Senate Republicans Tuesday took aim at federal health reforms, unveiling surprise legislation they said is designed to send this message to the federal government: South Carolina is not bound by every law Congress passes. The Senate gutted a so-called 10th Amendment bill they unsuccessfully pushed last year reaffirming the state's sovereignty rights under the U.S. Constitution, and re-focused the legislation to take aim at resistance to national health care. "A vote from the Legislature could … [Read more...]

Lawmakers are searching for solutions to the state’s budget crisis. Senator Glenn McConnell reveals his plan to get the state out of debt and it could mean sweeping changes in Columbia. Imagine being $476 million in debt. “That’s the problem in South Carolina,” said Sen. Glenn McConnell. … [Read more...]

When the South Carolina General Assembly meets again next week for the first time in six months, the first order of business may very well be the censure of Governor Mark Sanford. The House’s censure resolution will likely pass very quickly, according to House leaders and be passed onto the Senate. But what will happen then is uncertain. A House committee voted at the end of last year not to impeach Sanford but to censure him instead. If they had voted for impeachment and that were to be … [Read more...]

While lawmakers and the governor wrestle with ways to handle a projected $560 million budget shortfall for the coming year, legislative leaders say they have no specific plans yet on what to do about the tsunami of shortfalls that is predicted for each of the following two years. In part because federal stimulus and Medicaid match funds disappear after the next fiscal year, the Office of State Budget is projecting a $1.3 billion deficit for fiscal year 2011-12 and a $1.4 billion deficit in … [Read more...]

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said Thursday the S.C. Senate may not ever vote on a censure of Gov. Mark Sanford that the House expects to approve next week. Unless the Senate quickly can take up the matter, which criticizes Sanford for his clandestine June trip to Argentina and subsequent discoveries about his use of state aircraft, McConnell, R-Charleston, worried that the nonbinding resolution had the potential to bog down Senate business. The bill could be taken up immediately in … [Read more...]

Senate President Glenn McConnell said Thursday that the Senate may not ever vote on a censure of Gov. Mark Sanford that the House expects to approve next week. Unless the Senate can quickly take up the matter, which criticizes Sanford for his clandestine June trip to Argentina and subsequent discoveries about his use of state aircraft, McConnell, R-Charleston, worried the non-binding resolution had the potential to bog down Senate business. … [Read more...]

The recent downturn in our nation's economy has impacted the budgets of nearly every state. At least 48 states are facing budget shortfalls this year, totaling more than $190 billion in lost revenue according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The shortfalls amount to a shocking 28 percent of all state budgets. Revenue that our state uses to provide essential government services continues to be cut. Unlike our neighboring states, we have actually cut government spending instead of … [Read more...]