SLED, S.C. Education Department among agencies under review
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Eight state agencies are under “routine” review and, for the next month, of a South Carolina House of Representatives committee want to hear the public’s .
The istrative Law Court, Conservation Bank, the Departments of Education, Employment and Workforce, Insurance and Vocational Rehabilitation, the South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division are all undergoing studies from the South Carolina House of Representatives’ Government Efficiency and Legislative Oversight Committee.
In a release, statehouse officials said “These studies assess whether an agency’s laws and programs are being implemented as intended by the General Assembly and whether they should be continued, modified, or eliminated.”
As a part of this, lawmakers have released a questionnaire to gather data about the public’s opinions on these agencies.
Those who submit the questionnaire will choose which agencies they wish to submit on and will then be asked how familiar they are with each agency, if they have had any direct and personal interaction with that agency in the last five years, what their overall opinion of the agency is, what has influenced their opinion of the agency the most and then they will have the opportunity to publicly comment with any concerns or suggestions about the agencies they have chosen to review.
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The most recent ability reports for each agency under review show that, largely, these eight agencies are in compliance with their assigned regulations and acting within their legal purview.
The sole exception to this fact is the Department of Education, which was found to be acting outside its authority and is “about to embark upon a systems, personnel, and process review which will inform any *potential* future reorganization plans,” according to their ability report for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
The mission statement of each agency is as follows:
- istrative Law Court
- “The Court’s mission is to provide a neutral forum for fair, prompt, and objective hearings for person(s) affected by an action or proposed action of State agencies or departments within the Court’s jurisdiction. Prior to the creation of the Court, citizens who had a dispute with a state agency and wanted to challenge any action related to the dispute had to appear before hearing officers employed or contracted by that particular agency. However, the istrative Law Court now provides separate adjudicatory proceedings from agencies which conduct the investigative and policy-making functions. The ALC also offers a forum to enforce the decisions of istrative agencies. In fulfilling its function, the Court places a very high value on its ability to be fair and neutral to all litigants that appear before it and continues efforts to improve those results.”
- Conservation Bank
- “Improve the quality of life in South Carolina through the conservation of significant natural resource lands, wetlands, historical properties, archeological sites, and urban parks.”
- Department of Education
- “The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education is to provide leadership and so that all public education students graduate prepared for success.”
- Department of Employment and Workforce
- “To promote and an effective, customer-driven workforce system that facilitates financial stability and economic prosperity for employers, individuals and communities.”
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- Department of Insurance
- “The mission of the State of South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI) is to protect the insurance consumers, the public interest, and the insurance marketplace by ensuring the solvency of insurers; by enforcing and implementing the insurance laws of this State; and by regulating the insurance industry in an efficient, courteous, responsive, fair, and equitable manner.”
- Vocational Rehabilitation Department
- “Prepare and assist eligible South Carolinians with disabilities to achieve and maintain competitive employment.”
- Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission
- “The mission of the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission is to provide access and opportunity for more South Carolinians to pursue a postsecondary education by providing need-based tuition grants to students who choose an independent higher education.”
- South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division
- “The primary mission of SLED is to provide quality manpower and technical assistance to all law enforcement agencies in South Carolina to ensure that every citizen in the State of South Carolina is afforded an equal level of law enforcement service. SLED is also tasked with protecting and preserving the safety, integrity, and security of South Carolina’s citizens and all statewide public resources, infrastructure, and data. SLED also conducts timely, thorough, and professional criminal investigations on behalf of the State of South Carolina along with many other statutory roles and responsibilities.”
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Those interested in taking the survey can do so by clicking here.
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