Legislators to force Sanford on stimulus 5/13/2009 1:08 AM Associated Press COLUMBIA -- South Carolina legislators agreed with a 95-18 vote Tuesday to require South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to apply for federal stimulus cash they say is needed to protect schools, colleges, law enforcement and prisons from deeper budget cuts.
That House vote came as the budget bill headed back to the Senate with expectations the $5.6 billion spending plan would land on Sanford's desk as early as Wednesday. The $350 million in stimulus cash would be added to state spending. Once Sanford signs the law or the Legislature overrides his vetoes, the governor will have five days to request the money.
The Senate took no immediate action on the bill Tuesday, but Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, expects the bill will pass Wednesday and be on the governor's desk by the end of the day.
"I suspect we'll adopt that," Leatherman said. "I can't imagine that the Senate's not going to adopt what the House sent over here" after the two budget committee staffs worked out compromises.
South Carolina agencies and programs stand to see as much as $2.8 billion in federal stimulus cash flowing through budgets during the next two fiscal years. Sanford said he controls decisions on requesting $350 million each year, or $700 million. He's called for the money to be used to offset state debt.
The White House has twice rejected Sanford's debt repayment proposals, saying the money needs to mostly be used in education and to help prevent teachers from losing jobs.
Sanford said legislators acted too quickly.
"One, being asked to vote on the budget in such a short amount of time isn't fair to the people expected to vote responsibly on it, and it's a disservice to the people they represent," Sanford said in a prepared statement.
He said the stimulus money will only create a hole in the budget of up to $700 million in a couple of years and it does nothing to help the "state weather an economic storm that is far from being over."
Legislators said their amendment blunts budget cuts made during the past 10 months as more than $1 billion was slashed from a $7 billion budget.
It would add $17 million for school bus fleet spending and $14 million to the corrections department to head off a deficit and the need to close prisons and release inmates early. It also would provide nearly $7 million for the Department of Social Services to offset budget cuts in a variety of programs, including teen pregnancy prevention, and more than $4 million to indigent legal defense programs.
The bill restores and sweetens a couple of tax breaks. Last week, the state Supreme Court threw out a law that, among other things, created a tax-free Thanksgiving weekend for gun sales. The budget bill restores that. It also raises the income tax credit for installing solar energy systems to 30 percent of the costs, up from 25 percent.
Sanford hasn't changed his stimulus position. On Monday he called on legislators and taxpayers to stand up in opposition to plans to use the stimulus cash. On Tuesday, he sent out a "Waste of the Day" news release questioning the Legislature's opposition to cost cutting at the state Aeronautics Commission.
He had little support in the House for changing the budget. An alternative spending plan his supporters favored that didn't use stimulus cash was tabled with a 90-23 vote.
Sanford supporter Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Irmo, said he was tired of the bickering between the governor and legislators and between his own party's members, comparing it to his young children squabbling. But a court will have to referee the issue of spending federal stimulus cash.
"I see another lengthy court battle for our state," Ballentine said.
Meanwhile, the budget bill now calls for adding a total of $5 million more to the House's budget.
"It's so that we don't run a deficit," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Cooper, R-Piedmont.
The lower chamber is running out of money and has burned through reserves in spite of legislators and staffers taking unpaid days off, Cooper said.
"The choice is not to pay members or not pay staff," Cooper said.
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Comment Title:
Why does Sandford keep asking to use the stimulus money to pay down the state debt in SC? I hope that he, as govenor, understands the conditions of receiving this money. I guess these are the attached "strings" that he's been upset about. Isn't our state supposed to balance their budget each year, anyway? What has he done with SC's money???? Why is there such a large state debt????
Posted by: On: 5/15/2009
Comment Title:
Borrow money to pay down debt, are you kidding me. Thats like me taking out a cash advance on a credit card to pay down a car payment. Where did YOU losers go to school?
Posted by: HDL On: 5/14/2009
Comment Title:
As i read a lot of these commits from other people i begin to see why we are in this mess,i bet a lot of these people who want Stanford to take this money are up to their noses in dept as well. Get a clue people,Its not that Stanford doesnt want the money, he wants to use the money to pay down dept and still cut the budgett so we wont be in this same boat in a couple of years. But our wonderful leaders in DC want to make sure that we stay in their dept.Im so sorry that so many people cant see this and desire this State to be so relient on the Fed. Gov. that we end up being a puppet for the Obama Admin.
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
The other states who have taken the money are still laying off state workers and teachers. So much for the quick fix throw dollars at anything fix the problem theory of the nut cases in DC. If Sandford takes the money he has to spend it ON WHAT OBAMA SAYS HE CAN SPEND IT ON.
Posted by: Miss Prejean On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the US should help the US, uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us."
Posted by: Jessco On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
He's out in 2010. Thank God for term limits!
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
There's an old saying: "God provides food for every bird, but he doesn't throw it into the nest." Be a leader, Senator. That is why the people of South Carolina voted for you (I suppose). Perhaps it won't be too long before they start praying (and voting) for a NEW leader.
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
Is it just me or does Sanford and the Southern GOPers seem to look, talk and have the intellectual capacity of Foghorn Leghorn?
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
Refusing the money does'nt make much since because when it comes to paying back the money it will be paid by every tax payer in the U.S. regardless of what state their from. I believe they call that taxastion without representation, and will be all on the heads of the governor's who refused it.
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
Send them the money anyway, only in confederate currency.
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
I know that the state needs the money but where will it be if we take this money and in two years dont have it anymore ? You can't borrow yourself out of debt. I agree with the governor. Take the current budget money pay off debt then take the federal money and put it into the budget to replace the money spent. The state is like many people they are head over heels in debt go get a loan to pay off credit cards or other loans and then run the same bills up again. Then they have the same old bills and the new one to repay the money they borrowed. Its clear that Washington want to run everything from banks, car industry, and the states. Our nation is quickly going down the drain. If we are attacked by our enemies the 911 attacks and the panic then will look like a picnic !
Posted by: On: 5/13/2009
Comment Title:
How did Massey and Ryberg vote on this one?
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