Rosalyn Henderson Myers

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South Carolina Passes Lactation Support Act for Working Mothers

In a year that has been riddled with disappointments and losses, South Carolina women saw at least one big win this summer. In June, the General Assembly voted unanimously to promote public health and support its female workforce with the passage of the South Carolina Lactation Support Act.

The South Carolina Lactation Support Act – or H.3200 – requires employers to provide reasonable break time for employees to express breast milk in a private, safe environment. In a Senate hearing earlier this year, the bill’s sponsor Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers of Spartanburg stated that its passage would be a “win-win for families” and a “win-win for employers.”

The Lactation Support Act builds upon the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act of 2018 which sought to counter pregnancy discrimination in the workplace through requiring employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for working mothers.

The South Carolina Lactation Support Act is approved by the General Assembly as seen in a video shared by WREN on Facebook.

The bill was considered one of the top priorities for WREN, the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, in the 2019 – 2020 legislative session. South Carolina regularly ranks below the national average for breastfeeding rates despite breastfeeding remaining the healthier option for infants when compared to formula feeding.

The passage of the Lactation Support Act marks a victory for working mothers across the state who no longer must risk the health of their child to appease workplace regulations. WREN cites Rep. Henderson-Myers’s determination as the driving force behind the bill’s passage even as COVID-19 threatened to derail its progress through the General Assembly.

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SC HD-31 Special Election: Rosalyn Henderson Myers Wins In Landslide

Last night, the people of SC House District 31 elected Spartanburg City Councilwoman Rosalyn Henderson Myers to serve as their state representative. The Spartanburg South Side native won in a landslide against her Republican opponent, Mike Fowler, as she received 90.8 percent of the vote. 

At her victory party on West Main Street, Representative-elect Myers expressed gratitude to her supporters and excitement to get to work in Columbia. On the campaign trail, she advocated support for public schools, job creation and economic development, and a fix to the most dangerous state roads and bridges – all issues that are certain to be on the agenda when the House convenes in January.

Rosalyn Henderson Myers will fill the seat vacated by Harold Mitchell, who resigned in May due to health issues.

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SC HD-31 Special Election: Rosalyn Henderson Myers Leads GOP Opponent

Democrat Rosalyn Henderson Myers is the clear favorite in the race to replace retiring state Representative Harold Mitchell (D-Spartanburg).

Myers, an attorney who currently serves on Spartanburg’s city council, won the Democratic nomination in a runoff over attorney Mo Abusaft earlier this month. She now faces perennial Republican candidate Michael Fowler in the September 26 general election.

Myers has a significant cash advantage over Fowler, as well the full support of Rep. Mitchell and her Democratic primary opponents. Her platform – which is focused primarily on improving public education and pushing for more affordable housing – and her roots in Democratic-leaning House District 31 makes her likely to notch a resounding win on Tuesday.

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Spartanburg Democrats Head to Runoff for District 31

P.I. covered the full slate of democratic candidates in the District 31 race to replace Representative Harold Mitchell in our post seen here. The special election primary held on Tuesday, July 26th did not conclude with one candidate to represent the party, but instead triggered a runoff. There were 4 Democrats competing for the seat, Mo Abusaft and Angela Geter — the political newcomers, and Rosalyn Henderson Myers and Jerome Rice Jr. — city council members.

With a total of 1,549 votes cast,  Henderson Myers and Abusaft will continue on to a runoff. Henderson Myers earned 607 votes (39.2%) and Abusaft trailed with 506 votes (32.7%)

Geter and Rice garnered 377 votes (24.4%) and 59 votes (3.8%), respectively.

With barely 100 votes separating Henderson Myers and Abusaft, the two Spartanburg lawyers, it seems the runoff scheduled for August 8th will be a “battle of the best turnout ”–who can get the most voters to return to the polls? Both Henderson Myers and Abusaft present a similar agenda emphasizing improving affordable housing and education, but it may prove to be an uphill battle for Abusaft to secure enough votes to change the tides of the election.

Republicans elected Michael Fowler who won handily in his race against Richard Gosnell (for the second time) securing 74.5% of the vote. However, we’re not sure how much of a statement that makes when you consider only 47 Republicans even bothered to vote in the election.

Fowler’s political career includes one unsuccessful mayoral run and a loss to Representative Mitchell in 2016 in which he earned less than 25% of the vote and raised only $500 dollars for the effort.

The special election for South Carolina’s House District 31 will take place on September 26th.

P.I. will keep you updated on this race and the other special elections scheduled to take place across the state.

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