COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — At first glance, the all-male South Carolina Senate subcommittee deciding whether to approve a proposal to remove the sales tax from feminine hygiene products was a reminder that as recently as 2012 the state had no women in its Senate.
But progress is being made. The election of a sixth woman to the 46-member Senate in January pulled South Carolina up from last place in the U.S. in the percentage of women in its upper chamber.
No one noted the composition of the all-male Senate Finance subcommittee and they listened to five women speak in favor of the bill before ceding the floor to Republican Sen. Katrina Shealy, who broke the chamber’s four-year run with no women in 2013.
“I know we have a lot to do, but we can always do one more thing,” said Shealy, who spoke about how important it is to keep products like pads and tampons affordable and available, especially for younger women already struggling in poverty.
Oil consumption back to 2019 levels
Tiny, endangered fish hinders California's Colorado River conservation plan
Got kids? Here's what to know about filing your 2023 taxes
Got kids? Here's what to know about filing your 2023 taxes
Esteury Ruiz homers and the A’s beat the Cardinals 6
Blind people can hear and feel April's total solar eclipse with new technology
The Masters is at the center of the golf fashion universe
First US moon lander in half a century stops working a week after tipping over at touchdown
Oil consumption back to 2019 levels
Odysseus: Moon lander tipped over at touchdown, limiting the data it's sending
Climate change will cost about $38 trillion a year by 2049, a new study calculates
Ancient stone tools found in Ukraine date may be oldest in Europe