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Lieutenant Governor André Bauer serves as South Carolina’s second highest Constitutional Officer. Under the State Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor serves as the President of the Senate and assumes the position of Governor if, for any reason, the Governor is unable to perform the duties of that office. As President of the Senate, the Lieutenant Governor is Presiding Officer and is often called upon to make significant rulings, which affect the outcome of Senate votes and debates.
While serving as Presiding Officer of the State Senate, Lieutenant Governor Bauer has stayed true to his conservative values. He has ruled out-of-order almost $2 billion in proposed tax increases. That action by Lieutenant Governor Bauer has meant more money in the pockets of South Carolinians.
Under Bauer’s leadership, the duties of the Lieutenant Governor were expanded in 2004 when he became the elected official who oversees the Office on Aging. Today, Lieutenant Governor Bauer is the leading advocate on behalf of South Carolina’s senior citizens. The Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging directly assists the needs of seniors and works to enhance the quality of life for over 775,000 South Carolina senior citizens.
The Lieutenant Governor created a nonprofit organization, the Palmetto Tomorrow Foundation. The foundation supports statewide senior programs and other important initiatives across the state. The foundation has distributed blankets in the winter months and electric fans in the summer months for disadvantaged seniors.
Recently, the South Carolina legislature called upon Lieutenant Governor Bauer to lead a coordinated campaign to fight scammers and con artists who are ripping off the state’s elderly constituents. The Lieutenant Governor assembled a task force of public agencies and law enforcement, coordinating state efforts to identify scammers and put them in jail. The Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging has joined forces with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Revenue and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The task force has grown to over 60 partners; an impressive number which will continue to grow over time.
Since launching the task force, Lieutenant Governor Bauer has heard from hundreds of seniors and their caregivers. As people learn more about the issue, they are realizing they are not alone and that it is okay to step forward to tell their stories in order to help others.
Lieutenant Governor Bauer is a graduate of Irmo High School in Irmo, South Carolina and the University of South Carolina, where in 2001, he was recognized as Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. He served the state in the House of Representatives and the State Senate until his inauguration as Lieutenant Governor on January 15, 2003. Lieutenant Governor Bauer resides in Charleston, South Carolina.
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