An article in the Anderson Independent on January 14 expressed my views well except for one portion of my quote. I didn’t say I support more cuts, I said I support more deregulation that could save money. see below:

State Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, said the Legislature had not yet addressed the situation, but there may be additional cuts.

“Well, you know, the districts are trying to put some fear in teachers like it’s going to effect them. But classroom instruction is the last thing to be cut,” he said. “We may even get to $1 billion in cuts. … I’ve been telling my constituents that the legislature’s been spending way too much money over the past years. Pork won over principal, and here we are today.”

Moves made by the Legislature last year to eliminate Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test exams should save school districts money, Bryant said. But he said he advocates further cuts deregulation.

“We’re spending nearly $12,000 per student per year, and the money’s just not getting to the kids,” he said.

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 12‑43‑217 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO QUADRENNIAL REASSESSMENT, TO PROVIDE THAT THE MILLAGE RATE IN EFFECT AT THE END OF DECEMBER OF THE FOURTH YEAR MUST BE USED WHEN CALCULATING WHETHER PROPERTY VALUATION HAS RESULTED IN A CHANGE IN VALUE OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE, AND TO PROVIDE THAT NOTICES OF ANY CHANGE IN VALUE OR CLASSIFICATION MUST BE MAILED TO TAXPAYERS AT LEAST SIXTY DAYS PRIOR TO THE END OF THE COUNTY’S FISCAL YEAR.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 12‑43‑217(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read: 

“(A)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, once every fifth year each county or the State shall appraise and equalize those properties under its jurisdiction. Property valuation must be complete at the end of December of the fourth year and the county or State shall notify every taxpayer of any change in value or classification if the change is one thousand dollars or more.  The county must use the millage rate in effect at the end of December of the fourth year when calculating whether property valuation has resulted in a change in value of one thousand dollars or more.  In the fifth year, the county or State shall implement the program and assess all property on the newly appraised values.

(2) Notices required pursuant to subsection (A) must be sent to taxpayers no later than sixty days prior to the end of the county’s current fiscal year.”

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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Republican Senators Join Fight To Protect Workers’ Rights (from www.scsenategop.com)
January 22nd, 2009
Senator Ryberg: “An individual’s vote must be sacred and should not have to subject him to intimidation and harassment.”
Columbia, SC – January 22, 2009 – During a time when unions have forced the Big Three near bankruptcy and American taxpayers are bailing them out, Congressional Democrats are pushing a plan to grow unionization across the nation. Last week South Carolina Representative Eric Bedingfield filed a plan to protect South Carolina’s workers from union intimidation and today South Carolina’s Republican Senators joined the fight.
Deceptively named the “Employee Free Choice Act,” the liberal plan has been more appropriately dubbed the “Secret Ballot Elimination Act” by US Senator Jim DeMint. The legislation would strip workers of their right to vote for unionization by secret ballot, opening them up to what State Senator Greg Ryberg calls “intimidation and harassment” by unions.
“Whether it is to elect a president or vote one’s preference on union organizing, the sanctity of the ballot box is critical,” Senator Ryberg said. “An individual’s vote must be sacred and should not have to subject him to intimidation and harassment.” Ryberg is chairman of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee in the State Senate.
SC Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler and Majority Whip Danny Verdin are the primary sponsors of the Senate bill.
“We’ve seen what happens when unions control the economy. It’s called Detroit. And we’ve seen what happens when unions fail. Congress bails them out on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. South Carolina must continue to be a right-to-work state and we must protect our workers’ rights during this tough economic crisis,” Peeler said.
The legislation will be filed on Tuesday and protects workers’ rights through an amendment to the SC Constitution stating, “To preserve and protect the fundamental right of individuals to vote by secret ballot, where local, state, or federal law requires elections for public office or ballot measures, or requires designations or authorizations for employee representation, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot is guaranteed.”
Senate Sponsors include:
Majority Leader Harvey Peeler
Majority Whip Danny Verdin
President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell
Senator Greg Ryberg
Senator Larry Martin
Senator Paul Campbell
Senator Wes Hayes
Senator Lee Bright
Senator Larry Grooms
Senator Mike Rose
Senator Mike Fair
Senator Ronnie Cromer
Senator Kevin Bryant
Senator Shane Martin

Columbia, S.C. – January 21, 2009 – Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the Senate Republican Caucus’ reform agenda:

“The ideas of spending caps, restructuring and greater transparency are things this administration has pushed for a long time, and we’re incredibly pleased that Senate Republicans are making these issues a top priority this year,” Gov. Sanford said. “I’d give particular credit to Senator Peeler and Senator Verdin for their advocacy on this front, because I think it will make a world of difference in moving these ideas over the finish line. There’s so far been an encouraging degree of agreement between this administration, the Senate and the House on what the priorities for this session need to be, and we’re hopeful that trend continues during the coming months.”

 

SC SENATE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS UNVEILS REFORM AND ACCOUNTABILITY AGENDA ON YOUTUBE

Columbia, SC – January 16, 2009 – Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) today announced the Senate Republican Caucus’ 2009 first agenda package in an innovative form for South Carolina politics – posted on the website youtube.com. The “Sunshine in South Carolina” package centers around legislation that will bring accountability, transparency and efficiency to state government. Job losses and economic troubles are at the forefront of everyone’s mind. South Carolina has been hit uniquely hard as we now have the third worst unemployment rate in the nation and budget woes are forcing cuts in essential services. Reining in government spending, restructuring antiquated agencies and putting government practices under the microscope of public scrutiny are necessary steps toward getting the state back on the right track.

Senator Peeler noted, “Across the nation, families are suffering during this economic crisis. South Carolina has been hit hard by this global economic downturn. I’m going to be honest. A lot of this is out of our hands. We can’t fix Wall Street, Detroit or Washington”.

Peeler continued, “However, we can make South Carolina a more attractive place to do business. We know what creates jobs and stimulates our economy. Lower taxes grow our economy. An educated and trained workforce, a strong infrastructure and healthy workers grow our economy. Most importantly, compromise, teamwork and a coordinated strategy grow our economy. But sometimes government itself stands in the way of getting the job done. We realize that we will not be able to meet our funding needs and create jobs until we reform government.”

Along with fellow Caucus members Senators Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), Larry Martin (R-Pickens), Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson), Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) and Mick Mulvaney (R-Lancaster), Peeler introduced the legislative agenda via Youtube and the Caucus website www.scsenategop.com. In keeping with the theme of the agenda, this is a new way to make government more available to the press and constituents, alike.

“Sunshine in South Carolina” is not the full agenda being pushed by the Senate Republican Caucus in 2009, but just the first in a push to make state government more accountable to the taxpayers. Healthcare, transportation, energy, tax reform and education plans that will grow South Carolina’s economy will be announced throughout the session.

The “Sunshine in South Carolina” reform package includes:

1. Accountability

Spending Caps

Placing a cap on state government spending would likely have prevented, or at least limited, the significant cuts to state agencies’ budgets that we are seeing today. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell has championed legislation to establish a limit on spending based upon a ten-year rolling average of revenue growth coming into the state’s coffers. Any money in excess of the ten-year average growth rate would be set aside in a “rainy day fund,” which would be used to weather the storm of years when revenue is decreasing.

2. Transparency

On The Record Voting (ACCOMPLISHED)

With the exception of South Carolina, every state in the Southeast requires a recorded vote on every bill prior to its passage. Forty-five states nationwide require a recorded vote in their constitution or through procedural requirements. The South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus has championed a new rule requiring recorded votes that will give taxpayers a clear picture of how their elected officials are voting and how their money is being spent.

Earmark Reform

Now more than ever, during this economic crisis, we must ensure that the General Assembly is spending every single tax dollar wisely. Senator Shane Massey has proposed that every member take responsibility for the “pet” projects that are slipped into the annual appropriations bill. Massey’s “Appropriations Bill Earmark Disclosure Act” will be a top priority for the Caucus to strengthen accountability.

Online Check Register

Wasteful spending of tax dollars breeds contempt for those in government who are supposed to responsibly and efficiently make use of those dollars. When many South Carolinians are struggling to pay their power bills, they don’t want to hear that their hard-earned money is going to fund trips to the Florida coast. If every governmental agency, both local and state, were required to post their expenditures online for all to see, most would take careful consideration as to how they utilize those funds. Under Senators Larry Grooms’ and Kevin Bryant’s plan, any expenditure over $100 would have to be posted on the Comptroller General’s website, complete with the dollar amount, the employee’s name, and the purpose behind the expense. With this level of transparency, misuse of tax dollars will be easily exposed, and with any hope, it will one day be eliminated.

3. Good Government

The Department of Administration

The efficiency of government is critical to the well being of our state, especially during harsh economic times. The state’s Budget & Control Board is a management entity unlike any other in the country. In fact, South Carolina is the only state without a cabinet agency overseeing many of the state’s day-to-day operations. Last year, the proposed creation of a new Department of Administration nearly became a reality. Senators Larry Martin and Chip Campsen lead the effort to get the legislation out of Senate Judiciary Committee. Unfortunately, the session came to a close before the full Senate could address the matter. Had that proposal passed, many of the Budget & Control Board’s functions and responsibilities would have been moved under the umbrella of the new cabinet agency. The plan has been reintroduced this year as Senate Bill S.208. As the state’s financial woes continue, what would be a better time than now to begin the transition to a more practical and efficient form of government?

Lt. Governor

When the people of this state elect their chief executive officer, they do so with certain expectations. Be it fiscal policies, economic development, social stances or the ideals of how a government should be run, the Governor of South Carolina is elected to implement and execute the platform on which he campaigned. Many believe that in the model of good government, it is essential that the Governor and his “Lieutenant” share the same agenda. Others believe that the voters should pick the two leaders independently based on their character rather than their party affiliation. It is the belief of the Senate Republican Caucus that the voters should make the final decision in this debate. We will be pushing a plan to put the matter before the voters in the 2010 General Election.

 

Our programmers tell me the site has been attacked and hijacked. As you can see we’ve lost all posts from August. We’re up and running again, but as far as the posts from August until now, there lost! I guess all of you that search these archives as a  resource for wisdom, sorry.