On Tuesday. October 26, the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Legislative Luncheon. This year the keynote speaker was the Lt Governor of South Carolina,  Pamela Evette.

She spoke on the power of the DEW and technical schools working together to develop a stronger workforce  and plans to help more veterans find jobs.   Specific to the workforce, she talked about the need to send more students through technical school so they can learn trades. The average pay for a skilled worker is $50,000 yearly.  

Ms. Evette was asked about plans to eliminate the small business tax. She said the Governor's goal is a gradual step down to eliminate small business tax in South Carolina. Places like Florida are seeing record growth in their business community because of their efforts to reduce taxes on businesses.  Eliminating the small business tax had been a big initiative in 2020 for the Governor until COVID-19. 

In terms of roads, the Lt Governor said they are being done by priority.  But critics say the roads in the Lowcountry need more attention than they are getting.   Ms. Evette told the crowd at the Luncheon that roads may not appear to be worked on fast, but the Governor is focused on doing the construction in a way that is fiscally responsible. She told the crowd that if it appears the roads in the Lowcountry aren't getting enough attention, it's because they are not as bad as roads in other parts of the state. 

The official program began with lunch at 11:30 am and ran until 1:00 pm at the Summerville Country Club, which is located at 400 Country Club Boulevard in Summerville.

The annual Legislative Luncheon is the opportunity for business leaders to hear directly from our state elected leaders on issues that impact our community. 

Pamela Evette was elected as the 93rd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina on November 6, 2018.

Prior to her election as the first female Republican Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Evette founded Quality Business Solutions, Inc. (QBS), a payroll, human resources, and benefits services firm headquartered in Travelers Rest. Evette is passionate about, and has been focused on, improving educational performance in her community, assisting the elderly and the young, and helping small- and women-owned businesses.