAL AND REGULATORY CLIMATE
- Avoid adopting state regulations and standards more stringent than federal requirements
while acknowledging that federal proposals should be viewed as guidance until a robust
federal rulemaking process is completed.
- Consolidate environmental planning and permitting within a “one-stop shop” environmental
agency that appropriately balances economic and environmental interests fairly and impartially
and separates environmental protection from public health.
- Adopt permitting reform to save businesses from facing unnecessary, costly delays.