The Senate returns tomorrow at noon for the 2013 session. I hope that you find this update helpful and informative.
Happy New Year: Happy New Year to you and your family! During the Holidays, I hope that you took a few moments to remember the true meaning for why we celebrate Christmas. I also hope that you were able to spend time with family and friends and reflect on how blessed that we are to live in the United States. My wife Heather and I hope and pray that the New Year brings you much joy, health, and happiness. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the South Carolina State Senate.
Senate Convenes Tomorrow: The S.C. Senate meets tomorrow at 12:00 pm in Columbia to start the 2013 legislative session.
My Senate Committee Assignments: My committee assignments for the 2013 session are as follows: Judiciary; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Corrections and Penology; Fish, Game, and Forestry; and the General (DSS and National Guard issues) Committee. Also, the Lt. Governor appointed me as the Senate appointee to the Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Committee.
State Chamber Releases 2013 Competitiveness Agenda: The S.C. Chamber of Commerce released its annual “Competitiveness Agenda” for the upcoming 2013 legislative session. The agenda can be seen here.
Feedback for 2013 Legislative Session: I appreciate input from constituents on the critical issues facing our state and area including tax reform; spending reform; K-12 education; the costs of higher education; health care; economic development; roads and bridges; job growth; and the underfunded liabilities in our state’s retirement systems. Your input is welcome on any issue important to you. Please email me back or contact me by phone or in person.
Legislative Email Updates: Locally, three members of the House of Representatives, who represent portions of Aiken County within Senate District 24, send regular email updates. Their respective contact information to get on their email lists to receive their email updates are as follows:
- Rep. Bill Hixon (Dist. 83): bill@billhixon.com
- Rep. Bill Taylor (Dist. 86): bill@taylorschouse.com
- Rep. Don Wells (Dist. 81): dwells29801@gmail.com
Latest on Cyber Attack
Experian Credit Monitoring Deadline Extended: Taxpayers now have until March 31, 2013 to sign up for protection and unlimited fraud resolution.
Notification Letters: The Governor’s office says that as of January 2, 2013, 607,620 resident letters have been mailed. About 100,000 letters are being sent every day. Approximately 3.8 million letters will be sent (includes both in-state and out-of-state affected taxpayers) by late January. Some letters are being sent by email if a taxpayer has already enrolled in identity theft protection services (ProtectMyID) and provided an email address to Experian. The deadline to enroll in ProtectMyID was extended to March 31, 2013. The deadline to enroll minor dependents, whose social security numbers may have been compromised, in Experian’s Family Secure plan is May 31, 2013. To see a sample notification letter, go here.
Consumer Affairs Recommendations: To see the SC Department of Consumer Affairs’ recommendations for what to do when there is a security breach impacting your personal identity information, go here.
Frequently Asked Questions: The Governor’s office has prepared several groups of questions and answers as indicated below by category:
- Experian Family Secure – To see those, go here.
- Cyber Attack – To see those, go here and here.
- Senior Citizens — To see those, go here.
- How to Place a Security Freeze: To see how to place a security freeze, go here.
Constituent Information
Speaking with Groups Around the District: If you are involved with a local group that would like for me to attend a meeting to provide a legislative update, please let me know.
Report Waste, Fraud and Abuse in State Government: To report waste, fraud and abuse in state government, you can call: 1-855-SC-FRAUD.
Facebook: I have a Facebook page for Senator Tom Young. Please “like” the page to receive updates during the week from me on Facebook.
Tom Young’s Website: My website can be reached at www.senatortomyoung.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.
Small Business Help – SC Dept. of Commerce: The South Carolina Department of Commerce has helpful information for small business owners and employees. To learn more, go to http://sccommerce.com/sc-business-network.
State House Tours: Tours are available for the S.C. State House by calling (803) 734-2430. If you set a tour between January and June and it is on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, please let me know so I can do my best to see you.
Thoroughbred Country– South Carolina Regional Tourism Organization: To learn more about tourism in the four county region of Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, and Barnwell, visit www.tbredcountry.org.
Email Updates: If you know of people in or around District 81 who do not receive my updates but they would like to get them, 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 tom@senatortomyoung.com 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.
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