03/24/2025
South Carolina Senators Talked About Helping Local Businesses. Then They Sold Them Out.
Senator Stephen Goldfinch did what others wouldn’t—he brought a common-sense fix for South Carolina’s liquor liability crisis straight from a unanimous House bill.
But when it came time to act?
The same Senators who’ve talked tough for years BLOCKED IT. They chose insurance lobbyists over SC businesses.
For years, they said:
• “We support small businesses.”
• “We believe in Main Street.”
• “We just want targeted reform.”
They lied. Flat out.
The fix was right there, in H.3497:
✅ No trial lawyer gifts
✅ No windfalls
✅ Just clean, targeted relief for bars, restaurants, and VFWs
And they folded.
Why?
Because they weren’t fighting for you.
They were fighting for:
• 🚛 Out-of-state trucking giants
• 🧪 Chemical polluters and PFAS forever-chemical water poisoners
• 🏭 Global manufacturers
• 💼 Billion-dollar insurance companies
S.244 is a Trojan Horse.
They say it’s about “reform” and “fairness,” but it’s really a get-out-of-court free card for corporate wrongdoers who hurt South Carolinians.
It’s a gift to:
☠️ PFAS polluters
⚙️ Defective product makers
🛻 18-wheeler fleets that maim and kill
What does S.244 really do?
❌ Lets defendants blame people who aren’t even in court
❌ Caps damages even in cases of gross negligence
❌ Guts underinsured motorist (UIM/UM) coverage protections you already paid for
❌ Makes it HARDER to hold out-of-state corporations accountable
If South Carolina senators truly cared about SC small businesses, Goldfinch’s amendment would have passed in 5 minutes.
Instead, they buried it—and handed power to corporate donors, insurance giants, and polluters in the process.
This isn’t reform. It’s a sellout.
⸻
South Carolinians deserve better.
🔥 We deserve to hold wrongdoers accountable
🔥 We deserve to protect Main Street—not Wall Street
🔥 We deserve jury trials—not corporate immunity
Name names. Share the truth. Vote them out. And STOP STONEWALLING H.3497!!
