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CAROLINA

$Population

4,679,230Share of total US

population

1.5%

Population ranking

24th

Net migration rate

7.8%

State and local tax burden

8.3%Government consumption

and subsidies

13.8%

State and local debt

burden

25.3%

Personal income per

capita

$33,673Share of total US GDP

1.11%

State GDP ranking

27th

2001

ranking

2007

ranking

2009

ranking

2011

ranking

FISCAL 20 16 13 15

REGULATORY 28 26 29 23

PERSONAL 21 14 12 18

OVERALL 25 18 18 15

SCORE

pointsaboveorbelow2011average

2011

+24.9

2001

+18.1

0

25

2011 RANK

15th

50

50

25

POLITICS

D R2009 2011 2013

Governor Sanford Haley Haley

Senate

House of

Representatives

LEGISLATIVE SESSION DATES:

Up to first Thursday in June(typically start in January)

SOUTH

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ANALYSIS

South Carolina comes in at 15th in overall

freedom, one of the best rankings for its

region.

In terms of fiscal policy, the tax burden is

low but government spending and therefore

debt are high. Government employment is

pretty high and could use cutting. Education

spending is also high and social service

spending (especially direct expenditures on

health and hospitals) could be more efficient.

In the regulatory realm, South Carolina

scores only slightly better than average.Residential land-use regulations are relatively

light and eminent domain reform has been

quite respectable. South Carolina is a right-

to-work state and other labor regulations

are decent. For example, it does not require

short-term disability insurance. Health insur-

ance regulations are generally good, includ-

ing a low number of coverage mandates.

Telecom and cable have been deregulated.

Unfortunately, the state ranks below aver-age on occupational freedom despite being

roughly average on the number of occupa-

tions licensed. Most significantly, it performs

quite poorly on tort abuse, coming in 39th.

South Carolina fares relatively well in

terms of personal freedom, coming in 18th.

Cigarette taxes were raised significantly

in 2010 but still remain among the lowest

in the country (they had previously beenlowest). Some restrictions on smoking on

private property have been enacted, but the

state still performs near the top in this cat-

egory. Gun control laws are a bit better than

average, but are the most restrictive in the

South. For instance, open carry is completely

banned, the state licenses gun dealers, and

design safety standards for handguns have

been imposed. However, South Carolina is

only mediocre on victimless crimes freedom,

alcohol freedom, travel freedom, and educa-

tion. It is roughly average on incarceration

rates but fares poorly when it comes to drugenforcement. Moreover, South Carolinas

marijuana laws are unreformed. Beer taxes

are quite high but wine and spirits taxes are

better than average. The state authorizes

sobriety checkpoints but does not require

motorcyclists and bicyclists to wear helmets.

Kindergarten attendance is mandatory in

South Carolina. For homeschoolers, the state

has teacher qualifications and burdensome

standardized testing, recordkeeping, andnotification requirements. On the other hand,

it has light requirements for private schools.

The states asset forfeiture laws are nearly a

full standard deviation worse than average.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Prune state employment and cut

spending on health and hospitals,

which is far above national norms.

Reform the liability system. South

Carolina would have moved to 12th in

overall freedom if it had simply been

average on tort abuse.

Revise the states asset forfeiture laws

to make it more difficult for the govern-

ment to seize assets, and reduce the

governments incentive to do so bylowering the percentage of proceeds

that go to law enforcement. Ban equi-

table sharing with the Department of

Justice so that the federal government

does not ignore state law.

Separate spending

and tax committees?

Item reduction

veto?

Strict balanced budget

requirements?

Supermajority for

tax increases?

NO NO NO NO