Davis Bill Puts SC Fee Hikes On Lockdown

By FITSNews || S.C. government agencies would be prohibited from arbitrarily raising fees and fines on taxpayers – or assessing new fees and fines – under the provisions of a bill that cleared the State Senate on Tuesday.

Designed to protect taxpayers from an anticipated slew of fee increases during the coming fiscal year, the bill would require that lawmakers approve these increases individually – separate from the state budget bill.  That’s an added layer of taxpayer protection.

The measure – sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis (R – Beaufort) – passed the Senate unanimously on a voice vote.

“Taxpayers deserve transparency in the budget process and hidden fees and fines do a disservice to that notion,” Davis said.

From Davis’ legislation:

The General Assembly shall not authorize a state agency, department, or entity to increase or implement a fee for performing a service or function, or a civil penalty or fine for failure to comply with a requirement or provision of law under its jurisdiction in the temporary or permanent provisions of the State General Appropriation Act or acts supplemental thereto, and any increase or implementation of any fee or fine may only be authorized by an act separate from an appropriations act.

Obviously, this bill would end the current practice of agencies hiking fees and fines without legislative approval – a system that has caused this particular portion of the state budget to soar from $4.5 billion to $7.2 billion over the past decade.

Currently, agencies are required only to notify lawmakers of their fee hikes.  If lawmakers do nothing – something they have proven quite skilled at – then the fee hike becomes law after ninety days.

“It’s safe to say agencies are quite concerned over the potential impact of this legislation,” one State House insider told FITS.

They should be.

In addition to clamping down on fee and fine hikes, Davis’ bill also creates a legislative panel that will – for the first time ever – examine the massive “other funds” section of the state budget, which has historically represented roughly a third of the state’s total spending plan each year.

“This is a sizable chunk of the state budget that has gone virtually unexamined for years,” Davis said. “It deserves the same level of scrutiny we give other expenses.”

Needless to say, FITS will be following the progress of this bill quite closely in the S.C. House, especially as RINO leaders like Speaker Bobby Harrell, Ways and Means Chairman Danny Cooper and “Majority” Leader Kenny Bingham are likely to fight the legislation – or attempt to water it down.

We’ll also continue keeping an eye on which agencies try to sneak their fee hikes in under the radar.

Incidentally, co-sponsoring Davis’ legislation are Senators Lee Bright, Kevin Bryant, Chip Campsen, Mike Fair, Shane Martin, Mick Mulvaney, Harvey Peeler, Mike Rose, Greg Ryberg and Phil Shoopman.