Governor Ignores Three-Fourths of Budget in Lashing Senate

Gov. Nikki Haley's press conference earlier this week was strong on style and a bit short on substance.

Phantom of the Legislative Session

The journal for the S.C. Senate shows the legislative body meeting on both May 10 and May 11 of this year. But the reality is that not a single senator was on hand in the Senate chamber either day.

Senate Proposal Would Increase Number of Family Court Judges

The S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee has proposed adding six  family court judges statewide, up from three additional judges proposed by the House in March.

Lancaster Citizen Reporter Queries Senator on State’s Growing Budget

Mary Atkinson of Lancaster recently posed questions regarding the state growing budget to state Sen. Greg Gregory, R-Lancaster.

Capital Reserve Fund or Legislative Slush Fund?

S.C. Sen. Shane Massey has proposed a resolution  that would limit spending from the state's capital reserve fund.

Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Casino Proposal Gets Cool Reception from Some in Lowcountry

Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield says a number of Hilton Head Island residents aren't crazy about the idea of a casino in nearby Jasper County.

More Judges in South Carolina Next Year?

An amended House bill would add three more circuit court and three more family court judges in South Carolina next fiscal year.

Economic Development in Higher Ed Funding Proposals

At face value it sounds like it might be a good idea to a lot of people, and an eminently fair proposal at that: Allocate public funding to state colleges and universities based on how well they do their jobs.

Tax Breaks for Wealthy ‘Angel’ Investors Set for Senate Hearing

New examples of investment capital available to startup South Carolina companies call into question an argument for state government to get more involved in the venture capital business.

Legislature’s Watchdog Agency Lives on Bare-Bones Diet

Landmark legislation, which became law earlier this year, codified the creation of an inspector general’s office with broad powers in the executive branch of state government. But what about the General Assembly’s inspector general, the Legislative Audit Council?

House Version of FY13 Budget Calls for $1 Billion-Plus Increase

The Nerve’s review of a budget document produced by the Office of State Budget, known as the “summary control document,” shows that compared to the ratified state budget for this fiscal year, which started July 1, the recently passed House version of the fiscal year 2013 budget would increase total authorized spending by more than $1 billion.

Senate Clerk Still Mum on Budget Details

S.C. Senate Clerk Jeffrey Gossett apparently is in no mood to publicly discuss his chamber’s proposed $12 million-plus budget for next fiscal year.

Market Bulletin Mystery Raises Legal, Constitutional Questions

It might sound like a trivial affair, but it actually carries legal and constitutional implications: The S.C. Department of Agriculture and Gov. Nikki Haley’s office disagree about whether the department’s Market Bulletin publication is a money-losing operation.

Commerce Ads: Big Bang for Agency’s Budget?

South Carolina’s state-driven economic development efforts have received glowing reviews lately from some national trade publications. But is there something more to the accolades than just positive recognition?

Board of Regents Bills Languish

The bills were introduced in the House in January 2011, the beginning of the current two-year legislative session, and sent to the chamber’s Education and Public Works Committee.

Governor, House Part Ways on Tax Reform

A potential overhaul of the state tax code this year has fallen into a parting of ways between Gov. Nikki Haley and the S.C. House, with Palmetto State taxpayers stuck in the middle as the potential losers.

Bill to Give Arts Commission Steady Funding Gets Favorable Report

Senate subcommittee gives favorable report on bill that would give steady funding to S.C. Arts Commission.

Legislation Looks to Take “Palmettovore” Program to Schools

Legislation would let school districts join program that puts S.C. produce and goods in schools.

Obscure New Agency Would Grow Under Restructuring Bill

A little-known state economic development agency created two years ago but not yet in operation would grow even more under the S.C. Senate’s version of a bill creating a Department of Administration.

Senate Passes DOT Transparency Bill

A bill to require the S.C. Department of Transportation to create and maintain an online database of all expenditures by the agency is halfway through the General Assembly.

Power Trip: The Legislature’s Double Standards on FOIA, Ethics and Spending

In South Carolina, there is one set of rules for state legislators, and another set of rules for everybody else – even state and local elected officials.

Obscure Program Revises Process, Accountability Remains Illusory

After three years of questions, the S.C. Lieutenant Governor's Office still cannot provide the legislative basis for the Senior Center Permanent Improvement Program.

Research University Presidents Silent on Board of Regents for S.C.

No, the college CEO triumvirate passed on that one and instead left it to … state Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt to address it?

Still No Sunshine on S.C. House, Senate Spending

The S.C. House and Senate continue to bypass the normal budgetary process when it comes to adopting annual budgets for the two chambers.

Senator Introduces Bill to Cap Tuition Hikes

The ceiling would be a combination of the percentage increases in the state’s population and the consumer price index in the previous calendar year, or population plus inflation.

Resolution Would Allow Private Funds to Go Toward Civil War Trails

Resolution seeks to allow nonprofit to mark South Carolina Civil War sites.

Agriculture, Governor: Grow Agency’s Advertising Spending

Half of state Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weather's requested funding increase, $1.5 million, is for annually recurring money to advertise South Carolina agricultural products.

South Carolina’s $1.5 Billion Piggy Bank

The Nerve’s review of a 656-page document produced by the Office of State Budget, formally known as the “detailed base budget” and dubbed “the brick,” found that 99 state agencies, divisions and separate funds started this fiscal year on July 1 with a collective $1.498 billion surplus in “other” funds.

20 Senators Support Bill to End Budget Shell Game

Anytime anyone pays a fee or a fine to a state agency it traces to this game, and it involves a huge chunk of the state budget – about $7.8 billion in the current fiscal year.

Bill Could Give Arts Commission Secure Source of Funding

A House bill would provide the S.C. Arts Commission with a set percentage of state admission tax revenues, rather than have the commission’s funding held to what some see as the vagaries of politics.

No End in Sight for Court Fees

S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal has no immediate plans to eliminate or reduce court fees.

The Search for a Joint Open Session on the Budget

The fruitless quest for a joint legislative open session on the budget.

Provisos: Legislators’ Earmarks – and Why They Love Them

Lots of politicians rail against federal earmarks in Congress, but the S.C. General Assembly has its own version of earmarks and many of them represent the very same kind of special-interest, pork-barrel spending.

Secret Budget Process Continues in S.C. General Assembly

The S.C. House and Senate typically release their respective chamber budgets months after most other state agencies do so, allowing lawmakers to quietly increase their own budgets with little public scrutiny.

Legislature Flouts Law Requiring Joint Public Hearings on Budget

It looks like the S.C. General Assembly’s two appropriations committees once again are flouting a provision of state law requiring the panels to hold joint public hearings on the state budget.

Cost of Haley’s Special Session Bid Unclear; Right Remains Intact

The S.C. Supreme Court ruled in early June that Gov. Nikki Haley lacked the authority to call legislators back into session while they were on a break between the regular session and an already scheduled special session, saying her order violated the separation of powers. Today, more than six months after the Supreme Court nixed Haley’s bid to get legislators to return, it’s still not clear what the effort cost South Carolina taxpayers.

Signs Point to Legislature Ignoring Law on Budget

South Carolina law requires the governor to submit a recommended state budget to the General Assembly within five days of the legislative session starting, and Gov. Nikki Haley says she will do so. But will the Legislature also follow the law regarding how the budget is to be prepared?

What's Behind the Unfunded Liability in SC's Retirement System

A member of the Retirement Ad Hoc Committee highlights some of the causes behind the huge unfunded liability facing the state retirement system.

Forestry Agency Seeks Budget Hike for Firefighting, Economic Development

Legislators: Law on Budget Process has been Ignored

Legislature Again Ignores Budget Law

State Agencies Cry Poverty While Amassing Large Surpluses

South Carolina’s 33 public colleges and universities collectively amassed nearly $900 million in “unrestricted” assets – generally surplus money that can be spent on anything – as of June 30, according to year-end financial statements reviewed by The Nerve.

Haley Passing on Zero-Base Budgeting?

State Budget Process: What the Law Says vs. What Lawmakers Do

Boles on How Other Funds are Recorded

Les Boles of the Office on State Budget tells Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee members how other funds are recorded in the state budget during an Oct. 5 meeting.

Overview of Other Funds Laid Out

Les Boles of the Office on State Budget gives a quick overview of the other funds budgeting process during the Oct. 5 meeting of the Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee. By definition, anything that is not spent out of the General Fund pot and is not federal funds is other funds in our accounting system," Boles says.

Keel on How SLED is Funded

Agencies Bank Millions in General Fund Surpluses

While many state agencies have publicly cried poverty over the past several years, at least 16 agencies started fiscal 2011-12 with a general fund surplus of more than $1 million, The Nerve found in a review of a state financial report.

DOT Year-End Surpluses Plunge by $217 Million

S.C. Forester Wants School Payments Cut

Program That Won't Die Continues Spending Millions

Unathorized state program continues spending money.

Show Me the Money: Finance Officials Differ on State Budget

Veto on Sprawling Capital Reserve Fund Overridden

Huge Reserves Untapped in Special Ed Funding Controversy

House Proposes to Boost its Budget by $2.3 Million

A year after the Senate received a $5 million overall budget increase for its 46-member chamber – as first reported last year by The Nerve – the 124-member House is seeking a nearly $2.3 million hike for itself, which was quietly slipped in a state budget amendment on the last day for regular business this legislative session.

Cobb-Hunter explains Amazon vote

Budget Shell Games: State Records Contradict Each Other

Davis: S.C. Needs a Spending Cap

State’s Top Court Accepts Sales Tax Exemption Case

Davis: Time to Look at 'Other Funds'

Davis: Legislative Arrogance a Problem

Senator Eyes Budget Cuts, Tax Refunds

S.C. Sen. Tom Davis wants to cut next year’s proposed state budget by at least $149 million and have that money refunded to South Carolina taxpayers. The senator’s proposed cuts and rebates could be twice that amount, or closer to $300 million, based on calculations he attributes to Senate Finance Committee staff.

Retirement Execs Could Get Large Budget Increase

The entity managing the assets of South Carolina’s state retirement system has grown steadily in recent years in its personnel, salaries and overall budget, a review by The Nerve shows.

And that entity, the S.C. Retirement System Investment Commission, plans to continue expanding with an aggressive strategy to ramp up its operations. Call it bringing Wall Street to Main Street, Columbia – literally.

Tax Dollars Pitched for Legislators’ Nonprofits

Three nonprofit regional economic development organizations whose boards of directors list at least one state lawmaker could each receive up to $671,000 in state tax dollars next fiscal year under a Senate Finance Committee proposal, a review by The Nerve found.

'Other' Funds Transparency Bills Slows

Panel Approves $30M in 'Other' Fund Hikes

Fantasy Land: When a Reduction isn't a Reduction

'Angel' Tax Credits Would Cost $5 Million a Year

Political Turbulence Over Aviation Center?

Ways and Means Budget: More General Fund Growth

Nonprofit Group Seeks State Health Benefits

Expensive Taxpayer Gift Offered to Boeing

Citizen Reporters Keep Tabs on Budget Provisos

Citizen Reporters from The Nerve were on hand monitor committee budget debates held the past couple of weeks during which numerous budget provisos were proposed or amended.

Senator Proposes Huge Increase in Court Funding

South Carolina’s court system likely would receive at least $70 million more annually in state tax dollars – nearly tripling its current general fund appropriation – if a proposal by a lawyer-lawmaker becomes law.

Budget Secrecy Is Tradition at S.C. Legislature

As the S.C. General Assembly begins its 119th legislative session this week, the two chambers are maintaining a tradition of secrecy about their own operating budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Nerve on Dec. 6 submitted requests under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act to House Clerk Charles Reid and Senate Clerk Jeffrey Gossett for their proposed chamber budgets for next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Bill Proposes Transparency in Incentives

Boeing Seeks Early Christmas Gift From S.C.

Amid Recession, S.C. Senate Staff Gets Pay Raise

A nearly $5 million budget increase this year for the S.C. Senate is helping to cover pay raises for Senate staffers, despite assertions by leaders of the chamber that the money was needed for other, pressing concerns.

Politicians and Flags Go Hand in Hand

House Salary Increases: Smoke and Mirrors

Legislature Generous to Itself, Staff

Medical Supply Industry Targeted

How Tuition Helps Bankroll Construction

Norman Calls for Open Meeting to Pick Speaker

Deficit City: State Agencies Awash in Red Ink

S.C. Taxpayers to Pay Filing Fees?

State Agencies Grow Despite Budget Cuts

Edge Proposal: $10 Million Tab for Medicaid?

Shut Down the State House?

S.C. Congressmen Exaggerating Job Claims?

'Tens of Millions' at Stake in Retiree Lawsuit

Medicaid Time Bomb in Budget

SLC Donors Spent Heavily On Lobbying

TRAC Gives Film Industry a Free Pass

BCB Fund Raid Illegal, Clyburn Says

TRAC Lets Boeing Keep Tax Breaks

Ten Percent of S.C. Farms Get 87 Percent of Subsidies

Legislative Power-Grab Ending?

Thinking Outside the Box

Zero-Base Budgeting: Trend for South Carolina?

War of Words: Leventis Targets Ozmint Again

Failed Budget Bet Puts State In Fiscal Vise

Budget Board Battle Royale: The Guv's Veto

Senate to Take Up Remaining Budget Vetoes

Sanford: Chief Economist's Numbers Don't Add Up

More Than 50 Budget Vetoes Upheld by House

Lawmakers Back Breaks for Insurance Group

Ten State Agencies Could Receive Budget Hikes

Legislature Budgets Money S.C. Doesn't Have

It’s ‘Me First’ for Legislators Come Budget Time

Saving Children or Fleecing Taxpayers?

Legislative Budgets Play Shell Game with Medicaid

A Look at S.C.’s Top 10 Agency Heads by Salary

Senate Passes Bills in Phantom Session

S.C. Senate: Charity Starts at Home

Assuming the budget passed Thursday by the full Senate mirrors an earlier version approved by the Senate Finance Committee, it would be the 46-member chamber’s largest-ratified budget in at least the past 12 years, according to a review by The Nerve of ratified state budgets since fiscal year 1998, the most recent data available

House Panel Undercuts Input on Sembler Bill

S.C. Colleges Continue to Resist Transparency

Fee Hikes: Saving Courts or Fleecing Taxpayers?

Report: State Pension Plan Among Worst-Funded

SCRA: Innovation Centers Unfunded Mandate

Amid Recession, State Agencies Adding Staff

House Budget Worsens State’s Funding Cliff