Archive for February 2nd, 2010

Columbia, SC – February 2, 2010 – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd today issued the following statement on House Republicans’ successful passage of a bill re-affirming our citizens’ rights to make their own healthcare decisions:

“Our House Republicans stood tall today for our state’s right to set its own policies, and our citizens’ rights to make their own healthcare decisions,” Floyd said. “Our Party stands for responsible spending and protecting individual liberty, and we are pleased that both the Senate and House have now passed this important piece of legislation that goes to the core of those principles.”

Defeat Democrats’ opposition to our Second Amendment rights

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s House Republicans approved a resolution criticizing the Federal Government for blatant attempts to grab power and abridge the rights reserved for states and the people in the U.S. Constitution.

“This bill is a key part of our ‘Unfinished Business’ agenda of items we approved last session,” said Rep. Kenny Bingham, the House Majority Leader. “We are glad the Senate sent this resolution back to us 11 months after House conservatives recognized the threat and registered our protest.”

The House first approved H. 3509 last February and sent it to the Senate. The resolution approved Tuesday is a Senate version of the House’s initial resolution.

“Last year, this resolution was uncontested and passed without rhetoric and without debate,” said Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens.

This year, the Democrats spent more than a week fighting the resolution with every procedure they could summon. To stall debate on the resolution, Democrats sent member after member up to argue against a South Carolinian’s right to bear arms under the provisions of the Second Amendment. Democrats spent 4 days delaying the resolution.

The resolution was overwhelmingly approved 86-27.

Reps. Eric Bedingfield of Mauldin and Jeff Duncan of Clinton, proposed an amendment fixing wording approved by the Senate that indicated support for abridging an individual’s right to own a gun.

“I’m sure this was an oversight by the Senate leadership, but it is an oversight that had to be corrected,” said Rep. Bedingfield. “Each of the 10 amendments included in the Bill of Rights protect vital freedoms that we take for granted way too often.”

In addition to expressing support for an individual’s Second Amendment rights, the resolution also expresses South Carolina’s concern over the Federal Government’s power grab of large sectors of the American economy, including the automotive, banking, and healthcare industries.

“It’s clear that many of my Democrat colleagues support the Obama-Pelosi agenda and this resolution stands in opposition to those dead liberal ideas,” Rep. Bedingfield said.

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