Caucus Press Release: Two More GOP Agenda Items Filed
Jan 24, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Jason Zacher
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Two More GOP Agenda Items Filed
Marriage tax cut, infrastructure improvements targeted
COLUMBIA -- The House Republican Caucus filed legislation that fulfills two more of its agenda items Thursday, continuing a week of action on conservative legislation.
The first bill offers married couples an additional tax break. Married couples will see more of their income exempted from income tax -- which builds on last year's income tax cut that eliminated an entire tax bracket.
"This is putting our money where our mouth is," said Rep. Bob Leach of Greenville. "South Carolina defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and we believe a strong family unit is important to our state. This tax cut rewards couples who are taking the difficult step of making a marriage work."
The second bill dedicates the money raised by the sales tax on cars to go to the State Highway Fund. That money will be used as a dedicated "stream" of revenue to pay for improvements to our state's roads and bridges.
"We had to reform the Department of Transportation first," said Rep. Annette Young of Summerville, the author of last year's DOT reform package. "Now that we've made the DOT more accountable, we can begin to repair and strengthen our state's infrastructure. We must make these critical improvements because there is a direct link between infrastructure and growing our state's economy."
Filing these two bills comes on the heels of passing sweeping new reforms banning anonymous earmark spending in the state budget and the arrival of a broad immigration reform package on the House floor.
"We're only three weeks into the new legislative session, and we've completed one agenda item, and several others are moving swiftly through the General Assembly," said Majority Leader Jim Merrill. "This is what the conservative voters of South Carolina sent us here to do: talk to them, write conservative legislation that reflects their values, and then make those values state law."
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