As we leave 2014 behind we have recently mailed out our annual update letter – please click here for a PDF version – full text version below.

As we have in the past, we will be emailing updates throughout the session and if you are not on our list and would like to receive, please subscribe on the right side of my website or use the contact form and we will happy to add you.

ANNUAL LETTER:

2014 certainly went by rapidly, and I hope your year was blessed like mine.  I send you this brief note to let you know what I see on the horizon for 2015 as we enter another legislative session in Columbia and I continue to have the honor of serving you. We saw quite a bit of change in 2014 with newly elected state officials and the demise of the Speaker of the House. It’s hard to know exactly what those changes will mean, especially for the House of Representatives, but I plan to focus on just a couple of issues upon which I hope to make real progress.

As I see people at church, out to eat, the grocery store, the gas station, and in public and private conversations, our roads remain the biggest concern. Transportation infrastructure clearly will be a main topic of discussion. You are aware of the condition of our roads.  They are in bad shape, and that is why I, along with some of my conservative colleagues, have introduced amendments over the past couple of years to put real money into our roads.  However, our colleagues didn’t see that as a priority—at least not a priority that can be tackled without taxing you first. While campaigning, our governor promised to veto any increase in the gas tax, while also promising to unveil her comprehensive infrastructure plan in January. Hopefully we will hear from her this month and can start to tackle this major issue facing our state – without resorting to the same old “raise taxes first” mentality.

Some recent scandals by elected officials have renewed calls for ethics legislation. Several bills dealing with Ethics have been pre-filed. Often, legislators like to pass bills that “seem” to fix an issue so they can stand up and take credit when actually nothing has really changed. There will be a lot of debate but hopefully a bill passes which makes real changes and actually prevents this type of behavior from occurring.

Since day one, I have fought to prioritize the state budget and fund core services first. Recently you have seen me be very outspoken about lawmakers not following the laws that we pass. How can we have honest conversations about whether entities are properly funded or not if we don’t follow our funding laws to begin with? Our Local Government Fund, Education Finance Act, and our School Buses haven’t been funded per the statutes in many years. This is wrong! The laws need to be followed or they need to be changed. Pork projects don’t need to take priority!

I plan this coming year to keep my focus on things that I believe I can influence and that, for me, are of utmost importance. I am absolutely committed to working on a solution to our crumbling infrastructure, prioritizing our state budget, and working to restore confidence in our state government. I cannot be sure that I’ll win this year, but I can be sure that I, and you, will be heard. Please follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter and sign up for my bi-weekly update at www.SenatorMartin.com email Shane@SenatorMartin.com or on my mobile 864-804-8499.

Regards,
Shane