mandy powers norrell

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Mandy Powers Norrell is the State House’s Git ‘Er Done Gal

Representative Mandy Powers Norrell is an example of a politician that has their constituents’ interests front of mind in all that they do. Hailing from Lancaster, South Carolina, Norrell has proven to be the small town voice of reason within the State House.

Since first being elected in 2012, Rep. Norrell has demonstrated a commitment to helping some of the state’s most vulnerable populations through her efforts fighting domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking — a commitment that has solidified her reputation as someone who stands up for South Carolina.

We’ve written before about representatives who have built impressive bipartisan relationships while in Columbia, but none compare to the record of Rep. Norrell. As the Git ‘Er Done Gal of the State House, she has co-sponsored countless bipartisan bills, including H.4061 which requires education on sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention to be taught in South Carolina schools. Her record of successfully advocating for the safety and rights of the state’s girls and women even led her to be awarded Emerge SC’s Woman of the Year Award in 2019.

And in a year unlike any other, Rep. Norrell has remained as a consistent force for positive change. Just last month, Norrell led the fight to make voting safer for South Carolinians as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. The Lancaster representative introduced H.5305 which expands absentee voting for all voters under the State of Emergency excuse that was enacted over the summer for the state’s primaries. The bill additionally clarified the timeline of absentee voting and helped to demystify a process that often leaves voters in the dark.

Mandy Powers Norrell has fought hard for her district since her very first election in 2012, making it no surprise that she’s recognized by both sides of the aisle as one of our state’s best legislators. While she’s been in office for eight years now, she’s no career politician. She’s down-to-earth, humble, and a champion of the working people of Lancaster. With an outstanding record, Norrell deserves another term as District 44’s representative. Not only is she proven to be effective in the House at passing legislation that matters, the Lancaster native looks out for everyone in the Palmetto State without leaving her hometown roots behind.

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House Democrats Fight Citizen’s Arrest Statute

On Tuesday, the South Carolina House of Representatives reconvened after weeks of being out of session due to COVID-19, and House Democrats took the opportunity to address the controversial statute of citizen’s arrest.

The statute has been called into question in recent weeks due to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old who was murdered by two men in Glynn County, Georgia back in February. Arbery had been jogging through a neighborhood when the two men, identified as Travis and Gregory McMichael, followed and shot him in what appears to be a crime motivated by racism. 

A video surfaced online this past week that appears to show the confrontation between Arbery and the McMichaels that resulted in the death of the young Black jogger. Charges had not been brought against the McMichaels for the murder of Arbery until the video’s release prompted an uproar across the nation. The reason for the lack of charges? An often-forgotten legal statute called citizen’s arrest that allows everyday citizens to detain suspects in the absence of law enforcement.

Now, South Carolina legislators want to make sure what happened to Arbery does not happen here. Representative Mandy Powers Norrell of Lancaster filed legislation on Tuesday that would eliminate the “vague and open-ended wording” in South Carolina law that allows for the use of deadly force in the making of a citizen’s arrest. Co-sponsors of this bill include Representatives Beth Bernstein, Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Kambrell Garvin, Marvin Pendarvis, Annie McDaniel, and Shedron Williams.

Representative Justin Bamberg shared a copy of his legislation that would abolish citizen’s arrests in South Carolina.

Representative Justin Bamberg recommends that the state do away with citizen’s arrests entirely. He filed his own bill that would repeal the statute that allows for citizens to take the law into their own hands. This bill is similarly co-sponsored by high-ranking House Democrats like Representatives Powers Norrell, Pendarvis, Bernstein, and Wendell Gilliard.

“If a citizen wants to police their community and take the law into their own hands, I encourage them to sign up, attend the academy, and take the oath of office,” said Bamberg. “Otherwise, leave the policing to law enforcement.”