S.C. Politics Today: Budget talks stall, will resume today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We’ve gotten a bad reputation for being more tolerant of this type of thing than we should have been.”

— Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, leading the charge Tuesday for committee approval of a bill creating a felony trespass charge for offenders who enter the grounds of a domestic violence shelter, and allowing for warrantless searches and arrests by authorities when there is probable cause to believe an individual has committed criminal domestic violence

S.C. PRIMARY

Days left until the June 10 primary: 20

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Days left until the Legislature adjourns June 5: 15

SCHMOOZING

Where S.C. lawmakers will eat and drink for free today — and who’s buying.

8-10 a.m.:Breakfast, by the S.C. Primary Healthcare Association, Blatt Building, Room 112

Noon-2 p.m.: Lunch, by the John De La Howe School, Blatt Building, Room 112

6 p.m.: 15th Annual “Spring Fling,” by Electric, Telephone and Gas Utilities, at The Coop

CAPITOL CONNECTION

• Budget talks stall, will resume today

State budget writers made little progress Tuesday in resolving a handful of disagreements in a $7 billion state spending plan.

Lawmakers had hoped to wrap up work Tuesday but believe they will finish this week. Among the areas of disagreement are how to fund 4-year-old kindergarten, whether to add money to the state Conservation Bank, and a number of spending items — such as tourism advertising — within the budget.

The budget will cut many agencies between 2.5 percent and 5 percent, give state employees a 1 percent raise and add more than $90 million for K-12 education.

FARMERS MARKET

Gov. Mark Sanford returned to the Senate on Tuesday a resolution that would spend more than $40 million to relocate the State Farmers Market from its Columbia location to Lexington County and build 10 mini markets around the state.

Sanford used his line-item veto authority to delete about $21 million from the resolution that would be used to build the 10 regional farmers markets, including one in Richland County.

The Senate did not act on the veto, delaying action until later. To override the governor, two-thirds of the Senate and House must agree to go against Sanford’s wishes.

RESTRUCTURING

A state Senate committee passed legislation that transfers some bureaucracy to a new agency that gives the governor more control of day-to-day operations.

The bill heads to the Senate floor. The House passed the measure last month.

It transfers more than a dozen functions now handled by the State Budget and Control Board and other agencies into a new Cabinet-level Office of Administration. Those include personnel, computer systems, and property and fleet management.

Gov. Mark Sanford praised Tuesday’s vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee as moving the state’s bureaucracy into the 21st century. The Republican governor has for years sought giving his office more authority.

The change would not take effect until after Sanford leaves office in January 2011.

CIGARETTE TAX

House leaders delayed until today debate of a bill raising the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax despite efforts of tax supporters.

Doing so, lawmakers hoped, would allow budget negotiators to finish work on a $7 billion spending plan. That did not happen. House Speaker Bobby Harrell is pushing for a 30-cent-per-pack increase to be used to give small businesses tax cuts to buy employee health insurance.

Democrats and others are pushing for the Senate version of the bill — a 50-cent-per-pack increase that would be split between expanding Medicaid and granting health insurance premium assistance to low-income workers.

PAYDAY LENDING

Sen. Robert Ford on Tuesday made good on his promise to block all House-passed legislation in the Senate until lawmakers find a way to pass payday lending reform.

Ford, of Charleston, put a hold on second and third reading of all House bills, objecting to the House’s refusal to allow a payday lending bill out of committee.

The Senate is working on a new amendment to a bill many hope will put payday lending back before the House, on the floor, where members can debate it and vote the measure up or down.

The Senate approved a bill earlier this year that would cap interest payday lenders can charge for a loan. It also would restrict the number of loans a customer can have at one time and would mandate a waiting period between loans.

The House has held the bill in committee for weeks, with members saying they were studying it closely, before announcing last week they would not take action on the measure this year.

IGNITION INTERLOCK

A bill that will require the installation of ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of people who violate drunken-driving laws received key House approval Tuesday. After one more vote, the bill will head to the governor’s desk.

The devices, used in other states, will require drivers to blow into them. The devices will determine if and how much the driver has been drinking.

If the device picks up alcohol, the car’s engine will be rendered inoperable.

Contributing: Staff writers John O’Connor, Gina Smith and Roddie Burris; The Associated Press