Senator McConnell said “We must enact reforms that will create a fiscally fit state so that we are fair to taxpayers and we improve economic conditions for all South Carolinians.”

The more contested aspect of the agenda – needed reforms to the way government regulations are enacted, found some opposition but still passed the committee and went to the floor.

Senator McConnell said “We need the broad-based regulatory reform so that regulations and fees require an affirmative vote from the General Assembly. South Carolinians deserve better than increased costs from the state being tucked into budget provisos or being enacted because time ran out for the General Assembly to consider them. Regulations and fees need an up-or-down vote.”

“These reforms simply make sense, and South Carolinians know that,” said Senator McConnell.

A review of state government to streamline agencies and services has been carried over until the next committee meeting for additional amendments.

The “Fiscal Fitness” agenda is the result of the fiscal fitness subcommittee’s work since September. Members appointed by Senator McConnell to the subcommittee included Senator Tom Davis, Beaufort County; Senator Vincent Sheheen, Kershaw County; Senator Shane Massey, Edgefield County; Senator Jake Knotts, Lexington County; Senator Gerald Malloy, Darlington County; and Senator Phil Shoopman, Greenville County.

Thursday, Boeing and those employees celebrated the facility’s opening. Workers will be making items like overhead stow bins, dividers, closets and many of the interior pieces in the airplane. They’ll be training until January when they’ll start full production.

The employees in this facility aren’t the only ones benefiting from Boeing. Mark Derry owns Cowboy USA out of Walterboro, now contracted by the aircraft manufacturer.

“Everything that comes by truck, we bring it,” Derry said.

Derry says he never imagined his trucks would be delivering supplies to the aeronautics giant.

“As a small business in a historically underdeveloped area, we were kind of concerned they wouldn’t look at us,” Derry said.

But they did hire the company out of Colleton County along with several others. Stephen Webb works for DASH Courier and is also contracted with Boeing and hired about 20 people locally.

“We’re now racing out of town to go grab a part that’s five hours away that’s, the whole plane is waiting on this one part, so that’s the type of delivering that we do, emergent ops, emergent operations,” Webb said.

Both companies say they’ve grown thanks to Boeing, so it’s no wonder, for them, it was cause for celebration when the company opened up another facility. South Carolina lawmakers hope Boeing’s standing will lead to even more ribbon cuttings.

“We’re seeing a lot of folks looking at South Carolina like they didn’t before because Boeing is here,” S.C. Senator Paul Campbell said.

Too bad, lawmakers won’t say who else may be eyeing the Palmetto State.

“We aren’t going to give our competitors any inside information. I’ll just say this: There are some great opportunities ahead,” S.C. Senate President Glenn McConnell said.

Lawmakers say, with Boeing, the sky’s the limit.

Courtesy of ABC News 4 – Charleston

The meeting, which will end at 8:30 p.m., follows an initiative by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, to develop a plan for better financial restraint among lawmakers. The meeting will be in council chambers on the third floor at 2500 City Hall Lane.

McConnell’s plan calls for a constitutional cap on spending, a streamlining review committee to examine state government spending, a review of executive agency regulations and how they are adopted, a Taxpayer Fairness Act, a Deficit Prevention Act and a Trust Fund Protection Act.

The Taxpayer Fairness Act is intended to stop government agencies from interpreting laws that allow them to collect more taxes than were intended by lawmakers.

The Deficit Prevention Act would block agencies from spending more money than the Legislature budgeted. The Trust Fund Protection Act would bar the Legislature from taking cash set aside for one purpose and spending it on another.

The subcommittee will also consider zero-based budgeting.

Courtesy of Post & Courier

Charleston Senator Glenn McConnell named the panel and set the agenda.

AUDIO: McConnell’s agenda (3:25)

The panel, dubbed the “Fiscally Fit Subcommittee” held a public hearing at the Statehouse Tuesday and meets after Thanksgiving in North Charleston.
McConnell says this to-do list is partly a response to the State Budget and Control Board allowing state agencies to deficit spend. He is particularly critical of the five-member board approving a $221 million shortfall for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Panel member Sen. Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) says “We are a feast or famine budgetary state.” He says he agreed with comments that they heard at Wednesday’s public comment session, asking senators to protect the state’s “rainy day” reserve fund.

“So that, when times are difficult, we’re not having to cut to the bone on the different programs, which is where we’ve been in the last few years because we didn’t have enough saved up. And that happens because typically when the money comes in, we spend it,” says Massey.

This is a subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, says McConnell, not a finance committee. “This deals with the administration of government–deficits, charging taxes without a vote of the General Assembly, how do you put a constitutional limitation on the growth of government, all constitutional amendments come through the Judiciary Committee. For that reason, this package, although it looks similar to things in Finance, most of it deals with the administration of government,” says McConnell.

The Senate Finance chair also sits on the Budget and Control Board and voted to allow the deficit spending criticized by McConnell.

Courtesy of the South Carolina Radio Network

The U.S. Justice Department has decided that it will not oppose South Carolina’s redrawing of state Senate election district lines, state Senate leaders said Tuesday.
The decision — which Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said he learned from a Monday letter from Justice officials — means that that the 46 districts may now be lawfully implemented. However, there are already plans to challenge them in court.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian, a top lawyer who has handled similar cases in the past, said Tuesday he planned in the next two weeks to file a lawsuit challenging the validity of both the state House and Senate district lines.
“That will allow the process to go forward,” Harpootlian told The Associated Press Tuesday.

Because of South Carolina’s growth in the past decade, the population of each of the 46 Senate districts has increased to approximately 100,551 people, McConnell, R-Charleston, said.

In September, Justice Department officials questioned plans drawn by the South Carolina Senate for its districts, asking specifically about District 17, which now serves voters in Chester, Fairfield, Union and York counties. The American Civil Liberties Union had argued that the district could be drawn with a black majority, but the state Senate rejected that argument.

The Justice Department sought details on precinct-by-precinct voting tallies for state and federal offices dating to 2006 that included candidates’ race as well as voter demographics.

Graduation rates for the state and Lowcountry districts improved, and most districts maintained or improved their ratings from last year.

“If the state is to see gains again next year, schools must maintain their laser-like focus on high school graduation — the state’s economy depends on it,” state Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said.

Part of the statewide boost in graduation rates may be attributed to a change in the calculation process.

The state used to include all students from high schools’ feeder schools in enrollment counts, regardless of whether students set foot in that school. To keep this from happening, high schools had to prove those students never enrolled. This year, the state started counting freshmen on the 45th day of school.

The state’s on-time graduation rate increased from 72 percent last year to 74 percent, ending two consecutive years of decline. Still, the state’s rate is lower than it was earlier this decade — 78 percent.

District report card ratings reflect high schools’ performance, based on graduation rates, end-of-course exams and exit exams, as well as elementary and middle schools’ performance, based on the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards. Schools and districts can rate either “excellent,” “good,” “average,” “below average” or “at-risk.”

In the past, parents received copies of their children’s school report card, but the General Assembly cut funding for that printing to save money.

Charleston County

For the first time ever, Charleston County schools earned an overall rating of “good,” and Superintendent Nancy McGinley said that’s her best birthday present ever. She’ll be 57 on Nov. 14.

“It’s something we’ve been working on for years and years,” she said. “I’m just so pleased and proud and encouraged that our work is finally paying off.”

The district scored a 3.18 on the rating scale to rate “good;” a 3.17 would’ve been “average.”

She said that rating is proof the district’s progress is significant, and that’s supported by the district’s growth rating of “excellent.”

“When you keep jumping to different silver bullets and quick fixes, you don’t make this type of progress,” she said. “It’s slow and steady.”

All but two schools — E.B. Ellington Elementary and Baptist Hill High — maintained or improved their ratings.

None of the district’s 12 “at-risk” schools’ ratings improved, however.

“We are extremely encouraged, but we’ll never be satisfied until we can say we have zero children going to ‘below average’ or ‘at-risk’ schools,” she said.

Dorchester County

Every school in Dorchester District 2 is rated “good” or “excellent” after a couple of middle schools — River Oaks and Oakbrook — improved from last year.

That’s great news, but Superintendent Joe Pye couldn’t help but feel frustrated about how close his district came an overall rating of “excellent.” The district scored a 3.39, or “good”; 3.4 would’ve pushed it to “excellent.”

“How close is that?” he said.

The district’s graduation rate of 74 percent was one of the biggest reasons the district didn’t make that jump, and Pye plans to boost that by concentrating on students’ reading and math skills at every grade.

In Dorchester District 4, Superintendent Jerry Montjoy pointed out that a few years ago, the district had two “at-risk” schools, two “below average” schools, and one “average” school, and the district rated “below average.”

Now, all schools either are “average” or “good” with the exception of St. George Middle, which is “below average.”

“I think we’ve come a long way,” he said. “And we’re on the way to getting (St. George) where it needs to be.”

Berkeley County

The district didn’t have the best graduation rate in the Lowcountry, but it did have the most improvement — from 68 percent to 75 percent.

Superintendent Rodney Thompson was pleased to see so much progress in one year. The district’s graduation rate goal is 80 percent by 2015-16, and that’s where the district plans to focus its efforts, he said.

“We’re excited about that spike,” he said. “It’s a tribute to the teachers and administrators and their hard work over the last several years.”

The district did see some declines, with five schools receiving worse ratings, two of which — Cross High and St. Stephen Middle — fell to “below average.” Thompson said the district would continue monitoring those schools and making adjustments.

Standout schools

Local and state officials have cited a number of Lowcountry schools for extraordinary achievement or gains made this year.

The state Education Oversight Committee listed 13 schools rated “excellent” or “good” where more than 90 percent of their students live in poverty. Three of those schools were in Charleston County.

The high school portion of “excellent”-rated Military Magnet Academy has 92 percent of its students in poverty. The school accepts students from across the county.

Stono Park Elementary in West Ashley is a traditional neighborhood school with 97 percent of its students in poverty, and it’s rated “good.”

Charleston Development Academy is a charter school made up mostly of students who live in nearby public housing; 92 percent live in poverty. The school rated “good.”

“Poor kids can learn, and in South Carolina, we don’t spell poor ‘f-a-i-l,’” Zais said.

Statewide, 19 percent of schools improved their report card ratings, and a handful of local schools were among those to jump two levels.

In Berkeley County, Hanahan High moved from “average” to “excellent.” In Charleston County, Haut Gap on Johns Island moved from “below average” to “good.”

And in Dorchester 4, Woodland High moved from “at-risk” to “average.”

Courtesy of The Post and Courier

The Senate GOP caucus issued a statement Wednesday accusing the federal government of failing to act on illegal immigration.

That statement came after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit Monday arguing South Carolina’s new immigration law is unconstitutional, partly because it gives local law enforcement the ability to enforce immigration law– which only the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency can do.

“I wish that the federal government was as vigilant in protecting the country’s borders and enforcing our nation’s immigration laws as they are in attacking states like South Carolina that try to step up to the plate and act because the federal government refuses to do so,” President pro tempore Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) said.

Meanwhile Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler echoed those statements. “The federal government’s inaction on this issue has forced states across the nation to react to the growing problem of illegal immigration, Peeler said, “However, when the states pass laws that address this problem, the federal government rushes in to stop them.”

The Justice Department says the law also violates due process rights because it gives police the power to check a person’s immigration status during a traffic stop. ”A state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interfere with federal immigration law,” the agency’s Civil Division director Tony West said Monday.

Courtesy of the South Carolina Radio Network

Columbia, SC – November 2, 2011 – This week, the United States Justice Department challenged South Carolina’s new immigration law, preventing it from going into effect. The Justice Department argues that the new law preempts the federal government’s overview of immigration. Both Senator Glenn McConnell and Senator Harvey Peeler believe that the federal government would be the perfect governing body in the country to initiate immigration policy, but for years it has been failing to act.

Senator McConnell said, “I wish that the federal government was as vigilant in protecting the country’s borders and enforcing our nation’s immigration laws as they are in attacking states like South Carolina that try to step up to the plate and act because the federal government refuses to do so. South Carolina has a duty to protect our citizens and our budgets from the problems caused by unfettered illegal immigration and I believe that we have done so in a lawful manner. But if the federal government wants us to quit acting in this area, the solution is simple – do your job.”

“The federal government’s inaction on this issue has forced states across the nation to react to the growing problem of illegal immigration. However, when the states pass laws that address this problem, the federal government rushes in to stop them. It’s time for Washington to stop focusing their energies on those trying to solve the problem and start addressing the real problem of illegal immigration on a national level,” Senator Peeler said.

It has been over half a decade since the United States passed a broad immigration law. Since then, immigration has continued to be a problem for states. In response, states across the nation have enacted immigration laws to help combat this problem in our country. These laws vary, but the federal government has thus far seemed intent on removing key enforcement provisions through federal court cases, rendering the laws ineffective.

Senator McConnell and Senator Peeler have always been strong supporters of legal immigration. They believe illegal immigration cheapens the value for all immigrants who come to the United States through legal means. South Carolina’s immigration law will help provide one more disincentive for those looking to illegally immigrate to the U.S.

“Immigration has been part of our nation’s heritage from the beginning. However, the federal government’s inaction is tarnishing this national tradition. If those in Washington are unwilling to act, they must support states in their efforts to do what is best for their citizens,” Peeler continued.

However, there has been subsequent legislative action. I think that the General Assembly was quite clear in this year’s budget bill that the State Election Commission is to conduct the Presidential Primary in 2012. There are two budget provisos (79.6 and 79.12) that specifically allow the State Election Commission to use carryover funds to conduct the 2012 Presidential Primary. While the use of those funds is discretionary, I believe that the requirement for the Election Commission to conduct the Presidential Primary in 2012 is not.

There is also a catch-all proviso at the end of the Appropriations Act that provides “[a]ll acts or parts of acts inconsistent with any of the provisions of Parts IA or IB of this act are suspended for Fiscal Year 2011-2012.” That proviso, in my opinion, suspends any conflicting provision in the law that could call into question the Election Commission’s authority and legislative directive to conduct the presidential primary in 2012.”

Senator McConnell will chair the subcommittee whose members include: Senator Tom Davis, Beaufort County; Senator Vincent Sheheen, Kershaw County; Senator Shane Massey, Edgefield County; Senator Jake Knotts, Lexington County; Senator Gerald Malloy, Darlington County; and Senator Phil Shoopman, Greenville County.

Senator McConnell said “I have personally spoken with each Senator on the subcommittee and asked them to serve. I told them that each of these initiatives was very important to me and that I believed that if we want to improve core government services, stop abuse of taxpayers, and get our economy back on the road to prosperity, we need a concerted effort to make South Carolina government fiscally fit.”

The subcommittee will soon begin holding public hearings across the state to get these issues ready for immediate action as soon as the General Assembly returns in January.

Senator McConnell said “it is vitally important that we engage the public across the state about government practices so that we can hear from them as to what reforms they think are needed and they can join the effort to get them adopted next year.”

Senator McConnell also announced that a broad-based regulatory reform initiative would be added to the task force’s agenda to change the way regulations and fees are approved in South Carolina, so as to require an affirmative vote of the General Assembly before any regulations go into effect and to prohibit fees from being created or raised in regulations or in the appropriations act.

“To be effective, regulations and administrative fees need to rise or fall like any bill by requiring an affirmative vote of the legislature. They should not get added by being tucked into a budget proviso. Regulations should not become effective by letting the time for the General Assembly to consider them run out,” says Senator McConnell.

“The members of the task force will face difficult choices about how our government operates in our state. I believe it is important that we improve our state’s fiscal health by limiting what government can spend, preventing agencies from spending more money than they have, protecting taxpayers from bureaucrats creating or changing tax laws in search of more revenue, and securing trust fund monies. Perhaps with these reforms, our state’s fiscal fitness can be an example for those in Washington.”

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