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Gov. Mark Sanford will sign into law a bill that will remove a state regulation that requires people who professionally shampoo hair to get 1,500 hours of training.
Sanford will hold an 11 a.m. bill signing ceremony at LaSpalon in Columbia to highlight this and other regulation the governor considers excessive.
The House voted 111-0 Tuesday to create a new department, the Department of Administration, and move some state departments currently controlled by the state Budget and Control Board under the new department.
The governor would appoint the head of the new Department of Administration. If both Houses agree to this structural change, it would be a victory for Gov. Mark Sanford and his quest to give the governor's office more power over state government.
Continue reading "House agrees to strip Budget and Control of some duties" »
Women seeking an abortion would have the option of viewing an ultrasound photo of the fetus under a compromise struck between the House and Senate Wednesday.
Continue reading "Landfills can continue, as Senate refuses ban" »
The House has voted overwhelmingly to make salvia divinorium, an hallucinogenic herb grown mainly in Mexico, illegal in S.C.
Lawmakers voted 101-4 to make the herb and mixtures derived from it illegal.
Gov. Mark Sanford wrote a letter Tuesday to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — and to all members of Congress and to all governors — blasting a new federal identification program as costly, ineffective and, in some areas, unnecessary.
The federal Department of Homeland Security has given S.C. an extension on complying with its new standards for issuing driver's licenses just hours after Gov. Mark Sanford said the state would not comply.
The decision means S.C.
residents won't be subjected to extra security screenings when boarding
airplanes or entering federal buildings. Noncompliance would have meant South Carolinians traveling domestically would have to either have a passport or endure extra security screenings.
Gov. Mark Sanford said today the state will not comply with the federal Department of Homeland Security's standards for state-issued driver's licenses and IDs. The decision means S.C. residents could be subjected to extra security screenings when boarding airplanes or entering federal buildings.
Continue reading "Sanford: State won't comply with REAL ID" »
Gov. Mark Sanford will at 11 a.m. announce his decision on whether to seek an extension to comply with federal Homeland Security standards on state-issued ID cards. Compliance would spare S.C. travelers from extra security scrutiny at airports and federal buildings.
Continue reading "Sanford to announce REAL ID decision today" »
Gov. Mark Sanford will announce Monday his decision on whether he will ask federal authorities for an extension to comply with new security rules for driver's licenses and other state-issued IDs.
The REAL ID program is run by the federal Department of Homeland Security and its goal is to make ID cards tamperproof to fight fraud and terrorism.
S.C. has not complied with all of the REAL ID requirements. Sanford must apply for an extension by Monday. Sanford and the General Assembly have resisted full compliance with REAL ID, citing costs and concerns S.C. citizens' personal information might not be protected.
If S.C. doesn't get an extension, travelers from this state who board airplanes would be subject to extra security.
Senators are talking up a resolution that urges Gov. Mark Sanford to comply with the federal REAL ID program, as noncompliance will mean S.C. travelers will face increased scrutiny at airports.
The state has until the end of the month to tell the Department of Homeland Security that South Carolina will change its state-issued IDs to meet Homeland Security's standard.
Sanford has argued the program is too costly and S.C. already meets most of the federal standards. Sanford said issuing a driver's license would cost drivers $60 if S.C. adopts REAL ID.
Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, says he has asked the attorney general to bring a lawsuit challenging the Real ID law.
A Senate bill that makes it illegal to tether a dog for more than three hours a day was expanded Wednesday to include all animals.
Continue reading "Chaining all pets would draw fine under Senate bill" »
Continue reading "Bill extending rural sewer services gets approval" »
State officials said Tuesday they have no plans to comply with new federal identification standards, and that South Carolina's current ID meets most of the new requirements.
At Gov. Mark Sanford's cabinet meeting, Department of Motor Vehicles director Marcia Adams noted that South Carolina meets 16 of the 18 benchmarks that the new federal rules, known as Real ID, establish.
Continue reading "Governor has no plans to comply with ID law" »
Gov. Mark Sanford is calling on the S.C. Senate to "act quickly" on the government restructuring bill passed by the House that will give the governor authority to appoint three constitutional officers who are now elected.
The House bill would allow voters to decide if they want to continue electing the state Superintendent of Education and the Secretary of State or to have future governors appoint those positions. The House bill would also let voters decide whether future lieutenant governors would be separately elected, or run on the same ticket as future governors.
Continue reading "Sanford to Senate: Deliver on restructuring" »
The House has introduced a measure asking Gov. Mark Sanford to request an extension to implement new federal identification standards.
The rules, known as Real ID, are meant to make state IDs more secure and uniform. If South Carolina does not comply with the law or request an extension, then state resident would need a passport or other federally-issued ID to fly, open a bank account and other other transactions.
Continue reading "Comply with federal ID law, House to ask governor" »
The S.C. House is struggling to find enough votes among its members to approve a wholesale government restructuring plan.
The House debated the bill shortly today on the floor without resolution.
Continue reading "Restructuring bill in limbo as debate ends" »
A state database detailing agency spending is now online.
The Web site, created by Gov. Mark Sanford in an executive order, lists itemized agency spending by month, as well as year-to-date agency spending by categories of spending. The site, at https://ssl.sc.gov/SpendingTransparency, is available to the public and the data can be downloaded.
For instance, according to the database, the Lieutenant Governor's office reported $1,782 of in-state mileage for its employees in October. The report also shows how much each employee received for mileage.
Continue reading "Web site shows how state government spends " »
Lawmakers return to Columbia Tuesday, and the General Assembly will take up bills that would shield the public from the list of South Carolinians who have concealed weapons permits and change the way the state elects its governor and lieutenant governor.
The House Judiciary committee will consider a bill that would shield the identity of who has a concealed weapons permit in S.C. Right now, that list is public information, available upon request.
The House will also take up a bill that would require the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same tickets, similar to how the nation's president and vice president are elected.
The bill would also make the state's adjutant general appointed.
Bill would require Web reporting of local government budgets
A group of senators has introduced a bill to require local governments to report their spending online.
The bill would require credit card statements, check registries and all expenses of more than $100 be posted with an explanation of the expense.
The bill would allow the state Budget and Control Board to post the spending of towns and school districts with no Web site. State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, said other states already require the information be posted online.
"It's just one more small step they could take," Grooms said. "We found out the cost there has been very minimal."
A group of senators have introduced a bill to require local governments report their spending online.
The bill would require credit card statements, check registries and all expenses over $100 be posted with an explanation of the expense.
The bill would allow the Budget and Control Board to post the reports for towns and school districts with no Web site. Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, said many banks offer these services. Other states have required this information be posted.
"It's just one more small step they could take," Grooms said. "We found out the cost there has been very minimal."
A House education committee approved a new standardized test Wednesday for students in grades 3 through 8. The new test, called the Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program, or EMSAP, would replace PACT in 2010.
Committee members and state educators say the new test is superior because it alligns better with the federal No Child Left Behind standards, making it easier to see how S.C. students stack up. Also, EMSAP includes testing over the course of the school year. That way, parents and teachers can see how students are progressing.
A bill that includes the new test is on the House's calendar, awaiting debate.
-- Gina Smith
A press release issued by Gov. Mark Sanford's office Wednesday afternoon:
Governor Sanford Calls for Income Tax Rate Cut of 50
Percent
GOVERNOR
PROPOSES OPTIONAL FLAT TAX,
TO BE OFFSET BY CIGARETTE TAX INCREASE
Columbia, S.C. – February 13, 2008 – Governor Mark Sanford today joined with legislators in
Columbia and visited small businesses in Charleston and Myrtle Beach to call
for an optional 50 percent reduction to the state’s top marginal income tax
rate – from the current 7 percent to 3.4 percent – to be offset by a
30-cents-per-pack increase to the state’s cigarette tax.
“First and foremost,
this debate is about where we want to go as a state with respect to growing our
economy,” Gov. Sanford said. “A lowered and flattened income tax would
represent a significant step towards making our state more attractive, and
improving our competitive position when it comes to growing our economy –
because as the Federal Reserve’s recently said, marginal rates matter in terms
of bringing jobs and investment to our state.”
“Two, let’s be equally clear that while we believe
this proposal would go a long way toward increasing our state’s
competitiveness, it’s also about not increasing the aggregate tax burden on
South Carolinians,” Gov. Sanford said. “Some of the proposals to raise the
cigarette tax for various healthcare programs would at best be another instance
of government picking winners and losers in the private marketplace, and at
worst a $245 million tax increase. Funding Medicaid by increasing the cigarette
tax would only prolong the life of the Medicaid program temporarily – meaning
more tax increases down the road to sustain growth in the program. We continue
to believe that any tax increase needs to be accompanied by a corresponding tax
decrease.”
States’ marginal income tax rates are key to their
ability to grow the economy. According to a recent study from the Atlanta
Federal Reserve Board, “Relative marginal tax rates have a statistically
significant negative relationship with relative state growth.” Put another way,
the lower the tax rate the greater the state’s economic growth.
The current flat tax
proposal, sponsored by House Majority Leader Jim Merrill and others, would
offer South Carolinians two options for paying their taxes, starting in 2009 –
to either pay the current 7 percent rate and be eligible for current deductions,
or to pay a flat tax of 3.4 percent with no deductions. Additionally, the flat
tax would put South Carolina more in line with other Southeastern states’
income tax rates. At 7 percent, our state’s rate is effectively the highest in
the Southeast.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee failed to take up debate Wednesday of a bill addressing a permitted water withdrawal system in South Carolina.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Wes Hayes, R-York, takes up withdrawal, permitting, use, reporting and other facets of water rights regarding the state's rivers and lakes.
Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, said the committee will work on the bill, taking up public debate again in two weeks.
Taxpayers could get credits if they retrofit their homes and businesses with fire sprinkler systems under a measure heading to the House floor.
The bill notes that fire sprinklers greatly reduce property loss and the chances of someone dying in a fire.
The proposal, which gives up to $50,000 in tax credits to offset the cost of buying and installing fire sprinklers, was approved today by the House Ways and Means Committee. It allows taxpayers to offset up to 80 percent of the cost, with up to $10,000 in tax credits yearly for five years.
The legislation, sponsored by House Speaker Bobby Harrell, comes more than six months after a furniture store fire in Charleston killed nine firefighters. The store did not have sprinklers.
A separate bill introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell would give up to a $5,000 tax credit for installing sprinkler systems in commercial buildings. The legislative leaders, both Charleston Republicans, have said they don’t want to mandate sprinklers because the cost could put small business owners out of business.
Legislators appear to be tripping over each other trying to improve all-terrain vehicle safety, with five different bills working their way through the system.
Two of the bills hit roadblocks Tuesday in the House Agriculture Subcommittee. After about 20 minutes of discussion on each bill, debate was adjourned on both H.4322 and H.4342.
“We do want to revisit this issue,” said Rep. Laurie Slade Funderburk, D-Kershaw. “I just don’t know if these bills are the proper vehicle.”
For two years, the legislature has passed ATV safety bills only to have them vetoed by Gov. Mark Sanford. Each year, the vetos were upheld. A copy of that bill, named Chandler’s Law after Chandler Saylor, who died in an ATV accident in 2003, has been reintroduced as S.797. Still in the Legislature are two similar bills, S.812 and H.3622.
Rep. Kris Crawford, R-Florence, introduced H.4342, which says anyone ineligible for a driver’s license or permit can’t drive an ATV. That means anyone younger than 15 or anyone older than 15 who has had his or her license revoked.
Crawford, a physician, bemoaned the number of children showing up in emergency rooms with serious injuries from ATV accidents. But subcommittee members had serious problems with the bill’s restrictions and, especially, its penalties. The bill would allow law enforcement to confiscate ATVs driven by anyone under 15.
“We’re talking about children in the state and what we do and do not allow them to do,” Crawford said, comparing riding an ATV to drinking alcohol.
Rep. David Hiott, R-Pickens, couldn’t imagine telling his constituents that their youngsters can’t ride ATVs. “Little Johnny’s been driving an all-terrain vehicle all his life,” Hiott said. “And I’m going to tell his parents they can’t let him anymore?”
The committee members greeted the other bill with a little more enthusiasm. Rep. Herb Kirsh, D-York, admitted he copied his bill straight from a N.C. law. The committee members were concerned that, as written, the law would require adults to wear helmets and eye protection.
Kirsh recognized his bill needs some fine-tuning, but he said he felt the need to do something after the recent deaths of two children in ATV accidents near his home. “I just hate to see this thing die from the two vetoes,” Kirsh said.
_ Joey Holleman
South Carolina legislators welcomed each other back today with smiles and back slaps on the first day of the 2008 General Assembly session.
The House and Senate started shortly after noon.
Lawmakers said priorities in the January-to-June session include curtailing immigration, capping state spending and adding transparency to the budget by requiring names be attached to requests for money.
The public feud between the Republican-controlled Legislature and Republican Governor Mark Sanford is likely to continue this year. Both House and Senate seats are up for re-election.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins received a standing ovation at the House Republican Caucus meeting before the session started. The former S.C. House speaker left to become ambassador in the summer of 2005.
In attendance on the Senate side was former senator, now congressman, Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer gaveled the Senate to order at 12:08 p.m. and had to bring the noisy body to order several more times.
Senators selected their seats and committee assignments and recognized three new members:
House members worked briefly on local bills after welcoming two new members:
There is one vacancy in the 124-member House — a Lowcountry area seat — that will be filled in a mid-spring election.
“The first couple of weeks of the session are always slow,” said Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. “Everybody is excited to see each other.”
— From staff and wire reports
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham spoke to the Irmo Chamber of Commerce Wednesday about looming federal tax increases and the need for energy independence and reforming Social Security.
Graham, a Seneca Republican, said the alternative minimum tax -- an escalator put in place to close loopholes for upper income Americans -- is now negatively affecting the middle class.
The senator said there are not enough votes in Congress to repeal the alternative minimum tax. Graham said a preferable alternative would be to repeal the U.S. tax code and start over.
On energy independence, Graham said S.C.'s economy would benefit more than any economy in the world if the nation committed itself to adopting alternative energy sources. Graham cited the work going on at Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research and the University of South Carolina's budding research campus, which is focusing on hydrogen fuel research.
On Social Security, Graham said he would be working with U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, on way to fix Social Security, which projections show will need large increases in funding to pay benefits for an aging American population.
Gov. Mark Sanford will hold the 52nd Cabinet meeting of his administration and the ninth of 2007 Tuesday, according to a news release from the governor's office.
The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Wade Hampton Building in the Governor's Conference Room on the first floor.
During the meeting, the Department of Revenue will give a revenue update, the Department of Health and Human Services will give updates on implementation of the S.C. Healthy Connections program and on Medicaid transportation issues, and the Department of Social Services will give an update on the adoption task force.
Top state officials warned the state could be facing shortages of both water and funds beginning later this year.
At Gov. Mark Sanford’s cabinet meeting Tuesday, a representative from the Department of Natural Resources said that some parts of the state, such as the coast, could be facing drought-related water restrictions within a couple of months.
In addition, the head of South Carolina’s tax collection agency,
Ray Stevens, said national trends show state revenue growth has begun to slow. Especially important to South Carolina, Stevens said, is the slowdown in sales tax collections.
Final figures are not yet available, Stevens said, but June sales tax collections could show negative growth.
Henry White has resigned as executive director of the State Budget and Control Board. His last day on the job will be August 13.
It had been rumored that the board would oust White, who served as Gov. Mark Sanford's chief of staff and is considered an ally to the governor.
Much of that depended on whether the new state treasurer, who will sit on the board sides with the General Assembly or Sanford on how the powerful state agency should run.
Today, the General Assembly will elect a new treasurer to replace Thomas Ravenel, who resigned last month after being indicted on federal drug charges. The prohibitive favorite is Rep. Converse Chellis, R-Dorchester. Chellis' election would mean lawmakers would control the powerful Budget and Control Board.
In a news release, White said he appreciates the
opportunity he has had to work with the Budget and Control Board as Executive Director and prior to that as Deputy General Counsel.
Gov. Mark Sanford called on the General Assembly to elect a state treasurer who will be a leader in reforming the state's competitive grants program that has been under scrutiny because of a lack of oversight.
The competitive grants program has has been criticized for doling out tens of millions of dollars in grants all across the state with little accountability - more often than not on a "who-knows-who" basis rather than on the merits of the particular project, the governor said in a news release.
The current director of the State Budget and Control Board, with the support of the governor, put a temporary hold on issuing many of the grants. But last month, the Competitive Grants Committee voted to award millions more in grants. Sanford wants lawmakers to elect a treasurer, who sits on the Budget and Control Board, who will also seek to reform the competitive grants program.
"We remain very concerned about millions of dollars in grants being awarded through an unaccountable and not at all transparent process, and believe reform-minded leadership of the Budget and Control Board would be a step toward improving that process," Sanford said in a news release. "The bottom line is that what happens next on that Board not only affects whether $550 million in reforms from the GEAR report will be enacted, but how a program that continues to spend millions via this legislative favor factory continues. This again, too, raises the stakes on who the next Treasurer is, and how important it is for the legislature to have a deliberative process that is open to all, rather than a closed system with only a week to mount a campaign -- thereby guaranteeing an insider the position."
Several department heads within state government questioned Tuesday the role of the State Chief Information Officer in delivering efficient services to S.C. residents.
Citing a recent report critical of the State Budget and Control Board, Gov. Mark Sanford’s chief counsel, Tom Davis, said the State Chief Information Officer is shrouded in secrecy.
The comments came during a Sanford cabinet meeting.
Davis and several department heads said the office refuses to explain the charges it assesses state agencies for goods and services the agencies need to serve residents. The Chief Information Officer is a major unit of the State Budget and Control Board, which oversees day-to-day operations of state government and billions of dollars in contracts and purchases.
Sanford wants the Control Board folded into an office directly under his control. A report issued in May said restructuring the agency could save $550 million.
South Carolina could save more than $500 million by changing the way the state Budget and Control Board does business and making changes in the health care and retirement plans that cover thousands of state employees, according to a report released today.
A commission created by Gov. Mark Sanford released a list of 61 recommendations to the State Budget and Control Board -- state government's nerve center which handles much of the day-to-day operations and oversees billions in contracts. The Government Efficiency and Accountability Review, or GEAR, commission, is Sanford’s latest attempt at restructuring state government.
The recommendations sure to get the most public reaction are changes to the state’s health and retirement systems. Proposed changes include raising the retirement eligibility for state employees by two years and requiring state employees covered by a health plan to use generic drugs and mail-order prescriptions.
The GEAR commission says the $500 million could be saved over a three-year period. Many of the changes can be done administratively, but others, including the changes to the state retirement and health plans, would require the Legislature to change state law. They've been unwilling to do that in the past, and the two legislative appointees to this commission have refused to endorse the final report.
Gov. Mark Sanford will be in Charleston and Duncan Wednesday to talk about tax breaks for which national retailers would qualify under a provision that passed the Legislature and survived the governor's veto.
Sanford said in a statement Tuesday the tax breaks force the state's small businesses to subsidize larger corporate competitors.
Sizable and unprecedented tax rebates would go to outdoor retailers like Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops without reliable guarantees that these stores would meet sales and visitor goals, the statement said. Smaller retail businesses do not qualify for the tax breaks.
Sanford will be at the West Ashley location of Haddrell's Point (47 Windermere Boulevard, Charleston) at 9:00 a.m. He will appear at Brown's Bait & Tackle (404 Berry Shoals Road, Duncan) at 1:45 p.m.
Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is half way to getting a security detail, which would include a driver.
The House voted to override a veto issued by Gov. Mark Sanford that would have killed the $90,000 lawmakers put in the state budget to pay for a Bauer security team.
Two-thirds of the Senate must now vote to overturn Sanford. If it does, Bauer would be the second state elected official with a security detail.
Sanford has a four-person security team.
The House easily overrode Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill Thursday extending insurance coverage to children with autism.
The vote was 114-0.
After voting, House members turned toward the balcony and gave families
representing children who have the disorder a standing ovation.
Before the vote, Rep. B.R. Skelton, R-Pickens, chastised the governor for striking down the measure.
"He has four healthy children and I don't think he has ever met anybody who didn't have healthy children," Skelton said.
The Senate had previously overrode the veto, also unanimously.
The governor' s office maintains the provision will raise health care costs.
Gov. Mark Sanford and House Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, are both criticizing Senate leaders for not setting a time to ratify acts.
Before a bill that has passed the House and Senate can go to Gov. Mark Sanford's desk, they must be signed by the leader of the House and Senate, a process known as ratification.
But the Senate has refused to meet with House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, to ratify those bills. Ready for ratification are several pieces of legislation, including a resolution that would allow government to be funded at current levels into the 2007-08 fiscal year, which begins July 1. That is important because lawmakers have not adopted a state budget for the next year.
The Senate has unanimously overridden Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for autism and related disorders.
The bill now goes to the House, where a two-thirds majority can also override the veto and make the bill state law.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said Thursday morning that he plans to ask for an audit of the Department of Insurance.
McConnell, R-Charleston, said he would ask the Legislative Audit Council to investigate the gubernatorial Cabinet agency.
Gov. Mark Sanford has vetoed a bill requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for autism and related disorders.
Sanford vetoed the bill late Wednesday, just hours before the midnight deadline for a decision. The House and Senate could act on the veto today, the final day of the legislative session.
Supporters of the bill, including Rep. Skipper Perry, R-Aiken, and Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, worked into the night Wednesday to rally support for a vote today to override the veto. It takes a two-thirds vote of the both the House and Senate to override. The Senate would take up the veto first.
In his veto message, Sanford said he is "predisposed" to oppose mandates from government to private insurance companies and said it could raise premiums on all insurance customers.
House and Senate conferees failed to reach agreement Tuesday on legislation dealing with ultrasounds before an abortion procedure.
“It’s not always the case, but usually when (initial meetings) don’t work out, there’s not another one,” said Rep. Greg Delleney, R- Chester, who is vice chairman of the conference committee.
The conferees are trying to meld together two vastly different proposals, all before Thursday’s 5 p.m. session end.
The House wants ultrasounds to be required before an abortion and to mandate that they be reviewed with the woman before an abortion can be performed. The Senate wants the ultrasound review to be an option offered to the woman.
Sometimes testy conferees also were hung up on language in the Senate bill dealing with the required waiting period between the ultrasound and the abortion. Current law requires an hour wait, but the Senate bill seems to alter the time, Delleney said.
“I’m bent out of shape because I can’t understand yall’s bill and none of you can explain it to me,” Delleney said.
The committee could meet again at the call of its chairman, Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville.
A state committee that awards grants to local government and nonprofit groups has suspended giving out new money until the Legislature agrees on new rules for the program.
At stake were 18 grant applications that have been in limbo since questions were raised about the program. Committee chairman Jimmy Bailey said many of these groups likely had been told to expect the money, but that the committee would make a final decision by June 1.
About $22 million remains to be awarded in the grant fund, with an additional $9.3 million included in both the House and Senate budgets.
The committee was concerned that they may not have enough information about applicants to make decisions, and that lawmakers could add new requirements during final negotiations for the state budget.
“I’m really not interested in putting any more air into that balloon,” said committee member James Brown. “I don’t want to approve any more grants until the legislature evolves the process.”
House leaders said they will be busy on the floor the next two weeks trying to approve legislation before a key May 1 deadline.
Included are bills asking parents to innoculate their daughters against HPV, another allowing power companies to recoup the cost of building nuclear plants and another expanding the number of judges
A bill raising the state's cigarette tax 30 cents a pack will likely be taken up next week. The House Ways and Means Committee advanced the bill to the floor last week.
May 1 marks the "crossover" deadline for bills in the House and Senate. After that date bills passed in one house require a two-thirds vote from the other house before they may be debated.
The House voted this morning to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill clarifying conflict of interst rules for local government officials.
The bill (H. 3226) would overturn a State Ethics Commission ruling that council member would have to give up their seats unless their company no longer did business with the county or city government.
Advocates said such restrictions would keep qualified people from serving. The bill allows those members to recuse themselves from any votes involving their company business.
The vote 102-0 to override. The question will next go to the state Senate.
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn is scheduled to make an unusual appearance before the S.C. General Assembly this afternoon. S.C. ETV is filming the speech and its live video stream is available below.
The stream is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. You might have to refresh your browser at that time to access the video.
If you have trouble viewing the video in your browser, try clicking here.
The Senate has rejected new federal ID standards that would cost the state tens of millions of dollars and could result in long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The bill (S.449), approved by voice vote, rejects implementing the new rules until the federal government pays for the increased cost.
The new rules were designed to make it more difficult to counterfeit state-issued identifications. The new IDs would be needed to board airline flights, open a bank account or receive government services.
Many states have complained they could not implement the rules by next year's May deadline.
Lawmakers were most concerned about the effect on the state's estimated 700,000 retirees, because the rules would require original birth certificates and other documents.
The Senate today postponed action on a Real ID bill pending more study on how S.C. residents would be affected if the state passes a law refusing to comply with the federal law set to be implemented in February.
Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, said state leaders need to meet with State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart, the state's chief Homeland Security officer, and others to determine the effect the state legislation would have on residents who wish to travel but have no passport.
S.C. residents, like others, would be required to get an encrypted national driver's license under the Real ID act, which would allow them to board planes after the law goes into effect next year.
"I think it's terrible what Congress has done to the citizens of South Carolina," Setzler said.
The Senate bill says S.C. would comply with the national ID law only if Congress agrees to pay for its implementation.
Gov. Mark Sanford is urging the Senate to reject the current Transportation Department reform plan the body will debate today.
Sanford, joined by three Senate supporters, said any plan must allow the governor to hire and fire the agency director.
Sanford stopped short of saying he would veto the current Senate proposal if approved. "I think we've made our opinion very, very clear," he said.
The Senate proposal would allow the governor to appoint a commission, but the measure also would create a legislative committee that must approve the agency's road plan and budget and also review commissioner performance.
"It eviscerates this notion of executive branch involvement," Sanford said.
A group of state senators Tuesday introduced a handful of bills designed to tighten, and simplify, state public information laws.
The measure were introduced in the midst of the South Carolina Press Association's Sunshine Week, which is designed to highlight the benefits of public information laws and encourage more open government.
The five bills would:
-- Reduce the amount of time an agency has to respond to a request to 10 business days from 15 business days.
-- Limit the cost of copies. Some agencies have charged $5 to $10 per copy.
-- Require the announcement of topics for discussion before a body can enter a closed-door executive session.
-- Prohibit adding items after an agenda has been published, unless the item needs immediate action.
-- Prohibit discussing public business at chance, social meeting or Internet meetings of the public body.
"We don't need to skirt the freedom of information act, we need to abide by it," said Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, a sponsor of the package.
Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, another sponsor, said the new laws would help the public keep better track of local and state government business.
Wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles would be at least three times as long if the the state enacts the federal Real ID program, DMV director Marcia Adams says.
Speaking at Gov. Mark Sanford's Cabinet meeting this morning, Adams said state residents would no longer be able to get replacement cards or make address changes over the Internet. Everyone with a driver's license or state identification would have to visit the DMV in person to get the new ID, she says.
All residents must have the new cards by the end of 2013, according to the federal mandate.
A bill before the S.C. Senate would order the DMV not to comply with the mandate unless Congress provides money for the law or makes certain changes. Twenty-two other states are considering similar bills.
Adams says it could cost more than $20 million initially and $11 million each year to comply.
Ultimately, citizens would have to have the new ID to board an airplane or visit any federal office building.
New Department of Insurance head Scott Richardson has earned a raise from the State Budget & Control Board.
The board voted to pay Richardson $137,000, the highest salary in a range recommended by consultants.
The state commission that sets agency head salaries recommended $112,000, but Gov. Mark Sanford, who nominated Richardson, pushed for more.
The commission sets salaries based on market data studied by consultants. This is the first time since 1995 the board has approved a higher than recommended salary. It is the only time since the salary commission was established in 1984 that a new hire was given the maximum salary.
Sanford said the extra money was fair pay for a job changed by Hurricane Katrina and insurance companies canceling coastal policies.
The House has resurrected a bill to allow any out-of-state resident with a concealed weapons permit to carry a firearm in South Carolina.
Yesterday, the House voted to send the bill back to committee over safety concerns.
The State Law Enforcement Division has objected to allowing reciprocity to any state whose laws, including background checks and training requirements, were less restrictive than South Carolina's.
The bill is a priority for the National Rifle Association, which encouraged visitors to its Web site to contact their state representative before today's action.
Currently, South Carolina allows residents of just 11 other states to carry concealed handguns here.
A Senate committee has approved a bill that would refuse to implement new federal rules for state-issued identification.
The rules, known as Real ID, would cost millions, cause longer lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles and likely increase the cost of a driver's license.
The new IDs would be required to board airline flights, open a bank account and obtain government services.
If the bill is approved, the state would not implement the rules until the federal government pays the cost.
A Senate subcommittee has approved a Transportation Department reform bill, leaving in key provisions that give the governor more oversight of the troubled agency.
The measure allows the governor to appoint a transportation secretary and five of 12 commissioners. Lawmakers had expected opponents to challenge those provisions today.
The bill will head to the Senate floor next week but likely will be reviewed by the Judiciary Committee.
A House committee is close to wrapping up legislation to reform the state Department of Transportation.
The bill would create a seven-member commission elected by the Legislature, with a transportation secretary appointed by the governor.
The only remaining issue is when state law would apply to DOT contracts and spending and when it should be exempt.
Today, the committee voted to allow the secretary to hire and fire all top deputies. The commission must take a vote on contracts for any company doing more than $500,000 in business with DOT in a year.
The Senate is giving final approval today to a bill allowing voters to decide whether the comptroller general should continue to be an elected position or one appointed by the governor.
The legislation is the only government restructuring passed in either body of the General Assembly so far this year.
Senators rejected an amendment by Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, which would have made the attorney general a member of the five-member State Budget and Control Board.
Prospects are mixed this afternoon for several bills designed to let voters decide whether constitutional officers should be appointed rather than elected.
The Senate started to take up the bills yesterday then stopped when it appeared the votes weren't there. Today, the first bill up failed to receive the required two-thirds approval needed.
That measure, which would have allowed the governor to appoint a state adjutant general, was sent back to committee and could come up for a vote later. South Carolina is the only state that elects its state military leader.
Senators gave preliminary approval to the comptroller general bill but rejected a similar measure that could make the education superintendent's job an appointed position. More votes are expected for secretary of state and agriculture commissioner.
Gov. Mark Sanford is pushing lawmakers to pass the bills, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, which the governor says would streamline state bureaucracy and make government more accountable to voters and taxpayers.
In a move that surprised some state senators, debate on several bills designed to let voters decide whether constitutional officers should be appointed opened today with what appeared to be a filibuster by Republicans.
Senators had expected to take up the measures tomorrow. When the Senate went into session at noon, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said there was no need to wait and that senators were ready to vote on the bills.
Sen. Greg Gregory, R-Lancaster, opened the session with a long lesson on S.C.'s governmental history when it looked like the votes weren't there.
"Is this a filibuster? A delay? I don't know," said Sen. Tommy Moore, R-Aiken. "Everybody is here."
At 1 p.m., McConnell moved that the Senate adjourn.
The S.C. House is sending a bill loosening lawmaker ethics rules back to committee after Democrats and other legislators complained they were holding other professionals to a higher standard than themselves.
The bill would allow charges against lawmakers to remain secret, unlike similar complaints lodged against doctors and other licensed workers. Some in the House are unhappy with the proposal and say legislators should set a better example with their own rules.
Earlier in the day, Democrats said they would request sending the bill back to committee for further study.
Rep. John Scott, D-Richland and the only Democrat on the Rules Committee, said the bill should be reviewed. "I don't think that on the heels of Republicans moving very swiftly last week to close their caucuses we ought to give leadership the ability to change ethics rules," he said.
Democrats say House Republicans have constantly attempted to erode ethics laws.
