TOP FIVE: From more diversity and less money to more lockdowns

Our weekly Top Five feature offers big stories or views from the past week with policy and legislative implications.

1. S.C. makes history with four women in state Senate, The State, Dec. 9, 2016

Four women were sworn into the state Senate on Tuesday, the most ever to serve in the upper chamber of the state’s General Assembly.  An excerpt:

“South Carolina now ranks 22nd in the country for gender parity in elected offices, up from 46th in the country in 1993, according to Representation 2020, a Maryland-based group that encourages women to seek public office.

“Still, women have a long way to go at the State House. Women make up 51.4 percent of South Carolina’s population but held just 14.7 percent of the 170 seats in the S.C. Legislature last year, far below the national average of 24.4 percent.”

2. A pension crisis looms for South Carolina, The Post and Courier, Dec. 4-8, 2016

For years, Statehouse Report has offered stories on how state-backed pensions for retirees are an increasing problem brought on, in part, by unrealistic expectations of returns and risky strategies.  In recent months, more media outlets have been reporting on the now “looming” pension crisis.  An excerpt:

“The plans serve roughly one out of nine state residents, and the shortfall — $24.1 billion — is more than triple the Palmetto State’s annual budget. That’s left lawmakers and the state’s investment managers scrambling for a fix, as the burden grows for workers and taxpayers.”

3. Prison head using lockdowns to save money, boost safety, Augusta Chronicle, Dec. 3, 2016

Tight budgets and staffing shortfalls mean some of the state’s prisons have a 23-hour-a-day lockdown to keep staff and inmates safe, despite an aggressive hiring effort by the state Department of Corrections.  Statewide implications:  Potential lawsuits for “cruel and  unusual  punishment.”  An excerpt:

“Corrections director Bryan Stirling said in a recent interview that he has gotten creative in finding ways to hire new officers, like talking up benefits and aggressively recruiting at schools and job centers.  However, until he can get his staffing numbers up to a comfortable level, he said he’s forced to sequester many inmates at times – a process that causes additional headaches of its own.”

4. Illinois governor seeks to thwart jobs going to S.C., AgriNews, Dec. 8, 2016

Illinois Gov. Bruce Bauner has called on his state’s lawmakers to push for a balanced budget that includes reforms that will create jobs, cut property taxes, set term limits and make schools better. One reason:  the state’s outflow of jobs to places like South Carolina.  An excerpt:

“We’ve got to send a message: It’s a new day. We’re beginning to change things in Illinois,” Rauner said. “We’ve got to stop our jobs leaving to go to Indiana. We’ve got to stop our jobs going to Tennessee and Texas and South Carolina. We need companies coming here.”

5. How technology could open doors for people locked out of the financial system, Aspen Institute, Dec. 5, 2016

With millions of Americans living in households that don’t use banks and tens of millions without a credit score, one if five Americans turn to “fringe financial services” such as payday loans to transact business.  These services cost significantly more that standard institutions, which erodes buying power of people often with little money anyway.  This story highlights how nonprofits can play a role in developing technologies to including more people in the financial system.