Gov. Mark Sanford signed the proposal into law Wednesday and efforts are under way in Congress to use it as a model for a national program.

As early as June, an estimated 225,000 customers of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina could take out low-interest loans to buy new roofs, heating and air units, insulation or other items to make their homes more energy-efficient. The upgrades will generate savings each month on the electric bills, which would be used to pay back the loans.

Before that could happen, however, the cooperatives are looking for Congress to put up the cash to make the loans. A bipartisan group of U.S. House members and senators — including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 5th District Rep. John Spratt, both Democrats, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — are backing the plan and working toward its approval in Congress.

Clyburn said he hopes Congress will act soon on the legislation pending in the U.S. House and Senate.

“Through this program we are creating real energy savings and jobs, providing value to consumers and the government will receive a return on its investment,” Clyburn said in a statement. “There is no downside to this initiative.”

The loans would range from $1,500 to $7,000 and would be paid back in five to 10 years with savings on residents’ electric bills. The loans would be made to cooperative customers at a 2.5 percent interest rate.

Sanford said he supports the legislation because it provides a free-market opportunity for individuals to cut energy costs.

“The beneficiaries are real. The savings are real. The consequences are real,” he said.

The idea is also supported by the environmental community. Hamilton Davis, energy and climate director for the Coastal Conservation League, said the legislation is “visionary.”

The law would allow other power companies to offer the low-interest loans to their customers, if they decide to do so.

Appliance rebates

Shoppers in South Carolina are quickly snapping up rebates for energy-efficient appliances.

More than half of the $3.9 million set aside for rebates on Energy Star-certified appliances was claimed by Wednesday evening, the first day the incentives were offered as part of the federal stimulus and recovery law.

At that time, the South Carolina Energy Office said on its Web site about $1.7 million remained for the rebates of $50 to $100 on clothes washers, refrigerators and dishwashers.

About $282,000 of the rebates up to $500 for water heaters and central air conditioning units remained.

The rebates will be applied at store checkouts for smaller appliances. Companies installing whole-house equipment, such as water heaters and heating systems, will reserve rebates online and give customers mail-in forms.

For more information visit: www.appliancerebates.sc.gov

Post and Courier

The legislation, S. 1128 – up for second reading in the Senate, having passed at the subcommittee and full committee level – would allow end stage renal disease (ESRD) and disabled South Carolina residents under age 65 to purchase secondary insurance coverage known as Medigap to help with their medical expenses.  Under federal law, all Medicare beneficiaries over the age of 65 are already able to purchase this insurance, which provides them with the ability to access needed medical treatments, including kidney transplant, without cost being a barrier.

“On behalf of South Carolina’s kidney patients who are currently struggling with paying their medical bills for life-saving and life-enhancing care, we applaud Senator Rankin for his support of enhancing these patients’ access to care,” said Beth Irick, National Kidney Foundation Serving the Carolinas Division President. “Expanded access to Medigap will help these patients while also saving the state Medicaid program millions of dollars, and we sincerely hope the state legislature will ensure its passage this year.”

Under current Medicare law, two populations qualify for coverage: individuals over the age of 65, and those under 65 who meet certain conditions, including the diagnosis of ESRD and being deemed disabled.  While Medicare covers most medical costs, it requires patients to pay deductibles and co-pays, which most patients pay for through the assistance of secondary insurance.  However, hundreds of kidney failure patients and thousands of disabled people in South Carolina under age 65 have no secondary insurance coverage, and are unable to afford their out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Last week, former NBA All-Star and kidney transplant recipient Alonzo Mourning joined the NKF in speaking with South Carolina lawmakers about the benefits of Medigap for kidney patients by improving their access to care and helping them preserve their financial independence in helping them avoid having to “spend down” their assets and turn to the state for Medicaid support.

“Right now, my monthly bills not covered by Medicare are too heavy a burden on top of my other regular costs of living, and under current state law I will have to wait 11 more years before I can purchase a more affordable Medigap plan,” said Greg Stricheck, a 54-year-old dialysis patient from Myrtle Beach. “I am proud of my Senator for stepping up to back this needed solution for patients like me, and I appreciate his support for us in the legislature.”

“Recent estimates have shown that Medigap legislation in South Carolina could actually result in approximately $5 million in savings to the state’s Medicaid program over five years, so it makes sense to do from a health standpoint as well as a financial standpoint,” said Chad Lennox, Executive Director of the national, non-profit, patient-led Dialysis Patient Citizens, which represents approximately 450 members of the kidney community in South Carolina.  ”We appreciate Senator Rankin’s and the state Senate’s attention on this important matter that has the potential to greatly improve many South Carolinians’ quality of life.”

PRnewswire

A moderated Q&A session will follow lunch. The event is sponsored by Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS.

Those attending the luncheon will have the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns to legislators. Elected officials invited to attend include Senators Ray Cleary, Dick Elliott and Luke Rankin as well as Representatives Liston Barfield, Alan Clemmons, Tracy Edge, Nelson Hardwick, George Hearn, Vida Miller and Thad Viers.

“Each year the chamber holds its legislative luncheon to give the business community an opportunity to meet with local lawmakers and learn where they stand on important issues,” said Marion “Buzz” Freeman Jr., chairman of the Legislative Policy Council and senior vice president and coastal area executive with Conway National Bank.

“Likewise, it provides a forum for the business community to share views, opinions and insights with our legislators in preparation of the upcoming legislative session.”

The chamber’s 2010 legislative agenda will also be unveiled at the luncheon. The chamber is conducting a member survey to help determine upcoming fiscal and policy issues of concern at the local, state and federal levels.

WMBFnews.com

Myrtle Beach leaders say they want to give property owners the tax credit they promised a year earlier than planned.

Councilman Phil Render wants the city to approve a resolution asking the General Assembly to amend the law it passed this spring that allows the city to collect a 1 percent sales tax and give that money to an authorized group to promote the Grand Strand to potential out-of-area visitors.

The state law says that after the second year of the 10-year tax, the city will retain 20 percent of the money and give property owners a tax credit.

In a letter obtained by WMBF News, Sen. Luke Rankin (R-Horry County) asks the governor to support the nomination of Neil James to the position. James was nominated after former board member, Chris Shannon, was indicted on charges of felony breach of trust and fraudulent intent.

The crime, officials say, were grounds for removal from the school board.

Horry County School Board officials allowed others to apply for Shannon’s vacant District 10 seat and were able to narrow the candidate pool down to three individuals.

Following the recommendation of James to the governor, Rankin believes others have been contacting Sanford regarding the appointment of a second individual to the position. That person, Rankin claims, did not filter through the board’s selection process.

“Your choosing to do otherwise would be one of the most unfortunate acts of putting political patronage above merit you could embrace, which would totally circumvent the work of those who’ve been elected to serve,” Rankin wrote in a letter to Sanford.

Should James be chosen to fill Shannon’s unexpired term, he would serve until 2010.

WMBF.com

After this, Senator Rankin along with Senator McConnell and other PURC members, traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with S.C. legislative delegation to discuss the finding of the report and the impact that climate change legislation could have on South Carolina.

This June, Rankin participated in a panel discussion concerning energy efficiency and renewable opportunities for the South at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He also chairs the Santee Cooper Screening Subcommittee of the PURC which reviews the candidates seeking to serve on the Public Service Commission and the Santee Cooper Board of Directors.

by Zane Wilson - For The Sun News

The state Senate is close to passing a bill that would allow Horry County and its towns to impose a new 1 percent sales tax that would be used for tourism promotion.

Where adopted, the new tax would bring sales taxes to 9 percent on most items people buy except groceries, the highest in the state.

The bill allows, but does not require, the local governments to pass the tax.

If adopted by the Horry County Council for the unincorporated areas and by all the towns, the tax would bring in $59.1 million the first year, according to an analysis from the state economist.

However, Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland said she does not support the plan.

“The locals shouldn’t have to fund tourism any more than we already do,” she said.

Backed by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes, the twin bills are on fast tracks. The Senate version, introduced Feb. 25, is up for its crucial second reading Tuesday after receiving quick subcommittee and committee approval earlier this week.

The House version was filed Feb. 19 and has not been taken up by its committee but is expected to pass, said Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach. He is the main sponsor of the House bill, joined by four other of the county’s representatives: Alan Clemmons, R-North Myrtle Beach; Nelson Hardwick, R-Surfside Beach; George Hearn, R-Conway; and Thad Viers, R-Myrtle Beach.

Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, is the lead sponsor of the Senate bill but all three of the county’s other senators also are sponsors: Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach and Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree.

Rankin said the move is necessary to help the area market itself, with state support of tourism ads waning.

“The bulk of it will be picked up by the tourist trade,” he said, though the tax will apply to everyone buying items in places that adopt it.

“We need to do this,” said Steve Chapman, a hotelier and immediate past chairman of the chamber who leads its marketing council.

Chapman said other destinations such as Virginia Beach, Va.; Orlando, Fla.; and Gatlinburg, Tenn., are outspending Myrtle Beach and taking away its market share.

“We are getting whipped by all the destinations on the coast that we compete with,” he said. Orlando, not including Disney World, spends about $65 million a year in promotion, Virginia Beach about $18 million. Myrtle Beach spent about $14 million.

Every 3 percent to 4 percent of market share Myrtle Beach loses to other places is $300 million to $400 million in losses to the state, and the gains follow the same ratio, Chapman said.

More tourism promotion will create more jobs, which will help the ones who have to pay the tax, he also said.

“I’d rather have a job and pay a penny of tax” than be without a job, he said.

Much of the existing accommodations tax is used for activities and facilities for residents, so it’s fair for residents to pay to support tourism promotion, he said.

Rhodes was at an event and unable to speak at length, but did confirm he supports the proposal.

City spokesman Mark Kruea echoed Chapman’s argument that the state has cut back tourism promotion money as well as tied cities’ and counties’ hands on other ways to raise revenue.

“It makes sense for Horry County to do this,” he said. But he said the City Council has not discussed the matter formally or taken any action on it.

The bill allows the councils to impose the tax by ordinance, meaning it takes a simple majority vote. Most taxes must be imposed by public referendum.

Rankin said allowing the councils to make the decision is “the best way to do it,” and it is like a referendum because the members are accountable to voters.

The bill also allows some of the money to be used for property tax rollback. In the fourth year, a town or the county could use up to 10 percent of the tax for tax rollbacks or to build tourism-related facilities and after the fourth year up to 20 percent could be used for those purposes.

Chapman and others said they are not concerned that the taxes would be higher in the area because most other tourism destinations have higher taxes than Horry County.

Gilland agreed that is true, but she said the pay scales in the county make it unfair to impose a new tax on residents.

“I can understand it more for roads, I can understand it more for education,” but a sales tax is not the way to raise money for tourism promotion, she said.