The 2019-2020 Conservation Scorecard is Here!
It is our pleasure to introduce you to our 2019-2020 Conservation Scorecard.
The 2019-2020 Legislative Session was dominated by ambitious conservation goals that turned into impactful policy changes, despite setbacks in 2020 with the abrupt early end to the Year.
Highlights from 2019 and 2020 include:
- Passing historic, clean energy legislation with the unanimous passage of the Energy Freedom Act.
- Instituting a temporary ban on offshore drilling infrastructure.
- Blocking attempts to attack home rule and exempt a new plastics industry from environmental permitting.
- Introduction of 27 pro-conservation bills and only 6 anti-conservation bills (that were included in our scorecard).
Overall, the 2019-2020 legislative session was about hope and action.
We saw the bipartisan conservation majority in the General Assembly continue to grow.
We saw the unanimous passage of conservation legislation and we continued to see champions who will go to the mat to protect South Carolinians from pollution and harm.
We are truly in this together.
Check out our 2019-2020 Conservation Scorecard here >> https://www.cvsc.org/
As we write this, we know that we may have more legislation to score and report to you this fall if the legislature is able to return in September. It is a unique Year to say the least, and we will keep advocating for the South Carolina we all love as long as there is more work to be done.
Low Scores Due to Missed Votes
As you read carefully through our 2019-2020 Conservation Scorecard, you will see some low scores on both sides of the aisle. Many of the low-scoring legislators did not have an excused absence for the vote — they simply chose to not vote. We count that against them because, as a legislator, we expect them to vote if they are able.
Sponsorship “Bumps” Up and Down
You will also see many scores that go over 100%. This is because we give “bumps” up or down to lawmakers based on the bills that lawmakers introduce or cosponsor – this allows us to better illustrate the entirety of their actions.
As you’ll see when you review the scorecard, some legislators clearly went above and beyond in their efforts to advance pro-conservation legislation. Accordingly, they deserve the high scores. We only wish more of these lawmakers had been able to see their legislation make it to a vote before the pandemic sent us all home.
Looking Ahead to 2021 and 2022
We are already working hard to introduce even bigger and better conservation legislation in 2021-2022. With this scorecard, it is clear and promising that we are all just getting warmed up for more things to come.
Thank you for your advocacy. We love having you by our side at the Statehouse.
Check out our Conservation Scorecard here >> https://www.cvsc.org/scorecard/legislative-scorecard/