Your SC politics briefing

Welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.

Between Alex Murdaugh case updates and lawsuits involving Gov. Henry McMaster, you could say this week was a special episode of Law & Order: South Carolina addition.

First, let’s talk lawsuits.

McMaster and a bevy of SC lawmakers were sued over delays and “prolonged uncertainty” over the time it’s taken to redraw State House and U.S. House districts, what’s known as the once-in-a-decade practice of redistricting.

The lawsuit, filed by the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union, said lawmakers are taking too long to redraw the maps for the state’s seven U.S. House and 170 legislative districts, leaving candidates and voters in a bind ahead of 2022.

The groups are asking the federal court to set up a three-judge panel to create a schedule that would ensure lawmakers draw and approve maps well before the March candidate filing deadline.

The Senate hasn’t publicized its plans, but House Judiciary Chairman Chris Murphy told us he anticipates the House will be done no later than the first week of December.

SC high court sides with McMaster on COVID benefits

The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out a lawsuit filed against McMaster and the state’s workforce Director Dan Ellzey over ending federal COVID-19 unemployment program participation early.

The decision was unanimous.

McMaster ended the state’s participation in the temporary benefits program in hopes to tackle the worker shortage. But opponents argued that the state was required to go after any available Social Security benefits.

The Supreme Court ruled the unemployment benefits didn’t fall under the category of Social Security funds, so the state did not have to participate in the benefit program if officials did not want to.

DHEC pushes vaccine, changes student quarantine rule

You could say the state’s health department is tired.

They’ve promoted free beer and free zoo entry. There’s COVID-19 vaccine tents literally everywhere.

Health officials are now acknowledging they underestimated the amount of opposition the state agency would face to COVID-19 vaccination and admitted it’s out of ideas for getting more people to roll up their sleeves.

Public health officials said they plan to factor vaccine resistance into the state’s pandemic influenza plans going forward.

Good news for parents, and students of course.

Roughly 220,000 South Carolina students have had to quarantine at home after COVID-19 exposure, but only a small percentage have been winding up testing positive for the virus.

This week, DHEC revised its school safety policy to allow more unvaccinated students who are exposed to COVID-19 to remain in school rather than having to quarantine at home.

Buzz Bites

▪ Alex Murdaugh was picked up from his Florida rehab facility and taken to a Florida jail, where he’ll wait to be extradited on charges connected to the the missing insurance money owed to Gloria Satterfield’s estate.

▪ Nikki Haley and US Sen. Lindsey Graham will address the Republican Jewish Coalition’s leadership meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.

▪ Boeing will require employees, including workers in South Carolina, to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

▪ Former SC Gov. Nikki Haley will serve on the Clemson University Board of Trustees, effectively immediately.

▪ President Joe Biden appointed former state Rep. Laurie Funderburk to a post with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

▪ An appellate court will hear arguments the week of Dec. 6 on South Carolina’s fetal heartbeat abortion ban law, which passed earlier this year but was blocked by a judge.

▪ Former state Rep. Katie Arrington, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress seat in 2018, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense and the National Security Administration over her suspension. Arrington was put on administrative leave from the Pentagon after she was accused of leaking classified information.

▪ Gov. McMaster says he isn’t worried about the University of South Carolina search for a new president even though former President Robert Caslen said he regretted taking the job.

▪ Military families across the country are getting a higher housing allowance, but not in South Carolina.

▪ Gov. McMaster said he won’t get involved in private businesses’ decisions to require their employees get the COVID-19 vaccine, unlike the Texas governor.

▪ US Sen. Tim Scott threw early support behind Gov. Henry McMaster, the Associated Press reported.

▪ In a Fox News interview, US Sen. Lindsey Graham said Brazilians “wearing designer clothes and Gucci bags” were illegally crossing the Southern border.

Mark your calendar

Oct. 18

SC House’s SRS and ARPA appropriations committee meets, 11 a.m.

Oct. 19

Senate’s Corrections and Penology panel to get an update on DJJ, 10 a.m.

Oct. 27

SC House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Subcommittee to get DJJ update from interim director, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 29-31

South Carolina GOP Myrtle Beach conference, featuring 2024 hopefuls

Nov. 2

Municipal elections in South Carolina

Before we adjourn

The Lexington-Richland 5 School District has a new board member.

This week, voters elected Tifani Moore, who served on the school improvement council at Dutch Fork Middle School.

She won with 56% of the vote in the special election for the school board seat.

Moore told The State her main goal was to bring unity to a district that was deeply divided over how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last 18 months we’ve been so divided,” Moore said. “We have to get back on track and focus on what’s important for students and teachers.”

Who pulled together this week’s newsletter?

This week it was Emily Bohatch, reporter on the The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with her on Twitter and send her tips on Twitter at @emilybohatch or by email ebohatch@thestate.com.

Make sure to sign up for our weekly politics newsletter that will come straight to your inbox every Friday morning. Tell your friends to do the same. For even more South Carolina-focused political news, you can chat with us on Facebook at the Buzz on South Carolina Politics, email us tips at thebuzz [at] thestate [dot] com and follow our stories at scpolitics.com.