NO. 16

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

The Senate assembled at 11:00 A.M., the hour to which it stood adjourned, and was called to order by the ACTING PRESIDENT, Senator JACKSON.

The following Bill was read the third time and ordered sent to the House:

S. 621 (Word version) -- Senators Reichenbach, Stephens, Cromer, Kimbrell, M. Johnson, Fanning, Setzler, Bennett, Shealy, Rice, Williams, Allen, Garrett, Loftis, Sabb and Gustafson: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 79 TO TITLE 39 SO AS TO CREATE THE "SOUTH CAROLINA-IRELAND TRADE COMMISSION", TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE TRADE COMMISSION, AND TO ESTABLISH THE DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

On motion of Senator SETZLER.

The following remarks by Senator TEDDER were ordered printed in the Journal of January 9, 2024:

Mr. PRESIDENT, members of the Senate, family and friends. Good afternoon! Today marks another milestone for me as I join you in this Chamber as a State Senator. I thank God for His grace and unwavering love because I could not have come this far without Him. I'd also like to recognize and thank my family who are present in the Chamber today. To my beautiful wife, Dr. Jillian from Greenville, SC; thank you for your patience and support throughout this journey. Thank you for believing in me and keeping me grounded. For those that don't know, we just got married this summer in June, so the first five months of our marriage were shared with campaigning; however, we did get to travel to Italy for our honeymoon. So again, thank you for the sacrifices you've made to support me in this career to help others. I want to acknowledge my aunts, Shelia, Stephanie and Doris who are present and traveled from out of town to be here. Thank you for always being there with my mom and supporting me. And also to acknowledge my in-laws from Greenville (Mauldin), S.C., Pamela and Curtis Broughton. Thank you for your support and for raising such an amazing young lady! I want to thank my mother who is here today and traveled from Durham, N.C., to share in this special occasion. This woman has sacrificed so much and worked so hard to make sure I was able to have opportunities that she did not. And I want to thank my supporters from Charleston that are present in the Chamber today and thank you to all of the people of Senate District 42 for giving me a chance and choosing me to be your state Senator! To the attorneys and staff at RPWB, thank you for supporting me, but also for the opportunity to join this great highly esteemed law firm! Although he could not be here today, I want to also thank my predecessor, Senator Marlon Kimpson, who has been a mentor, supporter and friend. He has done a great job for the people of District 42, and I know that I have big shoes to fill. I look forward to continuing the work that he has done. And while I don't have a life-size cardboard cut out of myself, and I don't compliment myself in the mirror, we do have something in common. I just got back from the White House!

Now, for those who don't know me, I grew up in Durham, N.C. I lost my father unexpectedly a month after I graduated from high school at eighteen years old and that was devastating. I felt guilty going off to college four hours away to South Carolina State University because I was leaving my mom during such a challenging time. But she pushed me to pursue higher education. I felt even more guilty when she started working a part-time job in addition to her full-time job because my father's income was no longer, and she wanted to support me in college. I noticed how tiring and stressful it was working two jobs every day, but she continued to make those sacrifices amongst others to make sure her only child would be able to graduate from college. As a first generation college graduate -- thank you Mom.

While in college, I had the honor of serving as an intern to the late Senator Ted Kennedy in the United States Senate -- a nineteen year old black male with no exposure to politics or law, roaming the halls of the U.S. Senate and Capitol working with people I had only seen on the news. I began to see the possible opportunities that would soon lie ahead. While at SC State, I was a member of The Marching 101 band where I played the trumpet. I graduated in 2012 and went on to attend and graduate from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2015. I then had the honor of serving as a law clerk for the Honorable L. Casey Manning. I then moved to Charleston where I was a law clerk for Senn Legal, working for Senator SENN waiting on bar results. After that, I joined a firm and practiced personal injury and criminal defense for several years. Now, I am an associate attorney at Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, known as RPWB, where I focus on civil litigation, representing individuals, companies and governments in complicated disputes -- helping those who have been wronged.

While I am new to this Chamber, I am not new to the General Assembly. I've had the pleasure to serve a term and a half in the House of Representatives just across the hall. In the House, I worked across the aisle to get things done and I will do the same in the Senate. I take this position seriously and I am here to speak and work on behalf of those that elected me back home. My passion is fueled from my experiences and I wish my dad were here today to witness this historic moment for our family. But I will continue to strive to make him proud!

There is so much we can do together such as increasing wages and making housing affordable for all so that some little boy who wants to go to college can do so without his mother having to work multiple jobs. We can work together to improve our public education so every child can have equal access to a quality education. We can work together to fix our criminal justice system so that our laws don't apply differently to people based on race, sex and zip code. We can work together to make sure that when our state employees retire, they can do so and live comfortably and not have to go back to work to make ends meet. We can work together to simply ensure that every child in South Carolina has the same opportunities that we've been afforded.

There is a scripture that has gotten me through difficult times in life and its Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future." So I stand here today, as the youngest member of the state Senate (sorry Senator McELVEEN), enthusiastic to carry out the plan God has for me. To work together with all of you and be a fierce advocate for our constituents so we can continue to make South Carolina prosperous and provide a bright future to ALL South Carolinians! The South Carolina Senate is now Better With Tedder! Thank you, God bless you all, and God bless this great State!!

On motion of Senator CAMPSEN, with unanimous consent, the remarks of Senator TEDDER were ordered printed in the Journal.

At 11:05 A.M., on motion of Senator MASSEY, the Senate adjourned to meet next Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 12:00 P.M.

This web page was last updated on Friday, February 2, 2024 at 11:37 A.M.