This week at the South Carolina State House, senators hoped to provide funding for state farmers who were crippled by last year’s historic flooding. The Senate Finance Committee met this week to discuss the current bill that would allow $40 million to be appropriated to help farms that suffered damage from the flood waters. Sen. President Pro Temper Hugh Leatherman said in a statement that the matter is urgent. “There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to this issue. We need to make sure we are not only designating the right amount, but also doing it quickly. If not, we’ll clearly see a snowball effect. The longer farmers wait to get assistance, the worse their problems will get.”
The South Carolina House passed a bill this week that would require all colleges to post any sorority and fraternity violations online where students looking up the organization’s options could view them prior to joining. The “Tucker Hipps Transparency Act” is named after Tucker Hipps, a Clemson University student who was found dead in 2014, after going on an early morning run with the pledge class of his intended fraternity. His parents allege that it was because of a hazing incident that Hipps fell to his death off of a Lake Hartwell Bridge. According to the bill, any violations of alcohol, drugs, hazing and sexual assaults would be posted on the site.