Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The S.C. Senate takes up 38 vetoes overturned by S.C. House.
The S.C. Senate will meet today at 1 p.m. to discuss Gov. Nikki Haley’s July 5 vetoes to the 2012-2013 state budget. The Senate will take up 38 vetoes overturned by the S.C. House on Tuesday (NOTE: Veto letters attached as pdf to this piece). Two of the vetoes overturned Tuesday by the House were the funding for the arts commission and rape crisis centers. If the Senate overturns those today, the funding will be restored. On Monday, Haley took to her Facebook page, urging followers to contact their legislators and vowing to track votes in today’s session. "The days of spending one time money for recurring items or on earmarks and pork have to come to an end," she said in the post. The veto session has become an annual spectacle in South …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Three days away from the government shutdown deadline, state lawmakers still haven't passed a budget
Three days aways from a government shutdown deadline and state lawmakers still haven't passed a budget. Gov. Nikki Haley criticized lawmakers on Tuesday for not sending her a budget. Afterwards, the Joint House/Senate Budget Conference Committee worked late into the evening and came to an agreement on a finalized budget, according to House Speaker Bobby Harrell's office. The agreement included House’s plan to cut small business taxes 40 percent by reducing their income tax rate from 5 percent to 3 percent. The two Legislative Chambers were set to meet on Wednesday to adopt the plan, but the Senate announced Wednesday morning it was canceling session for the day. “The budget conferees, both House and Senate, should be commended for working …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Investigation prompted by accusations while a state rep.
Gov. Nikki Haley has been cleared of ethics violations by a six-member committee chaired by Rep. Roland Smith (R-Aiken). Rep. Laurie Funderburk (D-Kershaw) the only dissenter in a 5-1 vote that went along party lines. The other ethics committee members are Michael Pitts (R-Laurens), Joan Brady (R-Richland), Mike Gambrell (R-Anderson) and Phillip Lowe (R-Florence).* “We commend the House for doing its job seriously and professionally," said Rob Godfrey, Haley spokesman. "Once again, we’ve seen another in a long line of made-up nonsense claims against Governor Haley found to be meritless. "While mudslingers, trash-talkers, and political opponents will undoubtedly continue to do what they do, Governor Haley will continue to do what she does …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
House bill proposes raising high school dropout age to 18
More than one in four South Carolina students fail to graduate high school on-time, but some state legislators introduced a bill that could keep potential dropouts in school longer. House Bill 4727 would increase the compulsory age for high school attendance to 18 years old. Current South Carolina law allows students to drop out at age 17 without parental permission. “Everything we can do to encourage attendance is a positive thing,” said Rep. James Smith (D-Richland), one of the bill's sponsors. “My first and foremost interests are in making sure we have the very best educational opportunities for all students.” The issue of school age requirements came to the fore in January when President Barack Obama encouraged states to introduce …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Six months after Gov. Haley vetoes I-95 Corridor Authority bill, S.C. House sustains the veto to not create state-mandated representative group.
COLUMBIA — The I-95 Corridor Authority Act met its death as first priority of the S.C. House Tuesday. With a vote of 76 to 47, along party lines, House members sustained Gov. Nikki Haley's June 7 veto of the bill ratified June 1. After Haley's veto, the Senate overrode the veto June 15. The House postponed the vote until Tuesday's session. The I-95 Corridor Authority Act sought to establish a representative body among the counties along Interstate 95 for the purpose of economic development. The state-mandated authority was unfunded by the state, unless the General Assembly voted to provide funds at a later date. During the recess, conservative groups rallied behind the governor's decision that the bill would create an extra layer of …
JoSCh
10:35 am on Thursday, June 28, 2012
I'm pretty sure that shutting down the government is the whole point of the modern GOP, is it not? You can't get *real* corporate sponsorship if you're running a government for the people, by the people. Too many protections built in. Best to just let America fail and sell off the pieces to the rich. more ›