Before we get into what's happening (and what should be happening) this week at the State House, we want to acknowledge what happened last week. Last week, two Senate committees held hearings at the same time for some Freedom Caucus favorites: classroom censorship and banning gender affirming care for minors. This was a deliberate attempt to literally divide us and dilute the physical presence of civil liberties advocates. Because of you, it didn't work. We asked you to pack both rooms, and you did. Thank you for continuing to take the time to speak up.
Classroom Censorship
Last week, the Senate Education Committee took the time to hear from constituents, which is unfortunately a rarity these days. They did not vote on the classroom censorship bill, and will be picking the bill up again next week on Tuesday, April 11th. There will be no public testimony at this hearing, but the Committee is accepting written testimony until Monday, April 10th at 1pm.
Send testimony to the Senate Education Committee via email at [email protected]
Eviction Right to Counsel
Eviction Right to Counsel legislation was filed this session, and this bill would ensure that low-income renters who are facing eviction proceedings would have legal representation. The vast majority of tenants facing eviction are navigating the process alone—a process that can result in the trauma of being displaced from their homes, which adversely affects so many areas of a person's life like employment, health, or school outcomes. Some additional context for eviction right to counsel that we've learned through the Stout Report we commissioned:
- over 18,000 South Carolinians a year could potentially avoid the trauma of eviction if they had legal counsel during proceedings
- the majority of renters who would qualify for representation under right to counsel are female heads of household—enacting this legislation can prevent homelessness for mothers and children
- right to counsel has a positive economic impact: when tenants have representation landlords receive more of the rents owed to them and fewer tenants are forced out of their homes and then needing to access the state's social services
- the state already has the money to pay for ERTC. The legislation proposes to fund the program with federal Eviction Rental Assistance (ERA) funds already awarded to the state, eligible to be used to fund the program, and encouraged by the U.S. Treasury to be used for such a purpose.
To recap: There is legislation filed at the State House that could keep thousands of mothers and children from facing homelessness and all the negative impacts that come with it. The program that would be created by enacting this legislation is an economic win for everyone involved, including landlords and the state itself. The state already has funds that could be used to implement this program. And yet, the bill is waiting for the House Judiciary to give it a hearing.
Take action with us: tell your Representative it's time to enact an eviction right to counsel.
Contact your Rep