Latest News & Updates from Bill Herbkersman

"As a part of the state’s preparation and response to COVID-19, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) is announcing additional temporary modifications to policies related to telehealth coverage." read more

"We are confident, but we are alert and we will be sure that the closure does not happen," McMaster said. read more

"Priority will be given to minority businesses, applicants that did not receive other assistance, such as a Paycheck Protection Program loan or other CARES funds, to businesses with 15 or fewer employees and to businesses that demonstrate the greatest financial need." read more

"After hearing calls from citizens to reject a proposed resort on an uninhabited Lowcountry barrier island, a Beaufort County zoning board voted unanimously Thursday night to deny the request." read more

South Carolina voters will need to get a witness signature for absentee ballots after a federal appeals court on Thursday put a halt on a lower court ruling that lifted the requirement. read more

SC is one of only three states in the country without a law that criminalizes crimes committed out of hate for a person’s race, religion, sexuality or gender. I’m proud to co-sign this legislation, introduced by Representative Beth Bernstein for House 78 and Representative Wendell G. Gilliard, along with my colleague Representative Weston Newton, SC House 120. It is an example of taking partisanship out of the equation and uniting for the common good. read more

“South Carolina is blessed with the most beautiful and pristine beaches, sea islands, and marshes in the nation. Seismic testing and offshore drilling threatens their health and jeopardizes the future of our state’s $24 billion tourism industry. Today’s announcement is good news, but we must remain vigilant in the conservation and preservation of our coastline.” Gov. Henry McMaster. read more

“Rep. Herbkersman was instrumental in getting $1.2 million to renovate the facility. That enabled us to essentially gut our lab building,” ... “And after that, we were able to secure some other federal funds so that we could redo our entire factory.” - Director Erin Levesque, Waddell Maricultural Center. read more

Understanding SAFE Grants, a program, developed by Gov. Henry McMaster, to address the educational needs of eligible K5-12 students who attend a participating independent school in SC. read more

The state gas tax increase, including the new two-cent per gallon increase effective today, has already been put to work for South Carolinians. In addition to $1.3 billion in road and bridge work under contract now, the new gas tax increase is making possible an additional 661 miles of paving projects that were approved by the Transportation Commission in June. The new paving projects will be moving to the contracting phase in the coming months. read more

“I asked to be on the conference committee for this exact reason. We can’t back down on this,” Herbkersman said. Conference committee assignments have not been announced yet. “The COVID pandemic would be part of (additional need) … but every year, we see things get worse and worse and we can really turn it around. Financially, we had a good year but whether we had a good year or not it needs to be a priority.” read more

The $562 million of new paving includes projects in all of the state’s 46 counties and is in addition to the $1.3 billion of road, bridge and safety project work SCDOT is currently implementing. Paving the state’s roads is the largest of the 10-Year Plan’s four programs, which include rural road safety, replacing or repairing bridges, and Interstate widening. read more