Payday loan regs pass, ending 4-month impasse

The Senate passed a payday lending bill today, a controversial measure proponents call a compromise, and consumer advocates call disappointing.

The Senate vote for passage, 41-4, broke a four-month long General Assembly impasse.

Sen. Joel Lourie,D-Richland, a co-sponsor of the compromise amendment that broke impasse, said he expects the House of Representatives to accept the Senate version of the bill, without a need for further action.

Harrell: Rushed payday bill won't be considered

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said that even if the Senate strikes an agreement on a payday lending bill, that the House does not want to rush a bill through in the session's final day.

Harrell said the House wants time to consider the Senate version, and was not interested in rushing to get the bill to conference committee. Harrell said the House will consider any Senate changes and not just insist on its own version.

Lawmakers have until 5 p.m. today to approve bills or they will carry over until the next session in January. Lawmakers could work on bills in conference committee during a possible veto session in June.

24-hour abortion wait dies in Senate

The abortion issue is dead in the 2009 General Assembly, its death blow coming at the hands of the state senator who days ago told the Senate that issue is the only reason he is an elected official.

Sen. Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg, again threw the Senate in a lurch  Thursday, when he asked for the Senate's consent to leave the day's main business - dispatching of Gov. Mark Sanford's vetoes - to resume consideration of a House-passed bill that requires a woman to wait 24 hours after an ultrasound is performed before proceeding with an abortion.

Dating violence bill likely dead

House lawmakers have adjourned debate on a new teen dating violence policy that would have banned references to same sex couples.

That means the controversial bill doesn't have a chance of becoming law until next year. The bill would have required school districts to distribute written materials to parents and students about the dangers of teen dating violence.

A bill amendment would have required that only heterosexual couples be mentioned in the materials.

Report: $2 billion more needed to fix S.C. roads

While South Carolina has received $463 million in stimulus funds to improve its roads and bridges, nearly $2 billion more is needed annually during the next 20 years, according to a new report the S.C. Alliance to Fix Our Roads released Wednesday. The organization, along with the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, are calling on lawmakers to find additional money to improve the state's infrastructure to encourage economic development. According to the report:

• Nearly half, 48 percent, of the state's major urban roads are congested with travel delays. In Columbia, congestion is projected to double by 2030 if additional capacity is not added.
  
• Twenty eight percent of South Carolina's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition while 20 percent of bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
  
• The state's traffic fatality rate of 2.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel is the fourth highest in the nation and 54 percent higher than the national average.  "It's important that something happen soon," said Scott Fant, chairman of the S.C. Alliance to Fix Our Roads, noting  there's been no new state funding for roads since 1987. "We're losing our infrastructure."         

DeMint and Tenenbaum to meet today

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint will meet today with former S.C. Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, who has been nominated by President Barack Obama to head the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

DeMint serves on the Senate Commerce Committee, which will consider her nomination, and has offered to support Tenenbaum’s confirmation.
 
“Inez is an excellent choice, and I look forward to meeting with her to discuss the issues facing the commission," DeMint said in a statement. "Improving product safety is very important, but we must always ensure government regulations do not needlessly harm small businesses and the millions of jobs they create.”

Gingrinch, Sanford to appear in Columbia

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrinch will hold a workshop on healthcare reform in Columbia Thursday. He will be joined by Gov. Mark Sanford.

Gingrinch is founder of the Center for Health Transformation, which, according to a news release, "has focused on advancing changes that will improve healthcare outcomes at a lower cost."

The program is from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

Sanford decries stimulus on "Glenn Beck"

Gov. Mark Sanford, hours after vetoing federal stimulus money, made an appearance on "The Glenn Beck Show."

Sanford made his case for vetoing the stimulus money, which he called irresponsible. The $350 million is due to S.C. to help schools and law enforcement agencies balance their budgets. Sanford has refused to take the money unless lawmakers pay down an equal amount of debt.

States rights adovocates launch protest

A couple dozen 10th Amendment advocates brought their sleeping bags to the State House Tuesday, vowing to camp out until senators approved a resolution, affirming states' rights.

"It is a very serious issue. Our rights are being violated," said Harry Kibler, S.C. director for the Patriotic Resistance organization. "We feel our legislators are failing us as citizens of South Carolina."

Advocates: Gays should be included in dating violence

Gay rights advocates called on senators Tuesday to strike down an amendment on a teen dating violence bill.

"Discriminating against children because of their sexual orientation, to me, is ridiculous," said Rep. Ken Kennedy, D-Williamsburg.

Last week, the House approved a bill requiring school districts to dispense information about the dangers of teen dating violence to students and their parents. An amendment by Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Calhoun, requires the information only reference heterosexual teen couples.