On the Issues
Rep. Josiah Magnuson is building a better future for our families by fighting for individual liberties and the Constitution, upholding our conservative values, and draining the Swamp.
Pro-Life
The foundational purpose of state government is to provide equal protection for each innocent life created in the image of God. That life begins at conception. With this conviction, I will never cast a vote that consents to legalized murder. After the Dobbs decision, I was honored to be appointed to the ad hoc committee that wrote a bill aimed to close all abortion facilities in the state. I also helped with the language of the Heartbeat Act that was enacted in 2023. Currently, I am fighting to end all taxpayer funding for abortion, or for providers of abortion such as Planned Parenthood. Ultimately, it is my goal to make any intentional killing of a child illegal in South Carolina.
Family
The family is under an enormous attack today. The socialist Left seeks to destroy the institution of the family because it stands in their way as a God-given protection against total government control. I believe we must be bold in our defense of traditional values, refusing to cower to those who seek to undermine science and reality. I stand unashamedly for natural marriage between one man and one woman. To protect women's sports for biological women, I strongly supported Rep. Ashley Trantham's bill that passed the House in 2022. Currently I am leading the charge to pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights that guarantees parents are able to direct the upbringing of their children.
Gun Rights
The Founders wanted the American people to be responsible for defending our homes and our liberties. My goal is to make it easier rather than harder for law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. I've been active to ensure South Carolina does not implement red flag laws which allow punishment before a crime is committed. As promised, I successfully advocated in the House for open carry, working with Rep. Bobby Cox to pass that bill into law in 2021. I also have been a key supporter of Constitutional Carry to empower you to keep your family and your neighbors safe without having to ask the government for permission, which was signed into law in March 2024.
Spending
We need to cut wasteful bureaucracy and reduce the state income tax until it is ultimately eliminated. I joined other Upstate conservatives to successfully advocate for a tax cut of 1%, but more is needed and possible. I am fighting to ensure core government functions like roads, education, and law enforcement are prioritized rather than wasting your money on pet projects for politicians. We also need to get serious about curbing South Carolina's dependence on the out-of-control national debt, which drives inflation and currently provides around 34% of our annual budget. The mandates and strings attached on funds we take from Washington, D.C. not only reduce our freedom but often result in a net cost.
Roads
We have made progress toward getting our roads fixed but much more work is needed. I voted against the 2017 gas tax increase because I was not confident that the money would go where it was promised. Since then, I have worked to change the priorities in SCDOT funding so that we can repair our local roads rather than just doing interstate reconstruction or poor-quality pothole fills year after year. Ultimately, structural changes to agency leadership are needed, and I will continue to fight for accountability and real reform. For example, I recently offered a bill to eliminate the Secretary of Transportation and devolve its powers to the Lieutenant Governor so that the people have a vote and a voice.
Education
I vigorously defend teachers, students, and parents in every education context. I will always seek to give parents more opportunity to make the educational decisions that are best for their children. I am an advocate for teacher pay raises, so we can drill education funding down to the classroom where it is intended, and am proud that the legislature has raised starting teacher salaries over $10,000/yr. in the past six years. I believe local control rather than state and Federal control is the best way to preserve our values. I am working for better transparency and choice in order to stop any attempts to sexualize children or indoctrinate them with CRT and disrespect for America. I am also fighting to defund DEI in our state universities, and expect to see this legislation passed soon.
Heritage
I honor our American heritage and I defend our state’s historical monuments because I believe those who forget the past cannot rightly chart the future. We need to remember those who died to defend our state and our country and learn the lessons with which they provided us. I have been on the front lines to ensure state universities comply with state law and teach our U.S. Constitution and Founding documents, resulting in the recent passage of the REACH Act. Our heritage also includes our natural resources such as beaches, rivers, and wildlife, which I help to conserve as 2nd Vice Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Judicial Reform
South Carolina is one of only two states where the legislature elects judges (the other is Virginia). But most of the time there's not even an actual vote. Decisions are typically made in back rooms, and candidates without enough "commitments" are pressured to drop out of the race beforehand so there's only one favored candidate left to "elect." I believe this system at best creates conflicts of interests. For example, legislators often put their spouse or law partner on the bench. Arguably this is a major root of South Carolina's ethics turmoil in recent years. I am successfully working with other conservatives in the House and Senate to bring more transparency to the process of choosing judges. In the long term, I support appointment of judges by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Healthcare
I believe greater liberty provides greater quality and availability of care. My goal is to empower local community solutions rather than feeding bloated government programs. I worked for years to build support for repeal of Certificates of Need and we were successful in 2023. One of the biggest issues in healthcare today is the ongoing carnage from the Covid-19 vaccine mandate. We need to ensure that type of situation never happens again, for example by standing up against the upcoming WHO “pandemic treaty” and enshrining better protections for medical freedom into law. Another major threat we face in healthcare is the fentanyl epidemic and I am working alongside my colleagues in the House to build solutions that help remedy this devastating situation. My perspective is that we should treat addicts like patients rather than like criminals, and provide the needed local resources, while ensuring strong penalties for drug traffickers.
Accountability
We need to drain the swamp. From what I've observed, major decisions in Columbia are usually made by evaluating where special interests, big donors, and lobbyists stand, rather than listening to the will of the people and evaluating what is actually right. Part of the problem is that we have a "legislative state" without clear lines of responsibility where a handful of well-connected politicians are drunk with power. My commitment to you is to always shine a light and tell you the truth about what’s going on. One key change for more light in Columbia would be to require all committee meetings to be live-streamed. Another important goal is to institute term limits on committee chairmen. And another is to make the online voting record of each legislator more clear and more accessible to the public. Most importantly, I personally pledge to keep in touch, so that you - the people of District 38 - are always able to hold me accountable to stand for your values.
Law Enforcement
We need to stand with our men and women in blue and remain committed to helping them keep South Carolina safe. I have helped pass several key measures for law enforcement such as reform of litter control on our roads. I was the initial sponsor of the 2018 budget section to fund school resource officers across the state, which is now set at $10 million per year. Instead of sending your money to crazy pork projects, we need to make sure law enforcement is fully funded. I have offered budget amendments to provide needed radio equipment and give bonuses to sheriff’s deputies for example. Another thing we can do for law enforcement is to lift the retirement cap so experienced officers can return to work without being financially penalized. And another key piece is closing the “revolving door” of criminal bond - a bill passed by the House but has not yet passed the Senate.
Business
I seek to protect our local businesses, allowing them to grow and prosper as they choose, without the controlling hand of big government. I know state intervention and over-regulation is one of the biggest hurdles the business community faces. I consistently vote against proposals that create new licensing or state regulation. I do not support crony deals that give one industry or company an advantage over another. Instead, I support lowering the overall tax rates, closing special loopholes, reducing tort liability for companies who are not at fault, and building good roads and infrastructure. When we provide equal opportunity for all on a level playing field, I believe business owners are smart enough to meet the needs they see in the market, which will result in more prosperity for everyone! Protecting agribusiness is one crucial part of this goal, and I support our local farms with my voice on the House Agriculture Committee, so we can all keep eating!
