SCFC Issues Policy Memo on "Health Czar"

Conservative legislators clarify our objections and offer potential solutions

At the end of this legislative session, Representative Josiah Magnuson (Spartanburg) used a procedural motion to kill S.915 or the “Health Czar” bill. Since then, the Governor and several members of leadership have expressed interest in resurrecting the bill despite overwhelming grassroots opposition and clear concerns expressed by conservatives.

We felt it was important to communicate once again what our objections are to the bill, and what are some potential solutions that could make the bill better.

Subject: S.915 - SCFC concerns with the policy, and proposed solutions

To: Senator Tom Davis and SC House Leadership

SCFC concerns with S.915:

S.915, the Healthcare Agency restructuring bill, is a byproduct of a piece of legislation that passed last year dealing with dividing DHEC into two separate entities. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus voiced opposition to the bill based on four different factors.

1. The bill was unwieldy, at over 200 pages long, and included no projection of the cost to taxpayers.

2. The bill would put in the hands of one person - either the Governor or an unelected bureaucrat - the authority to compel Sheriffs to enforce mandates and quarantines. There were no checks and balances proposed or qualifications listed for this new position.

3. The consolidation proposed would not shrink government and would not decentralize government power. Instead, it robbed local control which could hurt public access to resolve issues that often arise with state bureaucracy.

4. The bill ignored the issues raised by conservatives as it regards DHEC and public health. It did not include any provisions or language that would protect and promote medical freedom.

The SCFC proposes four major solutions to these concerns:

1. Divide the single bill into multiple smaller bills to ensure legislators can see an accurate fiscal projection for each agency transition.

2. Provide clear language to state that no government employee or elected official can compel Sheriffs to violate the Constitution via government-imposed lockdowns, mandates, or quarantines, and that an official who does do so can be removed by a simple majority vote of the legislature.

3. Conduct a forensic audit to determine where cuts can be made within the new department to ensure consolidation does shrink the size and scope of government, and include language that will empower local control over centralized power in the hands of a sole state employee.

4. Include legislation like S.975, H.4246, H.4546, and H.4907 that limit state emergency powers and promote and protect an individual’s right to medical freedom. 

We believe this issue is too important to rush through in the next month with a special session. Further, S.915 is massively unpopular. It would be an insult to the people of South Carolina to pass it now with such broad opposition. Instead, we request that public hearings be held across the state in the off-season to hear from the people who will be impacted by the proposed changes.

If House and Senate leadership do not schedule public hearings on this issue, we plan to host them ourselves.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the table next year and coming together to pass a bill that truly streamlines our state agencies, and provides better access to help for those who need it.