Richland County GOP passes resolution calling on SC Senate to pass bill that will take an axe to regulations on small business

Written By: Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner
October 29, 2025

COLUMBIA, SC (PE)--The Richland County Republican Party passed a resolution at their monthly meeting Monday calling on the South Carolina Senate to pass H:3021, the small business regulatory freedom act, that was unanimously passed in the State House in March.

Leaders of the Richland Republican Party say the resolution, which also passed without opposition, is a reminder to the Senate that this bill is important to Republicans, and they are paying attention.

“They’ll know this bill is important to republicans and not forget about it, because if this bill does not pass out of the senate and go to the governor’s desk in the next legislative session then after the election in 2026 the process starts all over again. It would have to be a new bill,” said Eaddy RoeWilliard, State Executive Committeewoman, Richland County Republican Party. “It was amazing the South Carolina House of Representatives voted this out unanimously.”  

The bill, H.3021, would require state agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on new rules and regulations and legislative approval for all regulations costing more than $1 million before implementing them. It would require agencies to propose two regulations be removed for each new regulation added, also establishing a 7-year sunset clause on regulations. It also requires judges to interpret rules and regulations independently instead of accepting the interpretation of government agencies and unelected bureaucrats.

“This bill takes an axe to the regulatory state, reins in unelected bureaucrats and does more to stop “kings” and overreach than any protest,” said Dylan Ray, Midlands Grassroots Engagement Director, Americans for Prosperity-South Carolina. “South Carolina has over 80,000 rules and regulations. Many of them hurt small business while others step on individual freedoms. Passing this into law will not only roll back harmful existing regulations but protect against future overreach.”

Americans for Prosperity-South Carolina has been an advocate for the bill and bringing awareness to it hoping South Carolinians will stand behind them in support of it.

“This is common sense legislation. Stand with us in calling for the senate to pass 3021 to rein in government overreach,” Ray said. 

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About the Author: Tony Spain is a former candidate for Richland County Council 2020 and an award winning former military photographer and journalist while in the Public Affairs Office for the U.S. Army. His photos and writing have been published in numerous publications such as The Commercial News, Danville, Ill.; The Paraglide, Fort Bragg, N.C.; Soldier of Fortune Magazine; The State Newspaper, Columbia, S.C., FITSNews and more.

He lives in Columbia, S.C.

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What Say You? Got something you'd like to say? Letter to the Editor (Guest Column), praises, criticism, hate mail, news story tip or just want to say, howdy. Send them to Tony@palmettoexaminer.com

Goldfinch considers run for attorney general; lifetime record of fighting the bureaucratic ran agency

State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, District 34, speaks
at the Richland County Republican Party monthly meeting Monday
evening and said he is exploring a run for attorney general next year. 
(Photo by Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner)

Written by Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner
May 20, 2025

COLUMBIA, S.C. (PE) – South Carolina State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, District 34, spoke to members of the Richland County Republican Party at their monthly meeting Monday night in Columbia telling them he’s considering a run for attorney general.

“I’m not hiding the ball. I’m obviously exploring the idea of attorney general,” Goldfinch told the group when asked if he was considering seeking a higher office. “My whole life has really been dedicated to fighting government and bureaucracy, and I think I can be an effective agent of change at the attorney general’s office if I’m blessed to be there.”

The former biomedical entrepreneur turned lawyer has been a long-time activist against government overreach and for state’s rights saying it is the fight against the “nameless, faceless, bureaucrat” ran agency state that got him involved in politics.

“I began a commercial spear fishing business when I was 16 years old. You know what I found out when I was 16 years old? Government is terrible,” said Goldfinch. “In everything I’ve done form beginning to end you run into one head wind after another with government.  One bureaucracy after another. One faceless, nameless bureaucrat after another that wants nothing more than to ruin you and your business. And will use the power of the government and all its infinite resources to ruin you and your business. That’s why I got into this political realm.”

Before law school and politics, Goldfinch got a degree in biochemistry at The Citadel and started a biomedical tech company that used umbilical cord stem cells for therapy and research. He sold that company at the age of 24, but not without government bureaucracy induced headaches.

“When I went to sell that company, same thing, government headwinds, bureaucracy, nameless faceless bureaucrats standing in the way of somebody trying to be an entrepreneur,” said Goldfinch.

After the company’s sale, Goldfinch decided he was going to be a lawyer. He went to law school, graduated and passed the bar exam. His first month at his desk, Goldfinch said he had a client come in wanting to sue the state of South Carolina who had placed a cease in desist order from state environmental regulators on a dock he was building on his property that he had already sunk $150,000 into.

“I started doing what they teach you in law school, Goldfinch said. “Something in my head clicked and said, this is that daggum government again.”

Two weeks later the house representative in Goldfinch’s district decided to retire, and he decided to run.

“I knew it right off the bat that I needed to get involved, because quite frankly I hated the government,” he said. “They had stymied me. They had stymied my friends. They had stymied my family. Every step of the way every time you start to get ahead, they pull you back just a little bit. It’s the nameless faceless bureaucrat that constantly stymies innovation in America and even right here in freedom loving South Carolina.”

Goldfinch says no matter what he decides, he’ll continue to fight the good fight against government overreach, and he enjoys what he does.

"I'm going to continue to fight for that in every career move, every political move, every legal move that I make,” Goldfinch said. “I fight the government for a living. That's literally what I do. It's called administrative law. And I'm going to continue to do that until the day that I die. It needs to be done, and honestly, I like doing it. It excites me a little bit to do it.”

Goldfinch also voiced his concern about the next state’s attorney’s general ability to fight the “unelected’ and “unaccounted for” “agency state” or “deep state.”

“Do we have a state’s attorney general in place ready to go to enforce federalism in South Carolina? Do we have a state’s attorney general in South Carolina ready to go to sue the federal government to enforce our state’s rights? That’s a really super important role y’all, Goldfinch proclaimed. “It may not be on the top of everyone’s mind today. It’s going to be on top of everyone’s mind in 2028 or 2029.”

Other names have been tossed around to fill the state’s top prosecutor spot as current Attorney General Alan Wilson talks of succeeding Gov. Henry McMaster next year, among them is 1^st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe who recently flipped his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.  

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About the Author: 

Tony Spain is a U.S. Army veteran with combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, an entrepreneur businessman, former candidate for Richland County Council 2020 and an award winning former military photographer and journalist while in the Public Affairs Office for the U.S. Army. His photos and writing have been published in numerous publications such as The Commercial News, Danville, Ill.; The Paraglide, Fort Bragg, N.C.; Soldier of Fortune Magazine; The State Newspaper, Columbia, S.C., and more.

Tony and his wife, Chauna, live in Columbia, S.C.

What Say You? Got something you'd like to say? Letter to the Editor (Guest Column), praises, criticism, hate mail, news story tip or just want to say, howdy. Send them to Tony@palmettoexaminer.com 

SC upstate Senator visits with Richland County GOP about Tort reform and Economic Development

S.C. State Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, speaks to the|
Richland County GOP at their monthly meeting last night. 
Photo by Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner

 

Written by: Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner
April 29, 2025

COLUMBIA, S.C. (PE)--South Carolina State Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, District 8, is a name that has been mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate for 2026, and he spoke to the Richland County GOP at their monthly meeting last night in part of their “First in the State” speaker series to vet potential candidates, but he stopped short of mentioning a run for governor saying he ran for office because he loves this state.

“I ran for the senate because I love this state. I grew up in this state. It’s in my blood and it’s always going to be in my blood,” Turner said. “It’s one of those things I don’t take it lightly the decisions we make.”

The 60 year old insurance businessman that was first elected to the state senate in 2012 spoke about his journey to the senate, but mainly about the tort/liabilityreform bill the senate recently passed calling it, “as bad as you think it is” and economic development claiming the Palmetto State is a top five location in the nation businesses want to come to.

“It’s still the one percent can pay 100 percent. We got businesses going out of business, and it’s not by their choice. It’s because of things we created,” Turner said about the tort/liability reform bill. “Justice is not a system that is supposed to make somebody liable that had nothing to do with it.”

Turner compared the current situation that continues to close many businesses that serve alcohol as a racquet.

“We got a racquet going right now in South Carolina and everybody should stand up against that,” he said. “It’s not fair. It’s killing businesses and we have to work through that.”

On economic development, Turner spoke about jobs, but not just any kind of jobs, he wants “higher end” jobs that will keep our younger professionals in state.

“Let’s go for some of these higher end jobs,” he said. “Our best graduates, from our best colleges don’t stay here, because the opportunity is not here.”

Turner says we have the location to lure them here with our infrastructure that consists of a port, major airports and an interstate system we are a top five location, but “we sell ourselves too cheap way too often.”

“We need people who’s bringing their headquarters here. We don’t need just jobs. We need jobs where the decisions are made here and not somewhere else,” Turner said. “In my business, I always said, recruit some of these insurance headquarters down here, the taxes they’re paying in Connecticut are ridiculous.”

The upstate senator also fielded questions concerning the state income tax, his vote to recommend the removal of State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a casino gambling bill and more.

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About the Author:

Tony Spain is a former candidate for Richland County Council 2020 and an award winning former military photographer and journalist while in the Public Affairs Office for the U.S. Army. His photos and writing have been published in numerous publications such as The Commercial News, Danville, Ill.; The Paraglide, Fort Bragg, N.C.; Soldier of Fortune Magazine; The State Newspaper, Columbia, S.C., and more.

He lives in Columbia, S.C.

 

What Say You? Got something you'd like to say? Letter to the Editor (Guest Column), praises, criticism, hate mail, news story tip or just want to say, howdy. Send them to Tony@palmettoexaminer.com