On December 9, the Beaufort County School Board voted to restrict five more books: The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryz and Crake by Margaret Atwood, November 9 by Colleen Hoover, Perfect by Ellen Hopkins, and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaipur. A parental signature will be required for a student to checkout any of these books from the school libraries. These books were among 92 challenged books previously returned to shelves by review panels of parents, community members, teachers, librarians, and educators. State Regulation 43-170 provides a parent appeal process.

Charleston City Paper/The Statehouse Report

‘Constitutional requirement’ or an ‘assault on women’? The state of South Carolina and its largest city took dramatic steps this week to begin dismantling decades-old programs designed to increase participation by women- and-minority-owned businesses in government contracting.

“Women will suffer from this,” Lynn Teague, LWVSC VP Issues & Action, said. “We see it as part of an attack on the rights of women from every direction, including efforts to pass draconian abortion bans and attacks on the professional status of jobs that are dominated by women.”

Allowing nurse practitioners (APRNs) to provide the healthcare 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.