Welcome back to my Week in Review newsletter. In addition to these weekly updates, you can sign up to receive other issue-specific newsletters here. Also, please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on how I am serving the people of South Carolina! 

Supporting Officers, Strengthening Communities

Liberals have created a false binary choice between law enforcement officers and communities of color. The truth is that if we want to help one group, we must help the other. That’s why I’m working toward police reform legislation that strengthens communities of color and equips officers to fulfill their mission of protecting Americans. I talked about this and more in a roundtable with the NBA, which debuted during Game 5 over the weekend.

Click to watch the conversation

Increasing Access to Credit

An estimated 45 million Americans lack credit scores because they have little or no history of traditional payments like mortgages or credit card loans. This leaves them locked out of too many opportunities — buying a home, taking out a student loan, and more. 

I introduced a bill this week to permit on-time payments on rent, cell phones, and utilities to be reported to credit agencies, finally allowing many “credit invisible” people to develop a positive credit history. The fact is simple: if you pay your bills on time, you should be able to build credit, and this proposal would make that possible. You can read more about it here.

Assessing Future Pandemic Risk

On Thursday, I held a hearing as Ranking Member of the Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate banking committee. Throughout the hearing, we questioned professionals from the business, insurance, and risk management communities — including Dr. Robert Hartwig, Professor of Insurance and Finance at the University of South Carolina — about methods of pandemic risk insurance that have been proposed both within and outside of Congress. Should another pandemic occur, this work will ensure we are better prepared.

Click to watch my opening statement

Join Team Scott!

As the Olympics kick off this weekend with world-class sports teams, I’m also assembling a star team of interns in my offices. If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student interested in joining us for the fall of 2021, please visit my website to learn more! I’m currently accepting applications for internships in my North Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville offices. Hope to see y’all soon!

Sincerely,