Senate Judiciary Approves State Spending Limit Legislation And Creation of a Budget Stabilization Fund
March 26, 2008 by senatormcconnell
Columbia, SC - The Senate Judiciary Committee today gave unanimously approved legislation establishing a new formula limiting state spending. Senate President Pro Tempore, Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston), introduced the historic legislation as a way to curb state spending and stabilize the budget in years of economic downturns.
Best out for ‘home rule’ quandary
March 19, 2008 by senatormcconnell
Action on a proposed “home rule” constitutional amendment was delayed in a Senate subcommittee last week, and that’s a good thing. There were and still are far too many concerns about making any changes to the hard-fought provision for county “home rule” that was added to the state Constitution in 1973. Further, lawmakers should heed those who contend that there are other ways short of constitutional change to skin the cat. Read more
P&C | Lowcountry officials earn state honors
March 18, 2008 by senatormcconnell
Two Lowcountry officials received awards at the South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools seventh annual statewide conference this weekend.
Larry DiCenzo, principal of Orange Grove Elementary Charter School in Charleston County, was recognized as the public charter school administrator of the year. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, was recognized as legislator of the year.
The awards were presented at a Saturday luncheon at the College of Charleston, the site of the statewide conference.
Energizing The Future
March 18, 2008 by senatormcconnell
P&C: Sen. McConnell’s leadership was crucial
March 18, 2008 by senatormcconnell
I wanted to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Sen. Glenn
McConnell, the president pro tempore of the state Senate and chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, for his leadership during the recent hearing
involving the reappointment of James Schweitzer as director of the
Department of Public Safety, and to state that this incident has once again
demonstrated that Sen. McConnell is a fair, courageous and effective leader
for our state.
Fix, don’t endanger, ‘home rule’
March 12, 2008 by senatormcconnell
We aren’t surprised that alarm bells go off when there’s talk of amending that section of the state Constitution that gave “home rule” to counties in the 1970s. It not only was a struggle to get lawmakers to put the “home rule” amendment on the ballot, it took them another two years to actually pass the enabling legislation. But Charleston Sen. Glenn McConnell, the author of the proposed change, says it is his aim to strengthen, not weaken home rule. Nothing less should even be considered by the General Assembly.
Officials of the state Association of Counties have told us of their fear that the McConnell proposal could actually gut the heart of the “home rule” amendment. Sen. McConnell questions why they haven’t contacted him about their concerns and compares their alarms to “Chicken Little.” County officials counter that they have had difficulty getting the ear of the Senate president pro tempore. This is an issue on which the parties definitely should get together.
Sen. McConnell tells us the intent of his proposed amendment is to give legislators a means of transferring to counties the power they still have over local boards and commissions that existed prior to the ratification of the “home rule” amendment in 1973. One of the most important “home rule” constitutional protections is its prohibition against lawmakers passing any new local or “special legislation.”
The Post and Courier
Editorial
3/12/08
Police chief leads push for facility
March 11, 2008 by senatormcconnell
Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen continues to push for a regional law enforcement training academy despite a state panel’s recent decision to withhold key support from the effort.
Mullen traveled to Columbia in January to enlist support for the plan from the panel that governs the state Criminal Justice Academy. He argued that a satellite training center would ease the burden on the state academy, reduce the waiting time for classroom openings and get new recruits on the street more quickly.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council, which oversees the academy, recently voted unanimously to reject the idea. The panel contends that regional training centers would siphon funds from the central academy at a time when it is struggling to rebuild after years of underfunding and neglect.
York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant, the training council’s chairman, said that regional facilities might be possible in the future but that the timing is “very, very terrible” to push such an initiative now.
“We don’t have the necessary funding to properly run the academy we have right now,” he said. “To try to go out and open regional academies right now is just not feasible.”
The academy has struggled to keep pace with the demand for training recruits. Agencies must wait months to enroll new officers in the required nine-week sessions.
Mullen envisions a regional facility that eventually could serve law enforcement agencies from Beaufort to Myrtle Beach, graduating roughly 240 students per year. He estimates the startup costs to be about $270,000.
By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
March 8, 2008
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