he South Carolina House of Representatives passed a plan to bring an expected 2,000 jobs from Amazon to the Palmetto State. The plan will now head to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk, though she has said that she would not sign the bill, but also would not veto it. The bill would have to sit for five days unsigned before it became law.
The company is required to invest $125 million in the Palmetto State and create full-time jobs with health benefits.
According to lawmakers, the deal gives Amazon the five-year exemption it wanted that would not require it to collect sales tax from online shoppers in South Carolina.
"Seriously, it was a grass-roots effort. It's not about Randy Halfacre. I was just a cheerleader," Halfacre said, "How could we in South Carolina turn down over 2,000 jobs? How could we turn down a payroll of close to $75 million annually that will basically be spent on Main Street to save Main Street." Though Lexington County has the lowest unemployment rate in the Palmetto State, Halfacre said the new venture would employ 4,500 people of the Midlands.
Feds Shut Down East Coast Bus Service After Fatal Crash
Federal regulators have shut down East Coast bus service SkyExpress after a crash in Virginia that killed four people and sent more than 50 others to hospitals.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it is prohibiting North Carolina-based SkyExpress from operating interstate transportation. The service employs routes to South Carolina.
Transportation officials said in a statement Tuesday the bus company violated multiple federal safety regulations.
Black History
