South Carolina 2025: Economic Growth, Tax Cuts, and Public Health Challenges Reshape State Landscape

South Carolina is closing the year with a mix of political change, economic expansion, and public health concerns shaping daily life for listeners across the state. South Carolina Public Radio reports that state leaders are digesting the 2025 legislative session and prefiling bills for 2026, while communities manage new development and a recent measles outbreak.

According to the South Carolina Policy Council, lawmakers this year accelerated state income tax cuts, moving the top rate down to 6.0 percent, advanced civil liability reform, and expanded school choice through a new education savings account law after an earlier version was struck down by the state Supreme Court in 2024. The same group notes new requirements for livestreaming school board meetings and reforms that limit utilities’ ability to raise rates without added scrutiny, signaling a broader push for transparency and ratepayer protections.

On the horizon, the official Statehouse website shows House and Senate members already prefiling legislation for the 2026 session, giving a preview of coming debates on taxes, education, and criminal law. The local outlet WRHI reports that one proposal would criminalize “coercive control” in domestic violence cases, potentially expanding how abuse is defined in South Carolina courts.

The state’s economy remains a relative bright spot. Columbia Business Monthly writes that despite a mild slowdown in 2025, economists describe South Carolina’s overall outlook as healthy heading into 2026, supported by manufacturing and population growth. The Department of Commerce reports that Mission Critical Interior Solutions is investing 7.4 million dollars and creating 49 jobs in Orangeburg County with its first South Carolina operation, while a series of expansions by manufacturers such as ElringKlinger and Meiden America Switchgear are adding hundreds of positions in counties like Pickens, Laurens, Dillon, Hampton, and Oconee.

Community and education projects are reshaping local landscapes. The University of South Carolina says its Board of Trustees has approved major renovations to the Thomas Cooper Library and other historic buildings in Columbia, along with new athletic facilities and a Bullying Prevention Center aimed at helping K–12 districts address student safety and mental health. The South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority reports that Fox Creek Middle School in North Augusta has secured about 21 million dollars in financing for a new campus serving students from Aiken and Edgefield counties, with opening planned for 2026.

Public safety and health remain urgent concerns. The Department of Public Safety reports four people were killed on state roadways during a recent December weekend, part of a year in which traffic fatalities remain high in major counties like Charleston, Horry, Greenville, and Spartanburg. ABC News and CBS News both report that more than 300 students across 11 South Carolina schools have been quarantined following measles exposure, with health officials urging vaccinations as case counts climb.

Looking ahead, listeners can expect a busy 2026 legislative session, continued manufacturing investment, and close monitoring of the measles outbreak and traffic safety trends, alongside major campus and school construction projects that will shape South Carolina communities for years to come.

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