District 66 is located in York County and includes much of the Fort Mill and Tega Cay area.
Heather Hart (D)
What is the top issue in your district and how do you plan to address it?
The current cost of living crisis is hurting us. Expenses are rising but wages are
stagnant. The broken funding formulas mandated by Columbia are accelerating the pain
felt across our community. To address this, we need to examine how Columbia allocates
funding, supports wage growth, and prioritizes our infrastructure to keep commerce
flowing.
What policies will you advocate for to bring down costs?
To provide household relief, South Carolina should start with a cap on annual rate hikes
for investor-owned utility companies. The Rate Stabilization Bill passed last year without
a cap and now utility companies are asking for significant annual jumps. These jumps
affect voters’ bank accounts every single month.
We must further focus our legislative session on a wide range of economic relief options
including: temporary suspension of the gas tax, reigning in high insurance costs,
nutrition assistance for vulnerable families, and childcare tax credits.
What should South Carolina do about data centers?
Data centers have often come into communities through secretive negotiations and with
ambiguous benefit. South Carolina recently announced $9.12 billion of capital
investment; $4.9 billion of that was from two data centers that will result in only 57 new
full time jobs. I support a temporary moratorium on data centers in order to create state wide
recommendations and regulations that protect our environment, power grid, and job
opportunities. Residents must be guarded from any increase in energy costs associated
with these centers. We need to ensure transparency throughout the process so our
Residents can understand all implications and decide what makes sense for their
community.
Should South Carolina expand Medicaid?
65% of South Carolina voters support expanding Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid would
be good for our collective health as well as our pocketbooks. Currently South Carolina
leaves money on the table by not accepting federal expansion funds. Our residents
already pay federal taxes into this program, but they do not receive the benefit.
There are federal incentives available to cover the cost of expansion for the first 2 years
and within a year the new tax revenue generated by the expansion would offset the
majority of expenses. The remaining amount would be covered through budget
reallocation of programs that become obsolete through the expansion.
The expected annual economic output of our state would increase by about $4 billion
and create 20,000+ jobs. Additionally, by allowing more people to seek preventative
care before they are in an ER critically sick, the cost and efficiency of healthcare across
the state would improve. South Carolinians would welcome lower healthcare costs!
What separates you from your opponent?
I am a Democrat but come from a Republican background. The Republican party has
shifted away from beliefs I hold dear. Beliefs that reflect my faith and insist I care for my
community. The Democratic party aligns best with my desire to care for people, but that
does not mean policy will be dictated by the party. The residents of District 66 will
always be my primary focus, not a caucus or a party label.
I decided to run for office when I realized our representation did not reflect the values of
Fort Mill and Tega Cay. Instead, I saw hyped-up culture wars, attacks on school funding,
and local needs ignored. I am a writer and researcher by profession and I will bring those skills in analysis and
communication to the forefront for District 66. I will continue to meet with every segment
of our community and coordinate with local leaders to reflect our values and move our
priorities forward. I will work across party lines to advocate for our community.
If you like the sound of that future, I’d be honored if you vote for me, Heather Hart, on
November 3rd.