February 22, 2012

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Legislative Update: February 22

February 22, 2012 By

Headlines from the State Capitol (click here for a summary of Wednesday’s schedule):

SC Statehouse

–The House Ways & Means Committee began drafting next year’s budget Tuesday. Before doing so, Republicans on the committee voted to suspend a law requiring 4.5 percent of the state’s General Fund to go to local governments. House leaders say it does not appear the state will have enough money.

–The committee also voted to set up a special fund that will help fund the Charleston harbor dredging. The state is responsible for paying 60 percent of the project, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible for the rest. The Corps is currently in the first year of a feasibility study.

–The Senate passed a bill by Sen. Mike Rose (R-Summerville) that would require the Department of Transportation to maintain an online register all of its transactions. DOT caught flak over the summer when it was revealed the agency was struggling to pay its contractors on time. Transportation officials admitted starting too many projects without settling cash-flow issues. The bill now heads to the House.

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Filed Under: Legislature, News

On Tap: Wednesday February 22

February 22, 2012 By

–Most of the attention will be focused on the budget talks in the House Ways & Means committee, but there are more than two dozen other meetings occurring on the Statehouse grounds Wednesday.

–A candlelight vigil will be held on the Statehouse steps at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday as family and friends of missing lobbyist Tom Sponseller pray for his safety. Sponseller has been missing since Saturday.

SENATE:

–A Senate Finance panel will be receiving budget requests from several agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Criminal Justice Academy.

–A judiciary subcommittee will hear public testimony on a bill by Sen. Mike Fair (R-Greenville) that would alter how a juvenile is evaluated by the Department of Juvenile Justice after a misdemeanor offense… Another panel will hear testimony on the latest effort to prevent video poker from appearing again in South Carolina. A bill by Sen. Larry Martin (R-Pickens) would clarify that a state law which allows for sweepstakes and bingo machines does not also include video poker.

–The General Committee will consider several bills, including one by Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) that would allow medically-discharged SC National Guard officers to receive an honorary promotion of one rank when they are discharged. Currently, active officers are given the honor only when they retire.

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Filed Under: Legislature

Proposal could end legislators’ exemption from open records laws

February 21, 2012 By

Legislators would no longer be exempt from South Carolina’s open records law under a bill that passed a House committee Tuesday.

Lawmakers are not legally required to answer a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, although most say they do.

“I think that folks are kind of tired of us setting ourselves apart from others,” State Rep. Rick Quinn (R-Lexington) said during the House Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday.

The amendment passed 17-2. Rep. Todd Rutherford (D-Columbia) said he agreed with the idea, but worried about constituent emails to his office that are intended to be confidential.

“The people that are reaching out to us would like protection from knowing that their email is going public all of a sudden and potentially going viral,” Rutherford told his fellow committee members.

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Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Legislators unlikely to fully fund local governments

February 21, 2012 By

As the budget debate begins in Columbia, a South Carolina House committee voted Tuesday to suspend a local government funding formula so it can be more “flexible” in crafting next year’s budget.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg), at left, speaks to Chairman Brian White (R-Anderson), 2nd from right, during Tuesday's meeting

State law requires 4.5 percent of the state General Fund to go towards counties and towns, but legislators have not reached that mark the past few years due to lower tax revenues. This year, Republicans say they do not expect to reach that level once again.

State Rep. Jim Merrill (R-Charleston) summed up their position: “If you go to most folks out there and you ask, ‘where are we going to put money: K-12 education or to increase the Local Government fund?’ I will bet you a million dollars 99 percent of them say ‘let’s put it into K-12.”

However, Democrats on the committee said their counterparts were tone-deaf to the concerns of municipal governments– especially counties, which depend heavily on the Local Government Fund.

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Filed Under: Legislature, News, Politics & Government, Taxes

Legislative Update: February 21

February 21, 2012 By
The Sons of the American Revolution commemorate George Washington’s 280th birthday on the Statehouse steps Monday

The House and Senate return for another week Tuesday. The House, coming off a self-imposed furlough, will take up the budget in its Ways & Means Committee starting Tuesday. The Senate will try to catch up on several minor bills after spending the past two weeks heavily invested in the government restructuring bill.

–The House Ways & Means Committee will have several issues to address when it takes up the budget. A larger General Fund means the state will have more money available, but the debate still remains over what to do with it. Specifically, what programs will be restored, if at all?
 
–Municipal governments across South Carolina are also lobbying to get the full amount they are supposed to receive under a state funding formula. However, budget writers don’t seem too keen on granting it– although they are planning to increase the Local Government Fund.
 
–More names are surfacing as possible challengers for House members seeking reelection. A Francis Marion student is seeking the Florence County seat currently held by Republican Kris Crawford. While undoubtedly a long-shot, Austin Smith would easily be the youngest legislator in the Statehouse at age 20 if he succeeds… Meanwhile Rep. Rita Allison (R-Spartanburg) will face another challenge from construction executive Jim McMillan, who secured 38 percent of the vote in 2010 despite running as a petition candidate.
 
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Filed Under: Legislature, News
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