Districts can court teachers until May, under bill

School districts are breathing a sigh of relief after House lawmakers approved a Senate bill Tuesday to give school districts an extra month to offer teachers contracts for next school year. Districts will have 
until May 15 -- as opposed to April 15 -- to offer teachers jobs. The bill requires one more routine vote. Districts say passage of the bill will give them time to see if they can rely on federal stimulus money.

House make Summer Duck official

Move over, Great Carolina Wren. Tuesday, House lawmakers voted to make the Summer Duck also known the Wood Duck the state's official duck. After a final routine vote, the bill heads to the Senate.

McMaster: Governor has say over stimulus money

Attorney General Henry McMaster issued a legal opinion today saying S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford -- not state lawmakers -- have final say over whether S.C. accepts federal stimulus money.

Download McMaster's opinion

McMaster's 17-page opinion is nonbinding. But McMaster is in agreement with an opinion sought by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, in which a research arm of Congress determined a provision in the stimulus bill allowing the General Assembly to bypass the governor and accept federal stimulus money might violate the 10th amendment.

The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees state sovereignty. McMaster concluded that the governor cannot be compelled even by the General Assembly to make a decision on behalf of the state. 

McMaster, in his conclusion, wrote that a concurrent resolution by the General Assembly "has no force of effect of law."

"Under the (stimulus act's) express provisions, only the Governor (or in other cases, other officials pursuant to the particular terms of the Act) may apply to the Secretary of Education (or other federal agencies) for such funds, based upon the federal criteria for eligibility of such funds. Federal law bestows upon the Governor, as chief executive of the State, the discretion as to whether to apply for these funds."

Sanford has told state lawmakers he will accept roughly $700 million in money meant to help states reeling from a down economy to balance their budgets only if state lawmakers agree to spend a corresponding amount paying down debt. Most of the money would go to education, which would help schools now facing teacher layoffs to preserve those jobs. 

Busy week for the House includes cig tax

House Republicans plan to spend a lot of time on the floor this week. The House will be furloughed for the following two weeks, saving taxpayers about $100,000. Among items to be debated this week is a 
cigarette tax increase.

Policy Council: Stimulus will cut jobs

The South Carolina Policy Council has released a report concluding the federal stimulus will do far more harm than good to the economy.

The federal $787 billion federal stimulus package will reduce state economic activity more than if no stimulus had been approved, according to the conservative think tank.

The Policy Council was joined by Gov. Mark Sanford in unveiling its report. Sanford, a long-time critic of the stimulus, said again Tuesday that the stimulus funds would be better spent on debt.

The report, authored by economist Arthur Laffer, argues the state could lose an additional 23,800 to 34,850 jobs -- including government and private -- because of stimulus spending.

The report says that any money spent by government corresponds to a decrease in business spending because of higher taxes, debt and other costs. Laffer estimates the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will reduce national business growth by 2.5 percent.

Senate to cut $370 million; no stimulus in budget

State senators were told Monday to find up to $370 million in cuts to the budget, in order to make up for shortfalls projected by the absence of roughly $700 million in federal stimulus money that Gov. Mark Sanford has so far rejected from the federal government.

"There's no way under the sun we go onto the Senate floor with a budget without what I call good money in it," Senate Finance chairman Hugh Leatherman said in the Senate's initial meeting to write a budget for next year. "Until we see which way the governor is going on this, we work out a budget without the stimulus," Leatherman said. "It would be fool hearty (to do otherwise)."

Sanford to speak about stimulus today

Gov. Mark Sanford, in a letter to Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, said Monday he maintains his position on spending $700 million in federal stimulus money on debt rather than spending the money on immediate needs.

Sanford is scheduled to make his first public comments today Greenville on stimulus aid since a research arm of Congress issued an opinion last week saying the General Assembly could not go around him to accept the money.

Last week, state lawmakers conceded Sanford might have ultimate say over whether S.C. accepts the money. Today senators will begin drafting a state budget -- which had been $6.1 billion -- without the first $350 million in stimulus money that is in dispute.

State lawmakers have warned foregoing the federal aid would result in mass teacher layoffs and could mean several state prisons might be forced to close. Sanford's wrote in his letter that his $5.8 billion executive budget issued in January covered state spending without mass teacher layoffs or the threat of closing prisons. 

"Your daunting statements about education job losses in the thousands are at best a stretch," Sanford wrote.

Department of Workforce formed under bill

The Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry subcommittee approved a big structural change for the Employment Security Commission on Thursday, voting to move the agency to a proposed Department of Workforce.

The restructuring bill would also move the functions of  Workforce Investment Act from the Commerce Department to the proposed new department, which would be under the governor's management.

Also under the legislation, the agency's three commissioners would be reduced to hearing officers only, deciding on appeals from the department's various divisions.

The restructuring proposal has arisen in light of the state's burgeoning unemployment rates, and a trust fund normally used to cover benefits to workers, that now is broke and millions of dollars in the red.

The non-Cabinet agency currently is run by three commissioners, who hire an executive director and assistant director to operate the employment agency day to day.

But the proposed restructuring would have the governor appoint the three commissioners, with advice and
consent from the Senate, and they could be removed at the will of the governor.

Lawmakers distressed over the agency's predicament, have held weeks of public hearings, takuing sworn testimony from the commissioners in an effort to uncover functional problems at the agency and decide how to reshape the agency.

Among the changes proposed in the legislation, S.C. Businesses would be able to prepay their unemployment benefits accounts, and when an employee is separated from a job with severance pay, their unemployment benefits would be deducted from their severance pay packages.

The proposal now moves to full committee, which is expected to take it up in debate next week.

S.C. gets $31 million in stimulus for energy

South Carolina will get $31 million in stimulus money to go toward energy conservation projects. The money was announced by the White House Thursday.

The money will go to local communities that can spend the money retrofitting buildings or on energy-efficient public transportation.

Abortion wait bill moves foward in Senate

A Senate subcommittee approved the House bill Thursday that requires a woman to get an ultrasound within 24 hours of an abortion.

After considerable debate, the lawmakers agreed to an amendment to the proposed legislation that would allow the ultrasound to be performed at some facility other than the clinic where the abortion procedure is to take place.

Opponents of the ultrasound law had complained the requirement places an unnecessary hardship on poor and rural women due to transportation issues.

Bill proponents said the amendment allowing a woman flexibility in where she gets the ultrasound would not diminish the effect of the proposed new law.

The bill, which passed the subcommittee 3-2, goes on to full committee next week.