July 6 to July 12, 2011
The House of Representatives is out of session for 2011. I hope that you find this update about information around District 81 and at the State House helpful and informative:
Savings for SC Businesses: According to the State Department of Employment and Workforce, effective July 1, 2011, the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) liability surtax for S.C. Businesses was reduced from 0.8 percent to 0.6 percent. DEW Director John Finan says that the reduction in the federal surcharge and the recent legislation passed regarding the State Unemployment Insurance tax rates will allow S.C. businesses to save, on average, about $35.00 per employee per year in what they pay in taxes at both the federal and state levels. This is a statewide savings of $55 Million for S.C. businesses. To learn more, go to www.dew.sc.gov.
Interstate 20 Resurfacing: If you have traveled I-20 from Exit 11 to Exit 5, you have probably noticed it is in need of resurfacing. The State Department of Transportation (DOT) advises that the road will be resurfaced no later then June 30, 2012.
Resurfacing of Intersection of Silver Bluff and Pine Log Roads: If you recently drove through this busy intersection on Aiken’s south side near the Block Buster, you most likely noticed the ruts in the pavement and the need to resurface this area. The SC DOT informs me that this intersection is to be resurfaced later this summer.
Silver Bluff Road Widening: On May 26, I attended the public information session on the updated designs for the Silver Bluff Road widening project at Town Creek Baptist Church. Over 160 area residents also attended. This project has been under consideration for nearly 5 years. There are two different plans under consideration: (1) The SCDOT’s recommended plan and (2) the City’s requested shift in the DOT plan’s alignment. Both plans include improvements to all the intersections along Silver Bluff Road between Indian Creek Trail and Richardson’s Lake Road. Public input was accepted through June 10. SCDOT sent out 6,500 notices to area residents and received 193 written comments. DOT summarized all the comments and they are as follows:
Description Percentage of Total Comments
Percentage In Favor (SCDOT) 55%
Percentage In Favor (City) 26%
Percentage Opposed 5%
Percentage Neutral 14%
The full summary can be accessed here. The City Council will receive the responses from the SCDOT public information session tonight at its meeting.
End of Session Town Meetings: Like the past two years, I plan to hold end of session town meetings around the district. Based on constituent requests, I will hold those after the summer vacation season ends. The dates, times, and locations will be provided in future updates.
Constituent Emails: I have received a very large volume of email in the past 3 weeks. I am working to get through them all. If you have sent me something, thank you for your patience.
Palmetto Amateur Tournament in Aiken: The 2011 Palmetto Amateur golf tournament will be in Aiken at the Palmetto Golf Club from July 20 to 23. The event is one of the top amateur golf events in the United States. To learn more about the event, go here: www.palmettoamateur.com.
Help for Displaced SRS Workers: If you or someone you know lost a job at SRS, there is a One-Stop Transition Center open in downtown Aiken at Park Avenue and Laurens Street to assist workers displaced at SRS with finding new work. The Center is open from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.workforce.psa-inc.com.
Aiken County Public Library Summer Reading Program: The annual summer reading program for children through the 5th grade has started at the Aiken County Public Library. The Program runs through July 30. Children who read the required number of books will receive a medal and a certificate of completion. Reading is essential to doing well in school. Please encourage as many young people as you can to read this summer. For more information, call the Aiken County Public Library at 642-2020 or go to this link: http://www.abbe-lib.org/. This program is paid for with private donations from the Friends of the Public Library.
Report Waste, Fraud and Abuse in State Government: To report waste, fraud and abuse in state government, you can call: 1-855-SC-FRAUD.
Roll Call Voting: There is a new link available to keep up with all the roll call votes in the S.C. House. That link can be accessed at either my website at www.reptomyoung.com or at the www.scstatehouse.gov website.
Facebook: I have a Facebook page for Representative Tom Young. Please “like” the page to receive updates during the week from me on Facebook.
Tom Young’s Website: My updated website can be reached at www.reptomyoung.com. There are links to a variety of constituent services; the status of sponsored bills; and roll call votes. Please add my web site as a bookmark on your computer.
State House Tours: Tours are available for the S.C. State House by calling (803) 734-2430.
Email Updates: If you know of people in or around District 81 who do not receive my updates but they would like to, please email their names and email addresses to me.
Road Issues: If you see a road problem, call the SCDOT at 641-7665 or Aiken County at 642-1532 to report the problem. If you do not get a prompt response, please let me know at TomYoung@schouse.gov or call me. Generally, most paved roads in the County are maintained by SCDOT and are identified on the road sign poles by a small black and white sign listing the road number, such as S-2-1669. Most unpaved roads in the County are maintained by the County.
Thank you for the opportunity and the honor to represent you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way or if you have questions about these or other issues. Your feedback is meaningful and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Tom Young
649-0000 (o)
215-3631 (cell)
P.S. Please visit www.reptomyoung.com for more posts, news, video updates, and, if you have Twitter, please click here to start following me!
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