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McMaster suits up to fight against Obama Administration

April 28, 2010 By

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster started a team of 15 attorney’s general to fight against the Cornhusker Kickback, saying it was unconstitutional. The Cornhusker Kickback was a special deal made by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to Nebraska Democratic Senator Ben Nelson, another Democrat. The agreement had the federal government paying 100 percent of Medicaid expansion in Nebraska. Although the compromise was nixed by the Obama Administration, McMaster says the individual mandate was left in.

“So, we grouped up again. We got some of the same attorney’s general, there were some new ones. When that was in the law, that individual mandate, that everybody has to go buy a certain kind of health insurance, we filed suit in Florida six minutes after the president filed the bill into law,” says McMaster. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Health & Medicine, News, Politics & Government

SCE&G explains rate hike

April 28, 2010 By

SCE&G is planning a 9.52 percent rate hike, and after a year of phasing in, it would raise electric rates by $140 a year. South Carolina Electric and Gas spokesperson Eric Boomhower explains the latest rate hike:

This one is primarily about the environmental mandates that we had to comply with at our similar coal plants. We’ve had to spend over $600 million in putting state-of-the-art new equipment on some of these plants to help clean the air at those plants. Certainly it’s important to run things in an environmentally responsible way. But, there is a price tag associated with that, and it’s getting steeper all the time.

Boomhower says this rate increase dates back to 2008, when the company needed to find a way to recover the cost of the new equipment. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy, Energy, Environment & Conservation, News

SC House gives option to suspend teacher raises (AUDIO)

April 28, 2010 By

Public school teachers would not see their paychecks increase next school year, according to a bill passed by the South Carolina House late Tuesday.  The vote was 99-4. 

The legislation would allow school districts to suspend step increases in pay. School administrators don’t automatically receive step pay increases, but the legislation would also give districts the option of preventing administrators from receiving a raise this year.

Budget committee chair Dan Cooper told Calhoun County Democrat Harry Ott that the move will save some teachers’ jobs. He said it’s a matter of not giving the increase, or losing teachers.

Teacher salaries increase each year, for up to 22 years of employment. Instructors have not received a cost-of-living incraese since the 2008-09 school year.There is also legislation pending to give teachers a five-day furlough without pay. School administrators would be furloughed for 10 days.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Legislature, News
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