In a proposed budge proviso there will no longer be additional fees on collect calls made from our corrections pay telephones. Currently, when an inmate makes a collect call from a corrections facility, an extra fee is added. The recipient of the call must pay a higher price on a collect call from a prison than a regular collect call. So in essence, we are taking money from an inmate’s family and friends. Wouldn’t rehabilitation be enhanced if the inmate could talk to his family more? This generated $1.4 million for the state, yet seemed unfair to the families of those doing time.

Monday was my first day of the first year of the Finance Committee’s work on the budget. We went over several subcommittee reports and adopted most of the subcommittee’s recommendations on numerous provisos.
                                    
The tuition pre-payment program shall not accept any new participants. This was a good plan with good intentions. Because of higher ed’s reckless, unquenchable appetite for spending, tuition costs have been soaring through the roof, so it was a fiscally untenable plan. We will not take any new enrollees, yet a current participant won’t have to pay additional out of pocket money for the difference of the tuition escalation.

Monday, March 30, 2008: The LCI subcommittee adopted several amendments that do the following:
           
Allows for local government to offer tax incentives to those that voluntarily install sprinkler systems. The property tax credit may be as high as 25%. State government will match this local tax credit dollar for dollar. Essentially, the entity installing the sprinkler system could possibly get as much as 1/2 of the costs refunded through tax credits.

Allows for tap fees and other related utility fees to be charged. The fees charged by utilities will have oversight by the Public Service Commission. Until Monday, the bill deleted the ability of utilities to charge maintenance fees and limited tap fees not to exceed ordinary tap fees. This amendment gives utilities more latitude to recover costs associated with the extra expense of providing the necessary volume needed by sprinkler systems, yet calls for checks and balances.

                                             
                                                
                                     
Land, cash donations to support Teacher Renewal Center, youth programs
COLUMBIA – Clemson University and the South Carolina Department of Education Thursday announced a major gift of Upstate forestland and cash to support a new partnership aimed at providing unique professional development opportunities for teachers to renew their enthusiasm for the teaching profession.

Clemson President James F. Barker announced that The Cliffs Communities and its foundations, led by Jim Anthony, will donate $10 million in cash and more than 355 acres of prime real estate in the Jocassee Gorges area of Pickens County to support development of a Teacher Renewal Center – a first-of-its-kind facility in South Carolina. The goal of the center is to enhance the quality of education by helping the state retain its best teachers.

“The Teacher Renewal Center will offer a venue and programming designed to renew teachers’ spirits and celebrate their contributions to our children, to our state and to our nation,” said Anthony, founder and chief executive officer of The Cliffs Communities. “Our Cliffs property owners and associates are honored to be a part of a project that will make a tremendous difference now in the lives of literally thousands of teachers and children in South Carolina, and also for generations to come. Being involved in this initiative is simply the right thing to do.”  to see the full press release

His mother is a cosmetologist!

Current law requires any employee of a salon that washes a customers hair must be a licences cosmetologist. I got an e-mail from Representative Ted Vick‘s mom the other day:
Dear Senator:

My name is Jan S. Vick. My son is Rep. Ted Vick. I would like to ask  you to please pass Bill H 3803, concerning “unlicensed persons  being able to shampoo hair under the supervision of a licensed  cosmetologist”.

I have been a hairdresser for the past 24 years. Many of those years, I  have hired a “technician” to assist me in this manner. Unfortunately, the person  had to be a licensed cosmetologist, just to shampoo hair. It has been very hard  to find someone to fill this position.

This would be a great opportunity…to encourage others to go into this field of work.

Thousands of jobs can be created in SC, if this legislation  passes, and this poor “tired” hairdresser, would certainly appreciate  the help!

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

God bless,
Jan S. Vick

 H. 3803 eliminates this requirement. I can’t believe the SC House passed legislation that actually removes a regulation. As it goes, even a blind hog can find an acorn every once in a while!