Senator Massey Discusses Hot Topics In South Carolina On Podcast Appearance

On a recent podcast, popular with political and media figures, the State Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey discussed the big issues the SC State Senate are addressing this session. 

Senator Massey was a recent guest on the “Bourbon In The Backroom” podcast, hosted by former State Senators Joel Lourie and Vincent Sheheen, to discuss all things SC politics. 

To start off the interview, Massey said he was pleased with the progress made in the first seven weeks of the legislative session, including passing the Fetal Heartbeat Bill, working with the state health officials from the Department of Health and Environment Control (DHEC), and coordinating vaccine distribution. 

The Majority Leader also discussed the issues schools have faced because of the pandemic. Now that a vaccine is available, Massey said, “we’ve got to get the kids back in school. 5 days a week, in front of their teachers.” He also mentioned his concern that “[he hears] consistently from teachers that the kids who need to be in school the most are the ones who have gone full virtual.” 

After spending some time discussing possible remedial efforts post COVID, the conversation moved to discussing the future of the embattled state-owned electric utility, Santee Cooper.

The leader of the Senate’s Republicans told the hosts that back in 2017, “we knew Santee Cooper’s day was coming, we just knew it would take awhile” – his prediction was correct. 

Now in the 2021 Legislative Session, the Santee Cooper debate has moved to the State Senate. While Massey did not comment on his position, he did say, “we cannot allow Santee Cooper to continue operating as they’ve been operating,” and that “the longer things go, the less confidence [he has] in Santee Cooper’s ability to fix itself.”

Senator Massey’s comments on the podcast came before his remarks during a recent debate in the State Senate on the future of the struggling public utility. 

“We have got to decide this issue this year, this legislative session” said Massey addressing his fellow state senate members on Thursday March 11. 

Given Massey’s position as the Majority Leader of the State Senate, his remarks indicate action on the future of state-owned Santee Cooper is more likely. Stay tuned.