GrowSC Agenda Unveiled
Friday, June 5th, 2020
This week the Charleston Metro Chamber partnered with 22 Chambers and small business organizations around the state unveiling the GrowSC Agenda as we begin to reopen our businesses and economy. With the General Assembly scheduled to return mid-June, it is imperative that these issues are addressed. You can view the entire agenda here, but here are the major items it contains:
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Small Business Funding – We support a plan to set aside at least $100 million in CARES Act funding to provide critical funding to small, minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses.
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Liability Protections for Businesses
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Unemployment Insurance – Layoffs that stemmed from shutdowns should not affect a business’ experience rating.
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Prioritize School Reopening – We urge state leaders to create a strategic plan for reopening schools.
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Increase Access to Childcare
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Protect the Workforce and our Students – Our state needs to ensure sufficient funding for testing and PPE.
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New Economic Development Incentives – This will be important for bringing manufacturing operations back to South Carolina.
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Expand Broadband Access
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Jump Start Local Economies Through Aggressive Tourism Promotion
We cannot thank the business groups that signed onto the agenda enough: Anderson Area Chamber, Beaufort Regional Chamber, Berkeley Chamber, Charlotte Regional Businesses Alliance, Cherokee County Chamber, Clemson Area Chamber, Columbia Chamber, Fountain Inn Chamber, Greater Easley Chamber, Greater Greer Chamber, Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, Greenwood Chamber, Greenville Chamber, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber, Laurens Chamber, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber, National Federation of Independent Businesses-SC, Oconee County Chamber, Simpsonville Area Chamber, Spartanburg Area Chamber and the Travelers Rest Area Chamber.
This week I, along with the Chambers above, will be distributing this agenda to our House and Senate delegations and following up with each of them leading up to their return to Columbia in two weeks. We will keep you up-to-date as these items progress.