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Clyburn defends new health care law (Video)

March 31, 2010 By

Some of the $938 billion national health care bill that expands coverage to 32 million people has already gone into effect. Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn says it’s not true that none of the provisions will take place for four years.

Opponents have referred to the health care plan as a government takeover. Clyburn says opponents said the same thing when Social Security was implemented, and it cost some members of Congress their seats.

 Congressman Clyburn says “This is not about a government takeover.”

Prescription drug coverage for older Americans and children who have been denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions are provisions of the law that will take place this year.  Clyburn says beginning this year the health care bill will allow parents to keep their children on their insurance plan until the age of 26.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, News, Politics & Government

SC environmental group not worried about lifting offshore drilling ban

March 31, 2010 By

As part of an effort to reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil, President Obama on Wednesday announced the lifting of the 20-year ban on offshore drilling along much of the U.S. Atlantic and northern Alaska.. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the U.S. Atlantic coast could hold as much as 37 trillion cubic feet of gas and four billion barrels of oil. Dana Beach, Executive Director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League says he is not worried that the Palmetto State’s coastline will soon be disturbed by the drilling because experts have stated that South Carolina shoreline is not a place to be searching for crude.

“Of all the places in the country where there might be oil, South Carolina is one of the least likely. In fact, Mineral Management has evaluated the different areas that were off limits to offshore drilling and South Carolina ranks among the lowest in probability of finding recoverable supplies of oil and among the highest in environmental sensitivity.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Environment & Conservation, News

Appliance rebate program underway

March 31, 2010 By

What’s being compared to the “Cash for Clunkers” program, is the “Cash for Appliances” rebate program which begins Wednesday, March 31 as part of a $300 million stimulus program to encourage consumers to purchase Energy Star-qualified appliances. South Carolina will receive about $4.3 million dollars of the stimulus funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Customers who purchase appliances under the U.S. Department of Energy-approved rebate plan are eligible for rebates ranging from $50 to $500.

According to Megan Herring of the South Carolina Energy Office, there are many resources that will assist the buyer with information. “The best resource that we have right now is the www.appliancerebates.sc.gov website. And on that website customers and vendors can locate a lot of information about the program, look for approved vendors in their area they can search by city, by zip code and also find out about the rebate information -what they have to do to get these rebates.”

Rebates will be available until the money is all used up.

Filed Under: Economy, Energy, News

Federal funds announced for public, private housing help

March 31, 2010 By

A new round of housing help in on its way, through federal funding for public and private housing. U.S. Housing and Urban development says public housing agencies in South Carolina will get $404,027 to help with job training. This money is to help local housing agencies link eligible adults to other local groups to provide jopb training, childcare, counseling, transportation and job placement. Participants in this program will sign a contract requiring the head of household to get a job and out of welfare within five years.

And for homeowners in mortgage trouble,the state is slated to get as much as $138 million to help citizens avoid foreclosure. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy, News, Politics & Government

Sentencing reform bill goes to SC House (Audio)

March 31, 2010 By

The state Senate passed final reading of the prison sentencing reform bill Tuesday. The package now goes to the House. The legislation has been led by Darlington County Democrat Gerald Malloy and Lexington County Republican Jake Knotts.

Just before passage, Malloy told his colleagues that the measure is a way of saving the state money, to avoid the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction of one or more new prisons.  He says it will also increase public safety.  Malloy says the Omnibus Crime Reduction and Sentencing Reform Act would put more non-violent offenders on house arrest, but would add 22 crimes to the list of violent crimes.

(Malloy on sentencing reform  MP3  3:54)
Malloy on sentencing reform

Malloy says the bill will change the fee for participation in drug courts from $100 to $150, to raise an extra $733,000 for the operation of the specialty courts.  And he says the bill clears the way for crimes which can be characterized as felonies to be handled by the federal court system.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized