Category Archives: Transparency

Lawmaker Aims to Strengthen State’s Open Government Law

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Amit Kumar

South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act may soon be getting more enforcement teeth. A bill that passed through a House subcommittee Wednesday allows state and local entities to charge only copy fees for an FOIA request, disallows search fees for … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Legislation, Transparency | Tagged Alberta Wasden, Kim Murphy, Rep. Bill Taylor, Rep. Seth Whipper, S.C. Freedom of Information Act | 3 Comments

Bill Could Give Arts Commission Secure Source of Funding

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

The head of the S.C. Arts Commission is taking a cautious approach regarding a recently introduced bill that could give his agency a steady source of revenue. Ken May, executive director of the commission, said one of the key components … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, General Assembly, Legislation, State Agencies, Transparency | Tagged Gov. Nikki Haley, Rep. James Smith, S.C. Arts Commission | 4 Comments

Charleston Council Passes Short-Term Rental Ordinance

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council gave a final reading to an ordinance creating a short-term Rental Overlay District in the city. The ordinance was passed unanimously – significant, as the Planning Commission rejected it in its original form. … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Charleston City Council, Citizen Reporter, City of Charleston, Local Government, Transparency | Tagged Charleston City Council | Leave a comment

The Search for a Joint Open Session on the Budget

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

State law requires that House and Senate appropriation committees meet in joint open session to consider the governor’s proposed budget within five days of it being released. On Jan. 23, the fifth and final day such sessions could be held, … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Budget, General Assembly, Legislation, Transparency | Tagged General Assembly, State Budget | 3 Comments

Provisos: Legislators’ Earmarks – and Why They Love Them

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Eric K. Ward

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. The Legislature’s version of these little gems … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Budget, General Assembly, Transparency | Tagged Rep. Jim Merrill, Rep. Murrell Smith, Rep. Tracy Edge, S.C. Department of Health and Human Services, S.C. Ethics Commission, S.C. General Assembly, Sen. Tom Davis | 3 Comments

Lawmaker: Budget and Control Board Does ‘Jam-Up’ Job

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

On Jan. 26 the S.C. Senate debated a bill that would abolish the Budget and Control Board – the powerful five-member board that runs state government. Although observers of both parties have usually agreed that the Board system has not … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Budget and Control Board, General Assembly, Legislation, Restructuring, State Agencies, Transparency | Tagged Budget and Control Board, Department of Administration, Restructuring, Sen. Robert Ford | 1 Comment

Hundreds of Thousands Spent Annually Wining and Dining S.C. Lawmakers

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Rick Brundrett

It’s a sure sign the S.C. General Assembly is back in session when tents rise on the State House grounds. On Tuesdays through Thursdays from January through May, and especially with the return of warmer weather, the 170-member General Assembly … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Ethics, General Assembly, Lobbying, Transparency | Tagged Cathy Hazelwood, House Invitations and Memorial Resolutions Committee, lobbyist principal, S.C. Ethics Commission, Sen. Jake Knotts, Senate Invitations Committee | 5 Comments

Senate Bill Seeks to Make Top Insurance Post an Elected Position

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

Five years after Grand Strand legislators failed in a bid to change the S.C. Department of Insurance director’s office to an elected position from an appointed post, one of the lawmakers involved in that effort is back at it. Sen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, General Assembly, Legislation, Restructuring, State Agencies, Transparency | Tagged Restructuring, S.C. Department of Insurance, Sen. Dick Elliott, Sen. Glenn McConnell, Sen. Jake Knotts, Sen. Luke Rankin, Sen. Ray Cleary, Sen. Robert Ford | Leave a comment

Secret Budget Process Continues in S.C. General Assembly

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Rick Brundrett

If you’re a policy wonk or had a really bad case of insomnia and read Gov. Nikki Haley’s 379-page proposed executive budget for next fiscal year, you might have noticed something odd on pages 298 and 299. Unlike dozens of other state … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Budget, General Assembly, Transparency | Tagged Gov. Nikki Haley, House Clerk Charles Reid, Les Boles, Office of State Budget, Rep. Jim Merrill, Senate Clerk Jeffrey Gossett | 2 Comments

Lawmaker: What About the Debt?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kevin Dietrich

Sen. Kevin Bryant, a member of the Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee, questions an S.C. Commission on Higher Education official as to when the agency is going to do something besides ask for more money. Bryant, R-Anderson, raised the question … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Higher Education, Other Funds, SmartState, Transparency | Tagged Clemson, Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee, Sen. Kevin Bryant, SmartState | Leave a comment