South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus

Columbia, SC – September 3, 2009 – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader and Medical Affairs Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) today announced his plan to move three big restructuring bills aimed at improving the efficiency of state government. Senator Peeler has appointed Senate Majority Whip Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) to chair a subcommittee examining restructuring of five health agencies.
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Mechanism needed to absorb jolts of the legislative spending cycle

State Sen. Harvey Peeler is correct when he points out that the state needs a shock absorber to even out the jolts from poor spending decisions.

The senator’s metaphor describes the situation well. A shock absorber takes up some of the impact of holes in the road, evening out the ride of a car by limiting the up and down movement of the suspension.

South Carolina has been made car sick by the ups and downs of state spending and budget cuts. The cycle of legislative spending is clear. When the economy is growing, the General Assembly spends all the money it can, every dime that is forecast to come into the state’s coffers. Lawmakers give no thought to the inevitable economic downturn. For instance, last year, lawmakers spent more than $1 billion in revenue growth. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a movie that House Speaker Doug Smith has seen before – a comedy turned drama with a tragic ending that leaves everyone frustrated.

Giddy with the smell of cash in good times, South Carolina lawmakers send money to every corner of the state. Then come the bad times, and legislators must take back large chunks of the bounty.

With the bad times comes a familiar song and dance, a tune that ends with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle singing never again. And that’s where the story ends.

Fade to black, roll the credits and start the show over again. Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Mark Sanford said Thursday that South Carolinians could expect to see more budget-cutting sessions like the one scheduled for next week unless lawmakers pass legislation to limit spending increases.

“Absolutely,” Sanford said during a lunchtime visit to Daddy Joe’s Beach House and Barbecue. “Those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.”

The Gaffney stop was part of Sanford’s 10-city, two-day tour to renew his call for government restructuring, which has been a hallmark of his six years in office. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and state Rep. Nathan Ballentine traveled with Sanford, and state Sen. Harvey Peeler joined them at Daddy Joe’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Mark Sanford said Thursday that South Carolinians could expect to see more budget-cutting sessions like the one scheduled for next week unless lawmakers pass legislation to limit spending increases.

“Absolutely,” Sanford said during a lunchtime visit to Daddy Joe’s Beach House and Barbecue. “Those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.”

The Gaffney stop was part of Sanford’s 10-city, two-day tour to renew his call for government restructuring, which has been a hallmark of his six years in office. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and state Rep. Nathan Ballentine traveled with Sanford, and state Sen. Harvey Peeler joined them at Daddy Joe’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Legislators will attempt to cut about $490 million

Lawmakers will return to Columbia Monday to begin hacking away at the state’s $7 billion budget.

The state’s Board of Economic Advisors last week cut revenue estimates for the fiscal year by 6 percent, setting the stage for the Legislature’s special session. House Speaker Bobby Harrell and Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said in a statement they would seek to reduce spending by 7 percent, or about $490 million.

“We’re literally plowing new ground here,” said Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney. “We’re going in to make targeted cuts, and the entire budget is the target.”

In lowering the revenue projections, the Board of Economic Advisors cited faltering sales tax collections. Peeler said that was no surprise given that the state’s tourism industry has been decimated by the global economic crisis. Read the rest of this entry »

State Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said this morning he will push for a rules change when the Senate meets next to require legislators to cast more recorded votes, even if it means slowing down the Senate.

The issue has been pushed by Gov. Mark Sanford and is supported by some House members and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell. House Speaker Bobby Harrell has questioned the need for it and the cost of such a change.

Rep. Nikki Haley of Lexington unsuccessfully pushed a bill during the last session to require roll call voting for all legislation dealing with spending matters. She said she is introducing such legislation again. Read the rest of this entry »

Peeler: “when the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there”

(Columbia, SC) – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler today released the following statement on roll call voting legislation:

“There’s an old hymn we sing in church that goes ‘when the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.’ That’s the tune I’ll be singing next session and I’ll be passing song sheets around the Senate Republican Caucus so that my colleagues can sing with me.

South Carolinians are angry…and they should be. Although the current national financial crisis is stealing many of the headlines, South Carolina is facing a $70 million budget shortfall and the highest unemployment levels in fifteen years. Individual accountability and more government transparency highlight almost every conversation I have with constituents.

Editorials, press releases and blogs are great for bringing attention to an issue, but it takes real work to bring about change. It is time we start doing the work South Carolinians elected us to do. It might create more work. It might require us to work longer. It might even make us sit in a room with people we don’t particularly like. As leaders we must put petty political arguments and partisanship aside and focus on what is best for South Carolina, not the next election.

It starts with roll call voting. We will not fix South Carolina’s economy until legislators can be held accountable for their votes on government spending. Roll call voting will shine a light on the entire system, creating the transparency needed by legislators and deserved by taxpayers. There are two ways to accomplish this mission in the State Senate. The first is through a rules change on the first day of session, which I will be rallying our Caucus members around. A rules change is the easiest and quickest way to ensure transparency.

In addition to the rules change, I will file companion Senate legislation to Representative Nikki Haley’s House bill, which requires a roll call vote on spending bills and all other bills other than resolutions and recognitions.

Critics have two complaints. Many say that roll call voting will slow the Senate down. My response…so be it. We need to slow our work down and deliberate more on legislation. Far too often wasteful spending is inserted into bills and passed quickly without debate.

Other critics say that we already have roll call voting. All we need are five Senators to call for it. Well, we already have standardized business practices, but that did not stop the financial crises on Wall Street, and our current rules have not stopped wasteful spending in South Carolina.

Putting our state back on a course that leads to job creation and economic growth must be top priority for the General Assembly next year. And, I think it begins by joining hands and singing a song of transparency and responsible spending. ”

Two women whose complaints about their supervisor in the Cherokee County Veteran’s Affairs Office led to an unresolved state investigation have been fired.

About 60 people, most of them veterans, met Tuesday with Sen. Harvey Peeler and Rep. Olin Phillips, two of four Cherokee County Legislative Delegation members. But the meeting did not bring an end to the almost year-long controversy.

The special meeting came after VA Director Sammy Willard terminated Kathy Love and Michele Tucker on Monday. Read the rest of this entry »

Public Policy Ailments Create Public Ills

Mary Kay and Travis Ansley are living the health care crisis many others are talking about.

This month, the Ansleys nearly dropped the health insurance on their five-person family because the monthly premium on their self-insured policy jumped to more than $750 a month.

That’s an enormous chunk of money to this Charleston couple. Travis works in a two-man cabinet shop and Mary Kay runs a two-person home cleaning operation. Read the rest of this entry »

Public policy ailments create public ills

Mary Kay and Travis Ansley are living the health care crisis everyone else is talking about.

This month, the Ansleys nearly dropped the health insurance on their five-person family because the monthly premium on their self-insured policy jumped to more than $750 a month.

That’s an enormous chunk of money to this Charleston couple. Travis works in a two-man cabinet shop and Mary Kay runs a two-person home cleaning operation.

Scrambling for better coverage for the family, Mary Kay found a carrier that would cover them for a little more than $500 each month, or close to $7,000 a year. That represents roughly one dollar out of every 7 they bring home going for healthcare insurance. Read the rest of this entry »

Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Senate closed the regular session today still debating tough issues. In the waning moments of the session the Senate brokered an agreement on the concealed weapons reciprocity bill (H.3212), which expands the number of states recognizing South Carolina’s concealed weapons permits to at least 27. The Senate was also able to build consensus on several DNA bills that were added as amendments to S.429, the final details of a conference committee report will be considered when the General Assembly reconvenes later this month for a final wrap-up session.

Overall this session was highlighted by reform measures being passed on several high profile issues: illegal immigration, DUI, education, and small business health care.

“Immigration reform was the bright and shining star of this session, because it took everyone working together to come up with a viable solution,” says Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee). “I would consider this a correction session. The Senate made significant changes to DUI, education and illegal immigration. I am most pleased that despite a lean budget, we were able to put almost $100 million of new general fund money into K-12 education.”

The biggest topic of the year, immigration reform, came to a final resolution this week when Governor Mark Sanford signed the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act into law. The nation’s strongest and most comprehensive immigration reform law was the result of two years of work by Senate leaders, particularly Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg).

“After two years of hard work, South Carolina now has the strongest, most comprehensive illegal immigration reform law in the country. In addition to a strong E-Verify requirement for all employers, this law addresses all of the key issues in the fight against illegal immigration,” says Senator Ritchie.
The Senate passed a new DUI law this year that significantly increases penalties for those convicted of DUI. The bill established a tiered system of offenses and penalties. Those convicted of DUI for the first time face the possibility of increased jail time and fines. The new reform bill also removed many of the legal loopholes that have been exploited in the past by defense attorneys. Senator Larry Martin (R-Pickens) Chaired the Joint Legislative Conference Committee that hammered out the final agreement on the bill.

“The Senate took two major steps in strengthening the state’s DUI laws,” says Senator Martin. “First, the Senate removed the cumbersome requirement that officers provide multiple roadside warnings to those suspected of DUI. Second, the Senate created a tiered system for first-time offenders that increases penalties for people whose blood alcohol content is above .16.”

The Education Accountability Act became a big issue this session as legislators discussed the elimination of the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). The ten-year-old test was scheduled to expire and educators wanted to replace the test, which they claim does not provide the individual assessments needed to benefit students. Senator Wes Hayes (R-York) shepherded the bill through the Senate.

“This is possibly the most important education bill that passed the General Assembly this session,” says Senator Hayes. “This bill makes some significant changes to the accountability system. Testing will not only measure how our schools and students are performing, but will provide teachers the diagnostic feedback needed to help individual students improve.”

Small businesses are now able to join together to form “Healthcare Cooperatives,” thanks in large part to the Senate Republican Caucus. The law allows a group of 10 or more industry-related, small businesses to join together for the purpose of purchasing group insurance, which often provides cheaper rates than can be negotiated by an individual business. Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville), Chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, was one of the top advocates for the bill during the last two legislative sessions.

“This law will increase the affordability of health insurance for small business throughout South Carolina,” says Senator Thomas. “We need to do all we can to help small business be as competitive as possible, and this bill is a key step in that direction.”

The General Assembly is expected to return for no more than three legislative days between June 17 and 27, to consider gubernatorial vetoes, conference committee reports and a limited number of other items outlined in the Sine Die resolution.

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