Allowing nurse practitioners (APRNs) to provide the health care they are trained and licensed to give— without being tied to a smaller and smaller pool of primary care physicians —will expand quality access to care in South Carolina. Studies report increased satisfaction and lower costs. Additionally, Congress made full practice for APRNs a requirement of all states receiving any of the recently enacted $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund.

The South Carolina Supreme Court has dismissed a legal case brought by the League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC) that challenged the practice of partisan gerrymandering. By opining that the case presented a “nonjusticiable political question,” the court indicated that the problem of partisan gerrymandering can only be addressed by the state legislature — the same body that gerrymandered the Congressional district map in the first place.

“The LWVSC is disappointed that the South Carolina judiciary has held itself unable to protect the foundations of representative democracy in our state,” said Lynn Teague, LWVSC VP, Issues & Action. “Partisan gerrymandering is an attack on our most fundamental right as citizens, the right to vote. But the LWVSC will not stop fighting for fair redistricting. If a constitutional amendment is needed to protect voters, the people of South Carolina must demand that amendment.”

Over the past three decades, stagnant weekly wages of public school teachers have fallen further and further behind those of college graduates who chose other careers, resulting in an ever increasing teacher pay gap that hit a record high in 2024. Over the last decade, inflation-adjusted weekly wages for teachers declined by $46.39 but increased by $220.46 for other college graduates.

Censorship complaints to public libraries continue with state-wide impact. The freedom to read 23 books has been eliminated or restricted. An October 7 lawsuit asks a federal court to block enforcement of unconstitutional book banning.

The status of pseudo-vouchers (Education Scholarship Accounts) remains uncertain. Public schools remain under attack from various groups, often funded by dark money, whose ultimate goal is a privatized education system.

The Post & Courier

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking personal information on 3.3 million South Carolinians without saying why it wants the data or how it plans to use it. The massive cache sought includes names, addresses, birthdates, driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers — data that critics warn could be a goldmine for identity thieves or a major security risk if improperly stored or mishandled. Lynn Teague, vice president for issues and action with the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, said she was very concerned. “Anything that looks like a fishing expedition by people who may want to cast doubt on election integrity concerns us deeply.”