Senate to Require Truth in Spending
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State and Local Government Expenditures to be Posted Online
Columbia, SC - Under the “Truth in Spending Act” (S.1144) introduced today, taxpayers will no longer need to wonder where their tax dollars are being spent, they will be able to go online and see for themselves. The bill requires all state and local government entities, including school districts, to post monthly expenditures over $100 on their website.
State agencies that are part of the Governor’s Cabinet already report their expenditures online; this bill will expand that requirement and include local governments.
“The Truth in Spending Act will shine a light on wasteful government spending at all levels — state, county, municipal, even school districts will disclose spending,” says Senator Larry Grooms (R- Berkeley), the primary sponsor of the bill. “Government in South Carolina will be held accountable for spending, because government spending will be available for viewing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
“It’s all about accountability,” says Senator Kevin Bryant (R- Anderson), a sponsor of the bill and vocal advocate of financial disclosure. “We want the citizens of this state to know how their money is being spent. The more access taxpayers have to information the more likely they are to hold government accountable for the spending of those dollars.”
Under the provisions of the bill online listings of expenditures must be updated monthly and must include: the transaction amount, name of payee, and purpose of expenditure. In addition to cash expenditures, monthly credit card statements must also be posted online. The bill does make some exception for law enforcement expenditures that could jeopardize the operations a department.
“This bill has been a long time in coming,” says Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), one of the key sponsors of the bill. “This ray of sunshine will reach into the darkest corners of government spending by requiring all expenditures over $100 to be posted online as well as credit card statements for cards issued for official business.”
State or local governments that do not maintain a website will be required to send information to the State Budget and Control Board, who will post the information on designated section of the Board’s website.
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S.C. Senate aims to spur Congress to act on immigration
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As part of a multifaceted approach to illegal immigration, the state Senate on Wednesday issued a call for a national constitutional convention in a strategy aimed at forcing Congress to act.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell first introduced the concept in October after Washington negotiators failed to agree on a new immigration policy. The goal is not to see a convention convene, McConnell said. Rather, it’s to pressure Congress.
“Our hope is that this will be a call that will start to gain steam across America and it will put some heat under Congress and they will do what they’ve been sent there to do,” said McConnell, R-Charleston.
P&C: Sen. Grooms recieves 2007 Leadership Award
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State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, was presented the 2007 Palmetto Leadership Award this week by the S.C. Policy Council.
“Sen. Grooms has been an amazingly effective leader on education reform, property tax relief and transportation restructuring,” said Ed McMullen, president of the policy council. “He has positively impacted the lives of all South Carolinians, and for that we recognize him with our highest honor.”
The Policy Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization in Columbia committed to individual liberty, free enterprise and limited government.
Previous recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and state Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston.
Grooms represents District 37, which includes portions of Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties.
Grooms and his wife have three young sons.
Sen. Grooms receives 2007 leadership award
Post and Courier
Friday, November 16, 2007
While States Burn, Congress Fiddles
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Illegal immigration: While states burn, Congress fiddles
By Larry K. Grooms
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Our great national debate about illegal immigration is hardly new to the American experience. Today the controversy has reached a fever pitch, but over 200 years ago Alexander Hamilton offered his take. He wrote that the safety of a nation depends “on the energy of a common national sentiment, on a uniformity of principles and habits, on the exemption of the citizens from foreign bias and prejudice, and on that love of country which will almost invariably be found to be closely connected with birth, education and family.”
I support legal immigrants and believe, as most Americans do, that they bring with them new talents, a strong work ethic, and a genuine desire to achieve the American dream. But now, by some reports, there are as many as 38 million illegal immigrants here.
The notion of a great “melting pot” is tossed out the window when we have a half-million new, undocumented men, women and children pouring across our borders every year. There’s no way a nation, even a nation as large as ours, can assimilate them quickly enough. By the very act of stepping across our border, illegals are at once tramping on the principles that have traditionally kept America strong — our abiding sense of fair play and the rule of law. The sheer number of them, by necessity, means that our national principles and habits are weakened. Hamilton’s notion of “a common national sentiment” is diluted with each passing day.
We experience the problem even in small, non-border states like South Carolina. Our schools are overwhelmed. The S.C. Department of Education can’t even tell me the number of undocumented children we have; a court decision requires that we provide for their education and prevents asking students about their immigration status. Our health care system is strained, too. An estimated 20 percent or more of the uninsured are illegal immigrants. Hospitals are required to provide care in many cases, and Medicaid reimburses providers. In schools and emergency rooms, it’s the taxpayer who foots the bill. Meanwhile, recent news reports point out that the wages of hardworking South Carolinians are falling because of illegal immigrants in our workforce.
The issue, however, has now transcended the old debates about government entitlements, cheap labor and even a common language. These great, unchecked waves are fostering a festering resentment in Americans. In this event Hamilton warned the very fabric of society becomes endangered, since ‘the harmony of the ingredients is all important.’ We are facing what he feared would come to pass. The problem is now so acute it should become a national security priority.
Since the most fundamental and important function of government is to ensure the safety of its citizens, what then can we do? South Carolina’s ability to effectively deal with the problem is hamstrung by provisions in the U.S. Constitution that leave immigration law solely within the jurisdiction of the federal government. The states have very few mechanisms available for meaningful reform. What limited legislation the South Carolina Legislature may be able to pass risks being shot down by federal judges. Yet Congress has not acted. While the states burn, Congress fiddles. A new and more basic, some would say radical, approach is needed.
S.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell has introduced an ingenious plan that addresses the issue head on. Under Article V of the Constitution, the S.C. General Assembly can petition Congress to call a convention for the sole purpose of giving states the ability to address illegal immigration. This exceptional and unprecedented resolution, if approved by two-thirds of the states, would require Congress to call this convention, where the issue could be dealt with once and for all. The purpose would be straightforward: states would be given the ability to permit or deny benefits to illegal immigrants, as well as the ability to enforce federal immigration laws within their borders. States would also be given the ability to apprehend and expel violators and the provision would mandate that the federal government provide timely assistance with deportation.
The fact that apparently no one has thought of this move before reflects not only Sen. McConnell’s creative thinking, but also shows how far we have moved away from the notion of republicanism and states’ rights. The beauty of the proposal lies in its reliance on the most basic principles of our founding. It also has the practical effect of forcing action and could very well mean the states will get relief.
I am a co-sponsor of this resolution and will do everything I can to help ensure its passage. The call for a constitutional convention is a plea for help. If Congress can’t see the handwriting on the wall and do its duty, the states are obligated to do theirs.
