South Carolina’s spending is outpacing population growth and inflation. Here’s why holding the line matters for your family.

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South Carolina is growing—but government spending is growing even faster, with little appetite in Columbia to rein it in.

More money coming into the state does not mean the government needs to spend it all. We should fund our priorities, eliminate waste, and return excess revenue to the taxpayers who earned it.

If we don't get spending under control now, our children and grandchildren will be the ones left paying the bill.

Part of the problem is the budget process itself. Once any government program is funded, it tends to stay funded—with too few lawmakers asking: Do we still need it? Is it working? Is it worth the cost?

Year after year, the answer seems to be the same: spend more. The budget grows, the government grows, and very little ever comes off the books.

That matters because this is your money. Every dollar spent in Columbia first came from someone who worked for it, earned it, or built a business that produced it.

So why did I vote no?

There were provisions I supported, including higher starting salaries for teachers and raises for law enforcement.

But legislators don't get to vote for only the parts they like. At the end of the process, the entire package comes up for a yes-or-no vote.

The good provisions did not outweigh my concerns about the overall spending.

This was the largest budget in South Carolina history, and it included hundreds of millions in earmarks and discretionary spending, with hundreds of millions more available for additional appropriations later.

Meanwhile, thousands of families already approved for school-choice scholarships are waiting for funding, and local public schools received less state funding than anticipated.

That isn't simply a spending problem. It's a priorities problem.

Our priorities should be clear: education, public safety, and infrastructure.

We should fully fund the essential responsibilities of government, eliminate unnecessary spending, and when the state collects more than it reasonably needs, return it to the taxpayers who earned it.

With another legislative session on the horizon, taxpayers should be asking a simple question: Where is our money going—and is Columbia treating it with the care it deserves?

As Charlotte struggles with rising crime, conservative leaders in Fort Mill and Tega Cay are taking a different approach.

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For families in Fort Mill and Tega Cay, public safety can be easy to take for granted—until it begins to erode. Fortunately, York County is moving in the right direction.

According to the York County Sheriff’s Office, total offenses declined 9% from 2024 to 2025, while calls for service fell 6%. In the Fort Mill area, vehicle break-ins dropped 16% through proactive policing and public education.

Those numbers mean fewer victims and safer neighborhoods for the families who call our community home.

But keeping a community safe requires more than good policing. It takes strong law enforcement, prosecutors who hold criminals accountable, and judges who faithfully uphold the law.

Under Sheriff Tony Breeden, the York County Sheriff's Office continues to tackle serious crime beyond our neighborhoods. Through Operation Huntsman, York County deputies partnered with state and federal agencies in an online child-exploitation investigation that resulted in the arrests of 11 suspected predators.

Supporting law enforcement has been a priority for me in Columbia. I backed legislation to provide tax relief for law-enforcement officers and other first responders and supported efforts to make it easier to recruit qualified officers.

But an effective criminal-justice system doesn't end when an arrest is made.

South Carolina legislators have an important responsibility that many people don't realize: we elect our state's judges. I take that responsibility very seriously.

The decisions made in our courtrooms affect victims, law enforcement, families and the overall safety of our communities.

That's why judicial reform has also been a priority. I supported reforms to improve South Carolina's judicial selection process and sponsored additional legislation to increase accountability and independence in how judicial candidates are screened.

Just across the state line, the City of Charlotte provides a cautionary example of what can happen when repeat offenders continue cycling through the criminal-justice system. We cannot allow failed soft-on-crime policies to take hold here.

Keeping York County safe requires every part of the system to work—from the deputy making the arrest, to the solicitor prosecuting the case, to the judge entrusted with upholding the law. Public safety depends on accountability at every step.

I’m a wife, mom, neighbor and small business owner who never imagined I’d end up in elected office. Sometimes God has other plans.

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My husband, Mike, and I are raising our two boys here in Fort Mill, a community our family is grateful to call home. Both of our sons attended Fort Mill public schools, so the issues that matter to local families are personal to us, too.

My path into public service wasn’t something I planned. During COVID, I became increasingly concerned about what was happening in our schools and communities. I got involved, asked questions and learned that parents can make a difference when they show up and make their voices heard.

That involvement eventually led to my appointment to the South Carolina State Board of Education, representing York and Union counties. I also spent time as a substitute teacher in Fort Mill schools.

In 2024, my neighbors gave me the incredible privilege of representing House District 66 in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Today, I serve on the House Education and Public Works Committee, guided by my faith and a belief in individual liberty, strong families, personal responsibility, limited government and accountability.

I’m still the mom and neighbor you’ll see around Fort Mill and Tega Cay. That’s why serving District 66 is personal to me, and why I’ll keep working to make our community a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.

“Serving District 66 isn’t just about representing a place on a map. This is the community my family and I call home.”

- Jackie Terribile

York County Sheriff Tony Breeden: “Jackie Terribile stands strong for law and order and supports those who protect our communities. I’m proud to support her re-election.”

Solicitor for South Carolina's 16th Judicial Circuit, Kevin Brackett: "Jackie Terribile is a dependable ally in the fight to keep you safe and I’m proud to endorse her!"

A look at our work to strengthen academics, support teachers, protect students and keep parents at the center of their children's education.

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Education has been one of my priorities long before I was elected to the State House. I served on the South Carolina State Board of Education, worked as a substitute teacher in Fort Mill schools, and spent years advocating for parental rights in education.

Today, I bring those experiences with me to the House Education and Public Works Committee and its Higher Education Subcommittee. They have given me the opportunity to see education from several perspectives—as a parent, in the classroom, at the state policy level, and as a legislator.

Eliminating Grade Floors & Restoring Academic Accountability

One issue I learned about directly from teachers was the use of “grade floors”—policies that can require teachers to give students a minimum grade even when their actual work does not earn it.

Several teachers reached out to me frustrated that these policies undermined their professional judgment and made grades less meaningful. I worked with Rep. Fawn Pedalino and the Palmetto State Teachers Association to help move legislation addressing those concerns forward.

I was proud to co-sponsor and support this legislation, which passed the General Assembly and was signed into law this year.

Students deserve grades that honestly reflect their academic progress, parents deserve an accurate picture of performance, and teachers should not be forced to inflate grades.

Maintaining high expectations is an important part of preparing students for what comes after graduation.

Making Our Classrooms Safer

Academic success also depends on something even more fundamental: students and teachers need to feel safe in their classrooms.

This year, I supported the Educator Safety and Classroom Authority Act. This bill sought to strengthen teachers' authority to address violent, threatening and persistently disruptive behavior and establish clearer procedures for removing dangerous or disruptive students from the classroom.

The legislation advanced out of the House Education and Public Works Committee and was debated in the House, but it did not make it across the finish line before the session ended.

I believe we need to address this again next session. Teachers should be able to focus on teaching, and students should be able to focus on learning. Providing a safe learning environment is one of the most basic commitments we can make to South Carolina's students and teachers.

Students Physical Privacy Act

I was proud to co-sponsor and support the South Carolina Student Physical Privacy Act, which requires public schools and public institutions of higher learning to designate multi-user restrooms, locker rooms, and changing facilities based on biological sex. It’s common sense: boys’ bathrooms and locker rooms are for boys, and girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms are for girls. The legislation passed the General Assembly this year.

Parental Rights Act

I co-sponsored the Parental Rights Act to strengthen parents' ability to direct their children's upbringing and education and protect access to important medical information concerning their children. The legislation did not pass this session, so there is more work to do.

Keeping Foreign Influence Out of Higher Education

This year, I supported legislation aimed at restricting public colleges and universities from accepting certain gifts or entering certain relationships with foreign adversary nations and entities. The legislation also addressed foreign influence involving areas such as hiring, curriculum and campus organizations.

South Carolina's public institutions should be accountable to the people of South Carolina—not foreign adversaries seeking influence on our campuses. The bill passed the House but did not receive final passage in the Senate.

Keeping the Focus on Students

The principles guiding my decisions about education policy are pretty simple: strong academics, safe classrooms, respected teachers, informed parents, and students prepared for the future.

My experience as a mom, substitute teacher, former State Board of Education member and House Education Committee member continues to shape how I approach these issues.

The Silfab facility near Flint Hill schools remains one of the most significant issues facing our district.

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I co-sponsored legislation (H.4293) that aimed to strengthen zoning transparency and accountability. I also worked directly with community advocates, local officials, the Attorney General's Office, and the Department of Environmental Services (DES) and facilitated meetings to push for accountability and clarify York County’s responsibilities.

The families who have spent years raising concerns about this facility deserve answers, a process that follows the law, and confidence that the safety of our community remains a priority. I’ll keep working alongside them until this issue is resolved.

Jackie is Proudly Endorsed By...
US Representative Ralph Norman

South Carolina Senator Michael Johnson

Solicitor, SC 16th Judicial Circuit, Kevin Brackett

York County Councilman Tom Audette

York County Councilwoman Debi Cloninger

Fort Mill School Board Trustee Joe Helms

Rock Hill School Board Trustee Pete Nosal

Rock Hill School Board Trustee James Burns

Former SC District 66 Representative David O'Neal

South Carolina Senator Wes Climer

York County Sheriff Tony Breeden

Former Tega Cay Mayor Chris Gray

Tega Cay Councilman Tom Hyslip

Tega Cay Councilman Jim Foltz

Former Tega Cay Councilman Scott Shirley

... And neighbors like you!

I could not support a plan that would increase income taxes on so many citizens of South Carolina.

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One of the most debated bills of the session was H.4216, a major restructuring of South Carolina's income tax system. The state's own fiscal analysis showed that nearly one in four South Carolina taxpayers would actually pay more. Because District 66 has a greater concentration of households in the income ranges that would have been impacted, an even larger share of taxpayers here in Fort Mill and Tega Cay were expected to see an increase.

That's why I voted no. I support lowering South Carolina's income tax and ultimately eliminating it. But I won't vote to raise taxes on one group of South Carolinians in order to lower them for another.

A tax increase doesn't become a tax cut just because someone else is paying less. If your taxes go up, it's not a tax cut for you.

My position remains simple: I will support real tax relief, but I won't vote to raise anyone's income taxes to get there.

Making memories out on the water more affordable.

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For families in Fort Mill and Tega Cay, Lake Wylie is part of what makes our community special. But South Carolina has long placed a significant property-tax burden on boat owners.

That’s why I was proud to co-sponsor legislation that begins reducing property taxes on qualifying watercraft in 2027. It also ends the practice of separately taxing a boat and its outboard motor by assessing them as a single unit, while eliminating unnecessary titling requirements.

Families who enjoy Lake Wylie shouldn’t face excessive taxes and red tape simply for owning a boat. This is practical, meaningful tax relief for our community.