Lawmakers fret over governor’s budget travels
S.C. legislative leaders said Thursday that Gov. Mark Sanford should be spending more time coming up with suggested budget cuts instead of flying around the state calling for them.
Sanford flew to stops at Highway Patrol offices in Florence and Greenville and a Probation and Parole Department office in Greenville to get the public involved in what promises to be a long battle over how to deal with a budget shortfall.
Last week, the state Budget and Control Board, which Sanford chairs, voted 3-2 for an across-the-board cut of 3 percent, or $188 million, to head off budget problems as state tax collections sag.
Sanford wanted a 1 percent cut and called on legislators to come back to their desks in a special session and make more specific cuts in agency spending.
On Thursday, he sent out a news release calling on citizens to pressure legislators to deal with the budget before they return in January.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell and Senate Finance Committee Hugh Leatherman responded with releases of their own, saying January is soon enough to address budget problems.
“If the Governor had taken the time to ask before announcing his press flyaround, he would have found out that I believe that targeted budget cuts are the right thing to do.” Harrell, R-Charleston, said. “But potentially spending millions of dollars to have the General Assembly return in September for a special budget session is not the right answer.” Leatherman, R-Florence, said that would be a waste of money.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell didn’t like any of it. “I don’t think we get leadership on this by press releases and press conferences,” McConnell said in an interview.
McConnell is open to bringing legislators back before January. But he leaves it up to Sanford to propose specific budget cuts and persuade legislators to support them.
“To me, the governor has not done anything on that,” he said. “There needs to be a specific set of proposals that there’s consensus on.”
Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer countered, “We already did that. It’s called the budget vetoes and most people upstairs voted against every single one of them.”
Sawyer said legislators should rethink those 69 vetoes worth about $72 million in the $7 billion budget and come up with ideas of their own for the rest.
By Jim Davenport
The Associated Press
Myrtle Beach Sun News
August 22, 2008