Dear fellow South Carolinians,

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Remembering the Emanuel 9
Four years ago yesterday, a madman tried to divide us. We will always remember the Emanuel 9, and are forever thankful for their families who showed us the true meanings of grace and leadership in the face of tragedy.

Recent Legislation
Better Tools for Healthy Living Act
Last week, I joined Sen. Doug Jones and introduced the Better Tools For Healthy Living Act, which will empower state and local governments with tools to spearhead efforts to prevent and combat obesity. Studies have estimated that more than 20 percent of medical spending in the United States is attributable to obesity, which is linked to a number of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

In order to truly improve our nation’s health care system, we must work to lower costs and strengthen preventive medicine.  Nearly 40 percent of American adults are obese, which shows just how important tackling this issue truly is. You can read more about the bill here.

Protecting our Gold Star Families’ Education Act
At the end of last week, I helped reintroduce the Protecting our Gold Star Families’ Education Act. This legislation would expand the Pell Grant program to include the children and dependents of those killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001 to offset their educational expenses.

Gold Star families have paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation and been the bedrock of our men and women in the armed forces. It is an honor to join my colleagues in ensuring that we do our best to make higher education more affordable for their children. You can read more about the bill here.

HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2019
Last Wednesday, I helped introduce legislation promoting manufactured housing as part of the solution to America’s affordable housing crisis. The HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2019 would ensure that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) supports state and local governments that wish to include manufactured housing as an affordable housing solution when applying for federal funding.

Manufactured housing is an affordable housing option for over 22 million Americans, including one out of every five families in South Carolina. Ensuring that we keep this important option open to families puts them in a safer position and a path to affordable home ownership. You can read more about the legislation here.

Credit Access and Inclusion Act
Last Thursday, I joined Sen. Manchin to reintroduce the Credit Access and Inclusion Act, which would expand access to credit for over 26 million Americans.

While we have so much to be thankful for within our booming economy, we still have much work to do to ensure that the over 26 million ‘credit invisible’ Americans are able to climb the economic ladder. In South Carolina, 22 percent of adults are ‘credit invisible’ and in many instances, it’s not due to poor financial decisions but rather because they lack sufficient credit history. This bill aims to change that and provide avenues of opportunity for those who have been overlooked by the current system. You can read more about the bill here.

Sincerely,

Tim