2021 Legislative Priorities
Education and Workforce Development
The Greater Sumter Chamber Supports:
- Providing a greater focus of soft skills development for Middle and High School students.
- The increase of Teacher compensation to exceed the Southeast average.
- Allow lottery tuition to be used for those looking to receive high quality industrial certifications.
- Expand expungement for non-violent offenders while creating a state tax credit for hiring returning citizens.
- Offer tax credits to those businesses looking to hire teachers as summer employees.
Taxes and Regulations
The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce Supports:
- Reviewing the South Carolina tax code to find an alternative to Act 388, removing the undue tax burden on local businesses.
- Hold businesses' unemployment rates harmless for layoffs due to COVID-19 shutdowns.
- Provide fair COVID liability protections for businesses and schools.
- Support the development of high-speed broadband infrastructure in cities and rural areas.
- Improve access to childcare as our economy seeks to rebound from the COVID-19 work from home orders.