On Wednesday, the South Carolina state legislature easily overrode all but 9 of Governor Nikki Haley’s 36 budget vetoes. The total savings were a little over $500,000.

Here is an explanation of each veto, followed by how the Legislature acted on it.

1.  Department of Education’s SAT Improvement Program ($169,487):  Designed to help schools better prepare students for SATs. Funding had already been suspended for the program via a budget proviso in a separate section of the budget.  House overruled, but Senate sustained.

Action: SUSTAINED

2.    Department of Education’s “High Schools That Work” Program ($1.4 million): Intended to help improve students’ transition from high school to college. Haley argued it duplicated programs already used in high schools and colleges. Legislature disagreed. [Read more...]

The August 2 date is the deadline given by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as the day when the federal government will have exhausted all of its emergency funds.

However, 3rd District Congressman Jeff Duncan disputes that, telling Greenwood affiliate WLMA that August 2 was an arbitrary date picked by Geithner.

Duncan says the country has already hit the debt ceiling.

We actually hit the debt ceiling back in May and then they continue to fund government this summer by borrowing money from pension funds. Which, I don’t know that they have the authority to borrow money from pension funds.  But that’s how they’re funding government in excess of the normal cash flows of government.  That’s how they’re funding it, is borrowing there. [Read more...]