This past week reminded me of a roller coaster ride at Carowinds, filled with highs and lows. Unfortunately, it ended on a low procedural motion that does nothing to promote the public trust.
In a week where the General Assembly came together to approve illegal immigration reform legislation that uncharacteristically got stronger as the debates and negotiations proceeded, we ended it with a motion that is designed to protect the status quo.
While I spent much of the week trying to convince members of the Senate Rules Committee, including some republicans, that government restructuring is the right thing to do and to vote to allow my Administrative Restructuring Act to get a vote on the Senate floor. This task was made more difficult by the Senate Finance Chairman, Senator Hugh Leatherman, Republican, Florence, who pressured members to block a successful vote. One vote shy of the majority needed to get this Senate vote is how we ended the week.
Lastly, at nearly two in the afternoon on Thursday, and after no break for lunch, the House voted to take up the Governor's vetoes of the 2008 -2009 budget.
For your information, the budget for 2008 – 2009 is one which has been pieced together with bailing twine and duct tape. It borrows $100 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund, is balanced on paper while acknowledging that we will run another unconstitutional deficit, and continues our reliance on non-recurring revenue for recurring expenses at $161 million. This is irresponsible.
Governor Sanford used his line item veto ability to veto 69 items that represented $72.1 million in savings for next budget year. Many of these items are “meritorious” in their own right, however, and may deserve funding in good budget times, but, these are not good budget times and we must be responsible in our fiscal management of your tax dollars.
The House, in considering the first three vetoes of the Governor, sustained each one. The resulting savings cut almost $600,000 from the budget.
It appeared that the House was on a clear path toward protecting your interests when the roller coaster crested the peak and started a steep descent.
In a move that was called “shocking” by Matt Moore, Executive Director of the South Carolina Club for Growth, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee abruptly made a motion to adjourn. This motion was narrowly approved 57 – 52.
Then to top it off, in order to prevent the sustaining of the Governor's vetoes that were already approved from going forward, a rarely used rule that allows for a motion to reconsider was entered after most of the members of the House had left the chambers. This means that these vetoes that have been sustained will be reconsidered Tuesday. I think we have reached bottom, and hopefully we are ready to climb again.
Thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on these issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (864) 963-0337 or in Columbia at (803) 734-3045. www.garrysmith.org