July 2026: Advocacy Updates
Local-Level Opportunities & Noteworthy Updates
VIEW 2026 LOCAL BUSINESS SURVEY RESULTS
- Congratulations to the City of North Charleston for being a 2026 National Civic League All America City winner, and to the Town of Mount Pleasant for being inducted into their Hall of Fame for past recipients.
- The City of Charleston staff are busy making plans and they want your input.
- The public input phase for a refreshed Peninsula Plan is underway – details can be found here.
- Save the date for a special Local Business-oriented information session around this in Local Works Coworking Space on Friday, September 4, 8-9 a.m. Registration for this will be available by August.
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The planning teams behind the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project have launched two surveys: One for residents, and one for business owners along the LCRT corridor (Core area along Rivers Ave in North Charleston). You can find the surveys here: LCRT TOD Small Business Survey & LCRT TOD Housing Survey. The surveys are also online.
State-Level Issues Worth Following
- We were honored to participate in the bill signing ceremony for S715 last month in the Governor's office, solidifying the improved regulations around commercial charitable giving (pictured above).
- The hemp regulation bill (H.3924) failed to pass after being sent to a special committee for additional debate and back to the House floor for a vote on June 25. See LLF member, Jadoon's Park Circle Market, react to the news with The State.
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Primary/runoff results can be viewed at scvotes.org. We celebrate the higher turnout rates than those seen in the 2024 primary and runoff elections.
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The House and Senate returned to Columbia on June 25th to go through various conference committee reports. As of then, no conference committee meeting has been set for the state budget, which must be passed by June 30.
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The state's General Election will be held November 3 and nearly every race is contested. All statewide and Congressional seats have opposition from both major parties.
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The deadline to apply for the South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Hurricane Helene is July 11. Impacted farmers located in Berkeley and Dorchester Counties may apply. Review the application guide, optional demo video, and apply online at: agriculture.sc.gov/helene
This $38 million grant is targeted at production losses not covered by any other USDA programs or crop insurance, and can include: Market Loss, Infrastructure Loss, Future Economic Loss, Timber Loss
Federal-Level Issues Impacting Your Success
- Calling all independent businesses impacted by Amazon's monopoly power! Amazon goes to trial for antitrust misconduct soon and we need your voice to tell the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the 17 states on the lawsuit how important this is and we do not want to see a settlement. Stacy Mitchell and Danny Caine of the Institute of Local Self Reliance recently broke down the harms, the case, and the opportunity.
- Sign the small business letter: https://lnkd.in/eY6eJ7G2
- Watch a video explanation of the issue: https://lnkd.in/eN6eimJV
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Bipartisan legislation introduced to level the playing field for small online retailers: In June, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), to stop major online platforms from using anti-competitive practices that sideline small businesses, reduce consumer choice and increase costs. The bill aims to empower state AGs and federal antitrust enforcers to challenge the exclusionary conduct by large platforms that block small businesses from competing fairly online. Learn more.
Our annual Local Business survey conducted last month (June) revealed that one in three of the more than 100 survey respondents have experienced unfair practices like self-preferencing, where a dominant platform favors its own goods or services over those of independent sellers.
Questions? Want to chat? Reach out: Jordan@lowcountrylocalfirst.org