| Robert W. Harrell, Jr. | |
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| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 114th district |
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| In office 1992 - |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | March 7, 1956 Orangeburg, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine |
| Profession | insurance agency owner |
Robert W. Harrell, Jr. is a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 114th District since first elected in 1992. Harrell has served as the Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives since House members elected him to the post in 2005.[1]
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Harrell was the chairman of his Freshman Caucus in 1992. Two years after Harrell was elected, he was appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee in 1994. Later, he was elected to serve as Majority Leader from 1997-1999 when he became the Ways and Means Committee Chairman in 1999. He has also served as Chairman of the Economic Development and the Public Education Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee.[1]
Harrell earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He and his wife own a State Farm Insurance agency and Palmetto State Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical repackaging company. In South Carolina, State Legislators serve as part-time employees making only $10,400/year.[2]
Among Harrell's biggest focuses has been in the area of economic development. In 2010 Harrell sponsored the S.C. Economic Development Competitiveness Act.[3] Since the bill’s passage, South Carolina has jumped to the top of more than a dozen business competitiveness rankings - including being ranked number one in the nation for “Economic Growth Potential” by Business Facilities magazine.[4]
Harrell was among South Carolina political leaders credited with playing a key role in getting Boeing Co. to build a 787 Dreamliner assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. The $750 million assembly line and 3,800 direct jobs by Boeing stands as the state’s largest announced economic development project ever.[5]
A study of the economic impact Boeing’s new plant will have on South Carolina reported that it will add $6 billion to the state’s economy annually and will create a total of 15,278 permanent jobs.[6][7][8] In 2009, Business Facilities magazine awarded the S.C. Department of Commerce the Economic Development Deal of the Year Award for their work in recruiting Boeing to South Carolina.[9]
Originally, it was estimated that the incentives package offered to Boeing was approximately $450 million.[10] But a later analysis by the paper estimated that Boeing will receive more than $900 million in total incentives.[10]
In 2008, Harrell, legislative leaders and business executives formed the Knowledge Sector Council. In an effort to support South Carolina’s growing knowledge-based economy, the public/private Council was created to encourage research universities, economic development entities, private businesses and state agencies to work together in expanding jobs and economic opportunity.[11]
South Carolina has realized a 10-to-1 return on its state investment in the area of hydrogen technology and has partnered with over 40 different companies. Over five years, the state invested $12.2 million which spurred an additional $115 million in non-state investments.[12]
The Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina is home to the largest concentration of hydrogen scientists in the world.[13] In an independent statewide analysis of South Carolina’s hydrogen and fuel cell potential, ICF International determined that “this industry represented a significant knowledge-based market opportunity for the state.” [14]
This has led several South Carolina companies to make significant investments in this new technology. Proterra Is investing $68 million and says it will create more than 1,300 jobs at its Greenville, South Carolina, plant where it will specialize in developing hybrid battery and hydrogen fuel cell buses.[15][16] Bridgestone Firestone's Aiken, South Carolina plant recently converted its entire forklift fleet to more efficient, cost-effective hydrogen powered forklifts.[17]
Harrell was unopposed in being re-elected Speaker in 2006 and 2008. In September 2010, Rep. Ralph Norman challenged Harrell for Speaker. Harrell was overwhelmingly re-elected Speaker in 2010, easily defeating Norman who only drew five votes of support - including his own vote - among the 124 House members.[18]
The Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently released a study that ranked South Carolina as having the lowest state tax collections per capita in the nation.[19]
This ranking is due in large part to the more than $20 billion in tax cuts the S.C. Legislature has passed and the Legislature’s willingness to cut government spending instead of raising taxes to balance its state budget – resulting in a 2.4 percent average growth in government spending that Republican lawmakers have held since gaining the majority in 1994. This growth rate in state spending is well below proposed spending caps.[20][21]
In 2010, Harrell received the largest amount of political contributions - $47,425, or nearly 22 percent - from lawyers and lobbyists, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization.[22] The next-largest amount, $30,100, came from health professionals.[23]
For the 2008 election, Harrell received $361,053 in contributions. The largest contributing industries were real estate ($29,825), and lawyers and lobbyists ($28,000).[24]
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