South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus unveils sunshine agenda
From Sunshine Review
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Last week the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus unveiled an ambitious agenda known as "Sunshine in South Carolina." The agenda is focused on legislation aimed at bringing accountability, transparency, and efficiency to state and local government. While South Carolina has the third worst unemployment rate in the nation and is currently facing a budget crisis, Caucus members say an accountable government can help change that.[1]
In announcing the agenda Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) acknowledged a great deal was out of their hands, but explained their actions - "We know what creates jobs and stimulates our economy. Lower taxes grow our economy. An educated and trained workforce, a strong infrastructure and healthy workers grow our economy. Most importantly, compromise, teamwork and a coordinated strategy grow our economy. But sometimes government itself stands in the way of getting the job done. We realize that we will not be able to meet our funding needs and create jobs until we reform government.”[1]
[edit] Sunshine Agenda
Caucus leaders stressed that "Sunshine in South Carolina" package is just the first agenda they will push in 2009. It is broken down into three major categories: accountability, transparency, and good government.
[edit] Accountability
In order to increase accountability, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell is pushing for spending caps. If caps on government spending had been in place, he said, the current budget crisis would have either been prevented or greatly lessened.
His plan it to establish a limit on spending based on a ten year rolling average of revenue coming into the state. Any money that exceeds the 10 year average growth rate would go into a "rainy day fund" which could be used to pay down debt or for when revenue is decreasing.
[edit] Transparency
To increase transparency of government, the agenda has a three-prong approach:
- On the record Voting - The Caucus pushed for a new rule that would require votes to be recorded, effectively putting legislators on the record. Earlier this year this was accomplished and now nearly all bills require a roll call vote.[2]
- Earmark reform - Senator Shane Massey has proposed that every member be forced to take responsibility for their "pet" projects, making it clear to taxpayers.
- Online Check Register - Government agencies at the local, county, and state levels would be required to post their check registers online, making it much more difficult to misuse tax dollars. Senators Larry Grooms and Kevin Bryant proposed that all expenditures over $100 be posted on the Comptroller General’s website, along with the dollar amount, employee’s name, and purpose of the expense.
[edit] Good Government
Lastly, the Caucus is pushing for good government. The first thing they see as necessary is the creation of a new Department of Administration to oversee day-to-day operations. Currently, South Carolina is the only state without such a department. They are also concerned about electing the governor and lieutenant governor separately, which they say can lead to unnecessary waste and gridlock. They plan to put this issue to the voters in the 2010 General Election.
[edit] Roll-Call vote victory
As mentioned, the Senate Caucus has already seen their roll-call vote proposal pass, with similar rules adopted in the House. The effort in the House, led by Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) and Nathan Ballentine (R-Irmo), saw their measure pass unanimously. The new rule requires members to push a button to vote yes or no, with the votes displayed on a screen in the chamber and recorded in the public record.[3]
It is a dramatic change from just last December, when a rule was adopted that all votes would be recorded as "yes," even for those who were not in the chamber. In order to be on the record as "nay," lawmakers had to tell the clerk afterward.
Governor Mark Sanford praised the changes, saying, "Both the House and Senate have now made a real improvement to how business is done in the Statehouse, and have in the process opened the books on their voting to the people of South Carolina."[3]
[edit] SC Policy Council
Instrumental to the debate was the efforts of the South Carolina Policy Council. Last August they issued a report showing that the House recorded votes on only 8% of the bills they passed, while the Senate was at 1%.[2] With the beginning of this year they have begun a "Recorded Votes Tracker" on their website, keeping count of the number of votes taken and if they are voice or roll call votes.
[edit] External links
- South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus
- SC Senate Republican Caucus YouTube Channel
- South Carolina Legislature
- South Carolina Policy Council
