MORNING BUZZ: Another SC roads plan + where 2016 candidates are headed

And then there were 3 roads plans

A S.C. House committee combined an income-tax cut proposal Thursday with a plan to raise money to fix the state’s crumbling roads, giving South Carolina three road-repair plans.

The House plan could emerge as the “just right” porridge as lawmakers try to stir up a road deal.

Another plan — Gov. Nikki Haley’s tax-swap proposal — is too hot, legislators say, adding the state can't afford the income-tax cut that the Republican governor wants. The third plan — the Senate’s — is too cold, without enough support to survive a Haley veto.

Prez Clicks

2016 in SC: The Palmetto State is getting its first visit by a major candidate to formally announce a run for president in 2016 with Sen. Ted Cruz’s visit next month.

SC in 2016: Sen. Lindsey Graham, who could become the first South Carolinian in three decades to a mount a presidential run, will head back to Iowa this weekend.

Senate spat: Four GOP senators are trying to gain the upper hand on the commander-in-chief test — Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham — and their competition was on vivid display as the Senate took up a Rubio plan to pump tens of billions of dollars more into the Pentagon budget.

S.C. Clicks

Arrest: A brother of Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster has been charged with burglary in connection to an incident in Forest Acres.

I-95 fix: State highway officials are planning safety improvements on Interstate 95 in Jasper County, a stretch known as the 'coffin corridor' for its alarming number of fatal tree-related wrecks.

S.C. State: University trustees, who anticipate being removed by the state Legislature in the near future, are moving quickly to approve a three-year, $20 million capital campaign.

State House Clicks

Uber bill: The ridesharing app Uber would be permanently allowed to operate across South Carolina under a bill that cleared the state House Thursday.

Court expansion: The Senate gave key approval to a bill to expand the state's courts that divert mentally ill offenders away from the criminal justice system and into treatment programs.

No days: Upstate legislators are meeting with resistance from Gov. Nikki Haley in their attempts to waive the requirement that school districts make up all the days they missed during last month's snowstorms.

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This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 6:46 AM with the headline "MORNING BUZZ: Another SC roads plan + where 2016 candidates are headed."