South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus

Almost $500 million of spending cuts are on the desk of the South Carolina governor. Lawmakers say it’s a necessary evil but, it’s an evil parents with special needs kids do not want to see.

Margie Williamson waited three and a half years for her son Wesley, who has autism, to speak his first word. Now he’s in a normal first grade classroom.

“He still has a long way to go,” Margie said.

That progress could be stalled for her and other parents. Read the rest of this entry »

Reduction plan sent to Sanford

The Senate on Thursday gave key approval to nearly $500 million in budget cuts, after swatting down proposals to shorten next year’s legislative session, raise the cigarette tax or use one agency’s surplus to pay for shortfalls in children’s programs.

Gov. Mark Sanford criticized some parts of the budget-cutting plan and attacked what he called “misinformation” used on the Senate floor during the debate about an agency’s surplus.

“While we’re pleased that the Senate stuck with the overall approach we called for in making targeted cuts, we’re disappointed that they didn’t take this opportunity to address some real flaws in this spending plan,” Sanford said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »

A Marquette University alum who is now a Republican state senator in South Carolina was elected to the Marquette University Board of Trustees on Wednesday.

Greg Ryberg is a native of Eau Claire who graduated from Marquette in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. After graduation he worked at Kimberly-Clark in Neenah and at the Sanford Corp. in Chicago before moving to South Carolina in 1977. He also served in the United States National Guard from 1968 to 1974.

In 1977, Ryberg purchased an oil distributorship in Aiken, S.C., and started a convenience store business. He built 53 stores employing more than 550 people before selling to a public company in 1999. Read the rest of this entry »

A referendum to incorporate Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville failed Tuesday, but a side issue of the campaign remains.

S.C. Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, has acknowledged that the Lower Savannah Council of Governments has been cleared of any violation of its nonprofit status involving its assistance to the GVW study committee.

But in a press release, Ryberg continues to contend that LSCOG “violated the intent of the law” in providing bookkeeping services for the committee, which was preparing for the incorporation referendum. He plans to introduce legislation in January that would prohibit LSCOG’s involvement. Read the rest of this entry »

State Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, says the Lower Savannah Council of Governments exploited legislative loopholes before Tuesday’s election, and he plans to push for tighter restrictions when the South Carolina General Assembly convenes next year.

“Public bodies should not engage in political activity, period,” said Mr. Ryberg, referring to the council. “And private individuals should not use public entities to hide their political activity.”

On Tuesday, voters in Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville rejected a referendum to combine the communities into one incorporated municipality by 1,331-763. Read the rest of this entry »