COLUMBIA — GOP House leadership have announced plans for their 2008 legislative agenda. The State reported on Jan. 10 that House leadership, including House Speaker Bobby Harrell, are proposing tax cuts for families and married couples.
In a press release from the South Carolina House Republican Caucus, leaders outlined their 2008 legislative agenda, which includes a section entitled “Tax Cuts for Families.”
“The House Republican Caucus supports a tax cut for married couples to show our support of maintaining the nuclear family,” the agenda reads. “The Caucus will also continue its comprehensive review of the existing tax code to ease the tax burden on our citizens and make South Carolina more business and family friendly.”
Harrell told The State that the tax cuts would be “a message of support for families.”
The proposal, if successful, would provide a one percent decrease in taxes for married couples, averaging approximately $20 for almost 800,000 families.
House Republican leaders said the tax cuts would save taxpayers $16 million per year.
This further “show of support” for “the nuclear family” comes a little more than a year after Palmetto State voters approved a state constitutional amendment limiting marriage rights to heterosexual couples only.
Ed Madden, a community leader in Columbia and former president of the S.C. Equality Coalition, told Q-Notes he wasn’t happy with the GOP proposals. “Perhaps Harrell’s comment [in The State] should have read, more accurately, ‘the cut would be a message of support for some families.’”
COLUMBIA — In mid-January, the Safe Zone Ally Project at the University of South Carolina marked a milestone as its 400th straight ally joined the program. Since the creation of Safe Zone in 2003, there have been more than 75 safe zone trainings, programs and seminars on the campus discussing topics important to LGBTQ students.
The program’s mission is to build a stronger and safer campus community for LGBTQ students. Safe Zone discourages bigotry and seeks to help students, faculty and staff learn from the differences of those in the LGBTQ community. A Safe Zone “Ally” is a person who is a member of the University community and who has committed to fighting homophobia and heterosexism while offering support to LGBTQ students.
The program is under the direction of the university’s Department for Sexual Health and Violence Prevention and Research. Tricia Phaup and Ryan Wilson coordinate the program.
“I think it is fitting that our 400th ally was trained during a special session tailored for Housing staff,” Wilson said. “The program began through collaboration of Housing and my office. Over the past five years, the program has come full circle.”
COLUMBIA — The S.C. Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement has announced new hours for the Harriet Hancock Community Center. The Center will now be open Mondays, 2-5 p.m.; Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 2-5 p.m.; Thursdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1-5 p.m. The Center is not open Saturdays.
The Center, which also provides a hotline and referral service for the LGBT community, is now in the process of updating and expanding their databases. Organizers would like the hotline to be a shared, statewide service and need individuals and organizations to provide them with contact information for resources in their area. Information for referral services should be submitted to hhcentersc@yahoo.com and include a representative’s name and organization’s email, phone, website, location, mailing address and brief description of the organization and services offered.
Categories in the Center’s referral database include: AIDS/HIV Services; religious support for our families; youth services; regional, social, LGBT friendly and business organizations; regional LGBT media; national organizations; political resources; transgender resources; legal counseling and social work; healthcare; housing; bars and entertainment and student groups and organizations.
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