Early Voting & Hitchcock Parkway — Weekly Update from Sen. Tom Young – January 29, 2013 to February 5, 2013

The Senate is in session for 2013.  I hope that you find this update helpful and informative.  If I can help you with an issue, please let me know.

Remember to Vote:  Some people living in Senate District 24 will be able to vote today in the special election for Aiken County Council.   Residents in North Augusta can vote next Tuesday in the City Council election. If you live in either of these areas, please remember to vote.

Restructuring – Elimination of Budget and Control and Board:  This bill (S.22) has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee and will be on the full Senate calendar for debate starting February 20.

Early Voting:  The Senate Judiciary Committee considers a bill later today that will allow South Carolinians to vote starting 10 days before an election and requires election officials to set up at least one early voting center in each county. For any election that is not a statewide primary or general election, the county board of registration and elections shall determine whether or not to open the early voting centers on Saturdays during the early voting period.  No changes will be made to in-person absentee voting.

Hitchcock Parkway Update:  This project has received lots of feedback since the November 8 public meeting at South Aiken High School.   DOT is working on revisions. Meanwhile, the City of Aiken is working on a plan that addresses problems along the corridor but stays within the existing right of way. We have asked DOT to stay within the existing right of way with any plan that they develop in view of public comments. This will be a long process and the final product is expected to be much different from what DOT originally proposed in scope, character, and cost.  DOT will present the results of the citizens’ comments to the Augusta Regional Transportation Study Committee this Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 4:00 pm at the Aiken County Council Building.

Chukker Creek School Traffic Update:  The Aiken County School District, SCDOT, and the Aiken County Transportation Committee jointly developed a plan to address traffic congestion. The proposal is to lengthen the car pick up and drop off line. The 1,800-foot-long extension to the existing car line allows for two more lanes as well as 40 additional parking spaces. The City of Aiken City Council approved the plan last night and must give final approval next Monday, February 11.

Judicial Elections and New Workers Compensation Commissioner:  Last year, the General Assembly provided funding for six new family court judges and three new circuit court judges.  Judicial elections were held to fill those positions last Wednesday.  Also, on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Governor Haley’s new appointee Aisha Taylor to the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Aiken County Legislative Delegation Meeting: The Aiken County Legislative Delegation met last night and received a report from a sub-committee of the County Elections Commission on the recent November election. To see that report, go here.

Important Cyber Attack Information

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 about 100,000 letters are being sent every day to affected taxpayers.  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

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

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 atwww.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.

Save for College – Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan:  South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan Future Scholar offers special tax benefits for South Carolina residents. To learn more or to enroll, go towww.FutureScholar.com/parents.

Request a Flag:  If you would like to request a state or U.S. flag flown over the State Capitol in Columbia, please let me know at tom@senatortomyoung.com.   Flags vary in cost according to their size and their material from which they are made.

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 24 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.