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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.
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.
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."
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.
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."
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.”
Gov. Mark Sanford signed the Department of Transportation reform bill Wednesday, terming it a key piece of his restructuring agenda aimed at making the DOT more accountable.
Under the bill, Sanford will get to hire who runs the agency. The bill creates a Secretary of Transportation, who would for the first time in our state's history be directly accountable to the governor and future governors.
The bill leaves in place the DOT Commission - with six commissioners elected by the legislature and one appointed by the governor - to continue governing some operations of the agency.
Sanford said in a news release that while the addition of an at-will director is a step forward, that the legislature should be willing to revisit the duties and powers of the commission if the new structure proves to be unworkable.
"We believe this bill will be an important step toward addressing what's been made clear in the recent (legislative) audit and in numerous articles from around the state, which is that the current structure at the DOT has failed South Carolina's taxpayers," Gov. Sanford said in the release. "I'd give real credit to the House and Senate for getting this bill to my desk, and in particular to legislators like Senators Grooms and Ryberg and Representative Annette Young for their efforts to keep this issue on the front burner. The people of South Carolina deserve a DOT that spends their tax dollars wisely and makes good decisions with regard to our state's infrastructure, and we believe this bill will move the ball forward on that front."
Gov. Mark Sanford will sign the bill that changes the way how the $1 billion Transportation Department does business.
Sanford will travel to North Charleston to sign the Department of Transportation the bill, which Sanford called in a news release a key piece of the his restructuring agenda that takes a step toward making the Department more accountable.
The bill signing will be held held at 9:45 in the lobby of the North Charleston Performing Arts Center at 5000 Coliseum Drive.
The House is poised to resurrect a plan to add $40 million to the Transportation Department and state infrastructure bank. The money would come from sales tax on cars, eventually totaling $90 million per year.
The money is in an amendment to H. 3544, which is the state budget bill.
The House will vote on the amendment after returning from lunch.
Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday morning that South Carolinians “can’t afford another six months waiting” for lawmakers to act on changes to the Department of Transportation and the state’s workers compensation system.
Hours before lawmakers return to Columbia to try and solve an impasse that blocks agreement of a state budget, Sanford laid out in a press release what he believes to be the stakes.
House leaders have made clear that no DOT reform means no budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and that means no tax cuts for at least a year.
“There’s no reason in the world that the Legislature shouldn’t be able to provide substantive tax relief to the people of this state,” Sanford said.
And Sanford continued to level his sharpest barbs for the Senate, which he and the House blame for the lack of progress.
“Time after time this year, some in the Senate have resisted reform on each of these fronts, and that’s something that has to change if the General Assembly has any hope of accomplishing what people sent them here to do,” Sanford said.
House and Senate negotiators have agreed to a framework to reform the state’s Transportation Department, but the plan falls short of initial goals to make sweeping changes at the agency.
The compromise still needs to be approved by the full House and Senate. It would allow the governor to appoint the agency’s director. In addition, the Transportation Department would be required to rank and choose projects based on objective criteria such as traffic, accident rates, cost and other factors. The agency has been criticized for letting politics factor too heavily in prioritizing road needs.
But the bill makes few changes to the seven-member commission that sets policy and oversees the agency, with the only new requirement that commissioners meet professional qualifications.
The agreement came at the end of a long day of back and forth between House and Senate negotiators. In the end, both sides agreed it was better to drop some items from the bill so that the General Assembly could vote for some reform of the agency.
“We’ve improved the process,” said Senate President Pro Tem-pore Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston. “We’ve got three days left to get this done.”
Lawmakers return to Colum-bia for an extended three-day session this week, hoping to seal deals on Transportation Depart-ment reform, income tax cuts and approve the state budget.
The House has held up the budget until deals are struck on taxes and Transportation. Monday’s deal, they said, moves them one step closer.
Ranking road projects, said Rep. Annette Young, R-Dorchester, will go a long way to improving how state highway money is spent.
“It goes to where it is needed,” Young said. “When there are high accident rates; where there is a high volume of traffic.”
The House backed off one contentious part of their plan to add $20 million, each, to the Transportation Department and State Infrastructure Bank budgets. The Senate had opposed adding any money until reforms were given a chance to work.
The $40 million has been set aside in the pending budget agreement, and it was unclear where that money would go.
Young said she was disappointed there would be no additional money since there are many maintenance needs across the state.
Senate budget negotiators met again this morning, but — unlike Monday — House negotiators joined them this time.
Sort of.
Senate staffers blew up head shots of state Reps. Dan Cooper, R-Anderson; Tracy Edge, R-Horry; and Denny Neilson, D-Darlington, put them on sticks and placed them in their chairs. The senators then "discussed" the proposed state budget with the representatives.
The House has refused to meet with the Senate until it compromises on Transportation Department reform and worker's compensation changes.
This is the second day in a row that the Senate budget negotiators have met without the House.
The legislative session is scheduled to end Thursday. However, key issues remain unresolved, increasing the odds legislators will be forced to return to Columbia later this month.
The House has voted to reject new federal identification standards, concerned about the state cost and long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The state estimates the new rules, known as Real ID, would cost at least $22 million up front and an additional $10 million annually after. The Senate version of the bill, S. 449, rejects the plan unless the federal government pays the cost. The House version rejects the rules outright.
The Senate has given key approval to a bill restructuring the state Transportation Department, but the bill falls short of changes supported by Gov. Mark Sanford.
The Senate plan creates a seven-member board -- one member from each congressional district and one at-large member -- selected by the governor. The board then selects the agency's executive director.
A 10-member legislative committee would report back to the General Assembly on the board's performance, the agency's policies and the statewide transportation plan the board would create.
Sanford has argued any agency reform must allow the governor to hire and fire the executive director.
Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, said the Senate plan changes little within the agency, which came under fire last year after an audit reported that Transportation policies resulted in millions of dollars being squandered.
"I think it moves DOT to the General Assembly," Ryberg said prior to the vote. "I don't think there's any accountability in this amended, amended bill."
Supporters said the legislative oversight panel allows lawmakers to keep an eye on how state money is spent but turns over much of the agency to gubernatorial appointees.
Today's vote ended two weeks of debate on the bill. The House passed a different version of how to restructure the agency, creating a seven-member commission and allowing the governor to hire and fire the director.
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 Senate committee this afternoon advanced a bill that takes South Carolina out of the controversial Real ID program unless the federal government picks up the tab.
Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, said the new law carries the "potential for the biggest crisis that will face the Department of Motor Vehcles in modern times."
The measure says South Carolina will only participate in the program, which requires new national identication cards, only if the federal government agrees to pay for the program.
The Senate Transportation Committee gave the bill a favorable report. It now heads to the full Senate.
Martin said the ID program could cost between $20 million to $25 million to start up and $10 million to $15 million a year to operate.
"They're not gonna fund it," Martin said. Congress will hold it's first public hearings on the Real ID program Monday in Washington, D.C.
A coalition of environmental and industry groups are urging the Senate to approve Transportation Department reform legislation.
Last week, the House attached their reform plan to the budget, hoping to force action in the Senate where the measure faces some serious opposition.
South Carolina Coastal Conservation League executive director Elizabeth Hagood says the House bill was "decisive, comprehensive and courageous."
That measure creates a seven-member commission, elected by lawmakers, with an executive director appointed by the governor. The bill also requires road projects be ranked according to traffic, safety, road quality and other factors.
The Senate bill creates a 12-member commission chosen by lawmakers and the governor. The executive director is hired and fired by the governor.
Both bills are up for floor debate.
Georgetown County businessman Joe Young was appointed to a vacant S.C. Transportation Department Commission seat today.
The appointment surprised many in the Charleston and Berkeley County legislative delegations, who said they were never asked to vote on Young's appointment.
Young is owner of Lowcountry Forest Products and served 13 years on the Santee Cooper board.
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.
S.C. Senate Transportation Committee chairman Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, said today's committee debate on Transportation Department reform will determine whether the agency sees meaningful changes.
"It's a vote about who wants any reform or not," Ryberg says. "I think it's a defining vote."
This morning, Ryberg said the key issue is whether the governor will be given the power to hire - and fire - the agency's director. That power currently resides with a commission.
Some committee members are concerned about giving the governor that authority and likely will try to amend the bill during committee debate.
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 S.C. House could finish its work work on a Department of Transportation reform bill by the end of the week. The package could include up to $200 million in new funding.
"You can't have the reform without the funding," House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said today. "You can't have the funding without the reform."
It could still take several weeks to draft the bill and approve it in committee before the full House debates the plan.
A special committee is considering a plan for a seven-member DOT commission with a transportation secretary appointed by the governor. The plan would eliminate the executive director's position.
A House subcommittee has agreed to pay S.C. Department of Transportation commissioners up to $1,000 a month for in-district expenses.
The commissioners also would receive a per diem for travel to and from commission meetings.
Rep. Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, says if commissioners are going to make more money, he expects them to have a better understanding of how the agency operates.
Commissioners in the past have not received more than $11,000 in one year for expenses.
S.C. Transportation director Elizabeth Mabry is stepping down at the end of the year.
Mabry informed other Department of Transportation officials of her decision yesterday, and it was announced at today's DOT commission meeting in Columbia. The agency is charged with infrastructure projects such as building highways and bridges.
Mabry has been on sick leave this month for an undisclosed illness and was not at the meeting to comment on her resignation.
The announcement comes less than two months after a DOT audit found that the agency had squandered more than $50 million. State House and Senate committees are investigating the audit's findings. Gov. Mark Sanford has said the report shows more reasons why DOT should be placed under his direct control.
