Smoking in cars with kids illegal, under bill

Motorists who light up in the car with passengers 10 and under would be subject to a fine of up to $100, according tot a bill that passed a Senate Committee Wednesday.

The bill, which passed the Senate last year and died in the House, would allow law enforcement to pose a fine when there is clear evidence a someone has been smoking in a car with young children.

The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, said the bill is intended to protect children from second-hand smoke.

The bill is still expected to have opposition in the House. Some members who helped kill the bill last year saw it as a slippery slope that would begin to ban smoking in private venues.

Sign bill turned back on floor

A House bill has narrowly failed that would have limited the naming of roads, bridges and stretches of highway to only law enforcement officers and military personnel who have died in the line of duty. 

Rep. Mac Toole, a Lexington County Republican, said it costs the state Department of Transportation $500 per sign. Toole said the signs represent one of dozens of ways the state wastes money.

"If we add them all up...we'll have more money to help people which is what we're supposed to be doing," Toole said.

Critics of the bill said many people including teachers and firemen deserve recognition through the 
signs.

Progress on bill to ease restrictions for driving teens

Teens with restricted licenses may soon get a little more freedom.

A bill that received key approval from the House today would allow 16-year-olds with such licenses to drive to religious events.

Currently, licensees can only drive to work and vocational training during daylight hours.

The bill needs one more routine vote from House lawmakers before heading to the Senate.

Report: S.C. road maintenance $22 billion short

South Carolina will need to spend nearly $22 billion more than it plans to over the next ten years to make roads and bridges safer and adequate enough to withstand projected growth, says new report released today by TRIP, a national
nonprofit transportation research group based in Washington, D.C.

Read the report

According to the TRIP report, the South Carolina
Department of Transportation estimates that from 2007 to 2016,  $28.2 billion is needed to relieve congestion, improve road conditions, make needed bridge repairs and implement needed safety enhancements. But SCDOT estimates $6.3 billion will be available during that period. That leaves a shortfall of roughly $21.9 billion.

This shortfall, the report says, is exacerbated by sharply increasing highway construction costs.

Idling tractor trailers and buses banned under bill

A House panel has passed a measure to limit the length of time trucks and buses can idle. Under the bill, a commercial hauler could only idle 10 minutes per hour while a bus transporting people could idle 15 minutes. The intent is to limit emissions released into the environment. It includes several exemptions including trucks left idling to keep its driver warm on cold nights. 

Car sales tax would go to fix roads

A House subcommittee has approved a bill to dedicate more money to highway funding.

The bill, H.4549, would dedicate a portion of the sales tax on car purchases and ship it to a new account for roads.

The bill has the support of House leadership, as well as business groups.

Sanford: State must spend smarter, not tax more to fix roads

Gov. Mark Sanford issued a news release today to reiterate his position that South Carolina should not raise its gasoline tax to accelerate the repair of substandard roads and bridges.

The state, instead, needs to spend its road maintenance money smarter, according to the governor.

Some S.C. lawmakers have advocated raising the tax to address a backlog of repairs, including $2.9 billion to fix thousands of state bridges that need maintenance. About 100 state bridges need to be replaced, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Sanford said a state audit found S.C. wasted more than $60 million  that could have been used for infrastructure needs. He also said in his news release that South Carolina is already spending more than the southeastern and national average on transportation, and that DOT's budget grew 122.5 percent from 1995 to 2007, outpacing the 77 percent growth in other state spending over the same period. 

"When you look at the numbers, it's clear that our state could be doing more to make sure that our infrastructure dollars are going to where they're needed most, and that we could be doing a better job with the dollars already in the system," Gov. Sanford said.

"We don't think it makes sense to talk about raising taxes on hard-working South Carolinians until the issue of getting the most out of existing dollars is fully addressed."

Limehouse confirmed by Senate

H.B. "Buck" Limehouse, of Charleston, was confirmed as the state's first Transportation Director today.

Gov. Mark Sanford nominated the veteran of the agency for the newly created post that will have Limehouse run the day-to-day operations of the $1 billion DOT and report directly to the governor.

Gas tax hike fixes roads, bridges, leaders say

The new head of the state's transportation agency and a key Senate budget writer both said South Carolina taxes and fees should be increased to pay for mounting bridge and road maintenance and other transportation needs.

In the wake of an Interstate bridge collapse in Minnesota Wednesday, state transportation officials estimated South Carolina has more than 1,000 bridges in the same need of maintenance as the collapsed bridge.

Transportation Department Secretary H.B. "Buck" Limehouse, who was confirmed to the job by the Senate this morning, argued the state should consider raising the state's 16.8 cents-per-gallon gasoline tax, or imposing a sales tax on fuel sales.

The Transportation Department can not afford to meet state road needs, Limehouse said, which has forced counties to raise their sales tax rates to pay for local projects.

"If the public can see their money is well-spent," Limehouse said, "they don't mind paying it."

Senate Finance committee chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, agreed. Leatherman said the General Assembly should  look at raising the gas tax, raising the $300 sales tax cap on car and truck sales or boosting funding for the State Infrastructure Bank, which helps finance road projects.

"I think you'll see a combination," Leatherman said.

"At some point in time the state of South Carolina is going to have to generate new revenues for the Department of Transportation," he said. "It may take a major catastrophe like that for us to step up and have the will."

Sanford names Limehouse transportation director

Gov. Mark Sanford named Buck Limehouse the first Secretary of Transportation Monday, retaining the man who has led the agency since May.

Lawmakers granted Sanford the ability to choose who runs the agency’s day-to-day operations in June, part of a bill designed to reform the agency and make its leadership more accountable. Sanford, in a news release, said he opted to retain Limehouse for his “institutional knowledge” while the agency adjusts to the new law.

Limehouse, 68, is a former Transportation Department commission chairman. Under the new law, Sanford can remove Limehouse at any time.

“I think Buck brings a unique skill set and perspective to this job as we sort out what works and what doesn't under this new management model,” Sanford said in the release. “This appointment will give us through the next legislative session to not only see what works and doesn't work within the agency, but to clearly determine whether or not Buck is the right fit with this administration to bring those changes.”