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A Note from Thomas
Dear Friends,
Serving as your state Senator is an honor and privilege. Since entering public service, I have dedicated myself to a couple of fundamental principals.
First, as a public servant, serving you, my constituents. I enjoy the opportunity to meet with the people and families of the area. And to assist with your needs and the issues having an impact on your lives.
Second, I have tried to give thoughtful, deliberate and honest consideration to the pressing issues of our state government. In Columbia, we deal with issues that will directly impact the lives of South Carolinians. My duty to our great state is one I take very seriously. It is for this reason that I constantly seek reasonable, cost effective solutions to our state’s challenges. As a small businessman, I approach the issues with a sense of fiscal responsibility.
I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on how we can work together to improve our state. Please feel free to call on me at home or in Columbia. Thank you for the privilege of serving you. If you wish, please take a moment to fill out my contact form I have provided for your convenience. I would like to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Thomas Alexander
P.S. If you would like to be add to my e-mail list and receive periodical updates about the latest news from the Senate, please click here.
Educating our next generation of leaders
Last session, we took a significant step in ensuring that South Carolina’s schools provide the training and equipment for our students to compete across the nation – and across the globe.
The enactment of the South Carolina Virtual School Program laid the groundwork for a system of online classes for our state’s high school students. Theses virtual schools will hold our students and teachers to the same high standards as traditional classes. By taking advantage of rapidly changing technologies, our students will have a greater variety of courses, moving beyond what is offered at their particular school.
Providing for Economic Growth
We here in our area know more about the decline in manufacturing jobs and job loss than any other area of South Carolina. I believe we must work hard to promote economic development measures that will bring increased investment and new high paying jobs to our area. We recently passed legislation providing job development tax credits, which will help sustain existing manufacturers and employers and will create incentives to bring new corporate citizens to South Carolina.
Anderson Independent | Senators back cigarette tax increase
WALHALLA — A hot topic in the South Carolina Senate this legislative session is a measure to raise the state’s cigarette tax.
The state’s tax is the lowest in the nation at 7 cents a pack. Last year, the House approved legislation to increase the tax by 30 cents and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
“We are in the process of having a subcommittee that’s looking at trying to deal with increasing the cigarette tax,” said State Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla, who represents Oconee County and the greater Clemson area in Pickens County.
Sen. Alexander is chairing a special committee looking at the cigarette tax issue in the Senate.
Senator Alexander on Energy Efficiency
Anderson Independent | Oconee Republicans fill slots early
WALHALLA — The political season in Oconee County opened with a surge of Republicans filing while officials with the Democratic Party say their candidates are waiting until the filing period deadline gets closer before signing on the dotted line.
All three members of the Oconee County legislation delegation that live in the county filed first thing Monday morning.
State Representatives Bill Whitmire, R-Walhalla, who has served in the House since 2003 and is seeking a fourth two-year term, Rep. Bill Sandifer, R-Seneca, who has served since 1995 and state Senator Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla, who served in the House from 1987 to 1994 and who has been a Senator since 1994 all filed at 9 a.m. Monday.
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AP | Cigarette tax plans doing slow burn in state Senate
State senators say they are willing to wait for a compromise to raise the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax.
State Senator Thomas Alexander says a Senate panel is considering adding 45 cents per pack to the current seven cents tax. Alexander says the extra money would go to health care.
One idea gaining momentum is using the extra revenue for tax credits to buy health policies. Supporters say it would help businesses and individuals afford the costly coverage.
But Senate Minority Leader John Land said lawmakers should first make sure all the state’s children have health care insurance.
Some children currently without it could be covered by an expansion of the existing federal-state children’s health insurance program run through Medicaid.
Clip from the AP | March 2, 2008
Cutting Taxes
That’s why I have supported major tax relief packages during the last two legislative sessions.
In 2006 I supported a plan to reduce property taxes by $500 million across the state. Homeowners across the state demanded relief and we got the job done. This reduction was especially beneficial for our seniors on fixed incomes.
This past year I supported for a plan to relieve the tax burden on South Carolina’s working families by over $220 million. Included in the 2006 property tax relief package was a reduction in the state grocery tax 2 percent from 5 percent down to 3 percent. The 2007 plan completely eliminated the grocery tax by removing the additional 3 percent sales tax, saving taxpayers more than $200 million per year.
Personal income taxes were also decreased by $86 million a year, decreasing them for all South Carolina taxpayers.
You can count on me to continue being a dependable voice for tax cuts.
Strengthening Law Enforcement
I am proud to support law enforcement and to ensure they have the tools needed to protect our communities. One key piece of legislation we passed in the Senate this year would allow South Carolina’s law enforcement agencies to work with federal officials to find and detain individuals living illegally in South Carolina. The plan ensures that when the tax dollars of the citizens of South Carolina are being spent on public projects, those dollars are going to law abiding and tax paying members of our communities, and not to workers who are here unlawfully.
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Reforming Health Care
As a member of the Banking and Insurance committee, I have worked hard to ensure quality and affordable health care for all South Carolinians.
I worked with my colleagues to pass legislation improving access to affordable health insurance by allowing South Carolina’s small businesses to join together to form “health group cooperatives.” These cooperatives would help cut costs for small business, which in turn, would increase coverage for the growing number of South Carolinians who cannot find affordable healthcare.
This year I am chairing a special committee looking at the cigarette tax issue. Currently South Carolina has the lowest in the nation at 7 cents a pack. We are currently looking at plans to raise that tax and dedicate those funds to helping the uninsured.
We need accessible and affordable health care, especially for the uninsured citizens in South Carolina. The rate of uninsured citizens continues to grow at a rapid rate and act immediately. Raising the cigarette tax will start to address this critical issue.