| Dear fellow South Carolinians,
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Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act
Last Thursday, I joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act. The bill expands elementary, secondary, and vocational education options available to all studentsespecially for those who are most vulnerableby providing a federal tax credit that encourages individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit scholarship funds for individual students’ education.
I believe education is the single-most impactful gift our generation can pass on to the next one. In every city, county, and state, we must do everything we can to ensure that access to quality education is top-of-mind as we strive to build a better life for our children. As part of my America 2030 agenda, I’m proud to partner with Senator Cruz to work towards a future in which kids like me, born into a single-parent family in poverty, have a chance to dream bigger.
You can read more about the bill and see our full statements here.
Disaster Relief Package
Last week, I joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a disaster relief package with the backing of President Trump. President Trump, working with us, has confirmed his support for disaster relief and encouraged Congress to pass legislation with funding for South Carolina and other states that are recovering from recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
Among other things, the bill includes approximately $13.6 billion in overall relief efforts to all those affected, including those in South Carolina. It’s well past time for Congress to move forward with this much needed disaster funding, and I hope we see a vote in the immediate future. You can read more details about the bill here.
Around the State
USS Charleston Commissioning
I was happy to be home in Charleston this weekend to celebrate the commissioning of the new USS Charleston! For centuries, Charleston’s name has defended freedom and democracy around the globe, and been home to thousands of our military men and women. It was an honor to welcome everyone from the United States Navy and to take part in this special ceremony! You can watch the commissioning ceremony here.
Opportunity Zones
In case you missed it, I was proud to host Vice President Mike Pence in Columbia last month to tour a local Opportunity Zone. The zones are working in South Carolina and around the nation and I am excited to see what comes next in the zones all around our state. WACH talked to some folks in the zone to see what they thought of it all- you can watch here.
Sincerely,
Tim | 
