The Verdin View
The Official Constituent E-newsletter of Senator Danny Verdin, District 9 Chairman of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee
Dear Friends:
It’s hard to believe, but another session of the General Assembly has passed. Of the nine years that I’ve been privileged to serve as your Senator, 2009 stands out as the most challenging. Budget shortfalls, Federal stimulus funds and all the uncertainty that surrounded those funds contributed to the complexity of the situation. I’ll come back to that in a moment.
Another aspect of this challenging session was the on-again, off-again nature of the legislative calendar. An attempt was made to reduce the number of session days, and consequently, the burden on the taxpayers. However, as a committee chairman, it made for a difficult process in scheduling committee work.
Finally, the unusual schedule also had an impact on our ability to guide bills through the full Senate, sending them on to the next point in the legislative process. It’s almost like baseball, leaving runners stranded on base, except that we get a chance to “bring them home” in the “next inning” of 2010. My hope is that the second year of the assembly is more productive than the first.
Now, I’ll address the budget. As you know, there was much controversy surrounding the use of the Federal ARRA (stimulus) funds. While all understood these funds were, by no means, “free money”, there were basically two opposing philosophies. One side reasoned, if we’re going to have to pay it back, why not take it? The other side took into account requirements that would be placed upon the states for receiving the funds. Specifically, funding levels attained through the stimulus would be maintained at that level by Federal mandate. We would face budget shortfalls after the two-year stimulus period expired. The choice would then be to cut somewhere else or raise taxes.
My support was for the latter camp. I supported a budget amendment proposed by Senators Ryberg (Aiken Co.) and Davis (Beaufort Co.) that would have been more effective in funding our necessities — classroom teaching, law enforcement and corrections. The amendment did not pass and, in the end, the veto of the General Assembly’s budget was overridden.
As a matter of record, I voted to sustain17 of 28 (just over 60%) budget vetoes in the Senate. Other vetoes, which I might have supported, never came to the Senate, but were sustained in the House.
Good budgets, in my opinion, speak to individuals, as well as communities and even counties with profound needs. Some examples of this philosophy include keeping funding for chiropractic services in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budget, as well as several line items that related to rural hospitals, health clinics and dental programs.
Another budgetary issue, the concept of flexibility is becoming more and more important. I supported a measure to allow agencies to have more freedom in allocating funds in the most effective manner. Certainly this requires legislative inspection and these agencies must always be accountable for your tax dollars.
When all is said and done, I want our state’s budget to reflect the same common sense values that you and I live on a daily basis. Often, that is not the case, but I am encouraged with many of the new Senate and House members that arrived in January. They hold these same values and are willing to fight for them, so a better day for this state could be ahead.
Let me briefly mention some of the other legislation passed this session:
S. 232 State energy policy – includes “clean energy resources” in state energy policy, defines “renewable” and calls for analyses of state agencies to determine if they are operating efficiently.
S. 351 State Ports Authority — focused on oversight and transparency, including establishing a legislative review commission, requiring relevant background and education for board members and requiring on-line posting of all expenditures of $100 or more.
S. 428 E-verify – resolution by the General assembly urging Congress to reauthorize the e-verify program; this is CRITICAL to the enforcement of the Illegal Immigration Reform Act of 2008.
S. 453 Livestock and poultry – prohibits counties and municipalities from establishing standards more restrictive than state law and prohibits counties from enacting new storm water fees on agricultural land.
S. 593 Weapons – allows those holding a concealed weapons permit to have possession of their weapon on school grounds.
H. 3301 Deferred presentment – regulates the “payday lending” industry by establishing additional fees and reporting requirements, establishes a loan data base and creates a single annual extended payment opportunity for borrowers.
H. 3352 School districts – grants flexibility to districts in determining the most efficient use of their funds and requires a register for expenditures of $100 or more.
H. 3651 Forestry – prevents counties and municipalities from establishing standards for registered forestry activities that are more restrictive than state law.
This was a trying session, but I received many letters, e-mails and phone calls with messages of encouragement, letting me know that I am in your prayers. This was a tremendous blessing to me and my family, but also served as a reminder and motivation to keep doing the job you sent me to do. Let me encourage you to open, or strengthen, a dialogue with all your elected officials, especially those at the local and state levels. These are unprecedented times and your voice needs to be heard.
Your involvement in the process of good government is greatly appreciated. Please feel free to pass this issue of THE VERDIN VIEW on to your friends and neighbors and, as always, never hesitate to contact us. We’re out of session, now, but will return in January. If you’re coming to Columbia, schedule a Statehouse tour, watch the Senate at work and please stop by our office.
All the best to you and yours,
Danny