Senator Tim Scott
Senator Tim Scott answered the questions below. Please watch the full conversation here.
How has the Pandemic impacted your daily and weekly routines? What has been your biggest adjustment?
Ten at the Top recently recognized “Unsung Heroes” in the Upstate, so we know that people here are resilient, hardworking and have adapted quickly and well. The stimulus package was vital. There are questions now about the next round of stimulus. The House has passed a stimulus bill already, the Senate is talking about it, a bill has been proposed yesterday. What are the chances for success and what do you see happening?
How do you make sure that those who are going to be provided additional funds can show the losses specifically due to the pandemic and economic shutdown resulting from it?
Do you see anything happening before the end of the year or before the end of the current administration? If not, what timeframe do you see for future stimulus or is it possible no future stimulus will be passed?
There is possibility of a government shutdown if a new spending bill is not approved by December 11. How likely do you see a shutdown happening? What do you expect to see passed to avoid a shutdown? Could a new stimulus bill be tied to the general funding bill or are they being treated totally separate?
You were a major supporter of the opportunity zone program. How do you think it has been working? Do you have ideas for expanding or tweaking the program moving forward?
When will Republicans come up with a formal healthcare plan in addition to challenging various aspects of the Affordable Care Act? What policies are the Republicans looking to enact that would protect people with pre-existing conditions, especially if the Affordable Care Act is thrown out by the Supreme Court?
County Updates
Cherokee: Dalton Pierce, Town Administrator, Blacksburg:
A strategic plan (17-year outlook) is being developed
Hopefully the NC casino expansion will generate business in SC too
New website launch planned this year
Christmas parade December 12
Oconee: Ken Sloan, Executive Director, Visit Oconee
Due to some unforeseen events, hotels and short-term rentals have been booked during COVID (Duke Energy contractors, contractors doing repair work after the tornado, and tourism due to people wanting to recreate out of populated areas)
Oconee has many natural areas to enjoy with waterfalls, lakes, trails, etc. and encourages people to come out and have safe outdoor experiences
Spartanburg: Courtney Oliver, Marketing & Special Events Manager, Spartanburg Philharmonic
To continue their mission, SP spearheaded “Together Spartanburg”, daily social video content
Drive in experiences continue on December 12 with Fireside Collective
Their biggest challenge was trying to re-engineer classics concerts, so in September they recorded three concerts that are available online
‘Burg Bound includes presentations from Spartanburg Little Theatre and Ballet Spartanburg with household passes available online and to stream through the end of December