By fitsnews – May 6, 2010
By FITSNews || In a stunning display of contempt for South Carolina taxpayers, Speaker Bobby Harrell and his top lieutenants in the S.C. House of Representatives are working behind the scenes with leaders in the State Senate to delay some of the legislative session’s most critical fiscal votes until after June’s Republican primary elections.
Specifically, Harrell is hoping to delay key votes on a cigarette tax increase, a number of controversial fee hikes as well as Gov. Mark Sanford’s budget vetoes. Under an adjournment plan that Harrell and his allies are crafting, these votes (which are closely monitored by fiscal conservatives) would not be held during the regular legislative session – which is scheduled to end on June 3, five days before voters go to the polls.
Instead, they would be held during a special session of the General Assembly convened by Harrell and Senate President Glenn McConnell after the primary elections.
Obviously, such a move would protect a number of vulnerable incumbent S.C. House members (like Reps. Nelson Hardwick, Gene Pinson, Keith Kelly, Roland Smith, Rita Allison and Richard Chalk, for example) from having to face the consequences of their votes to raises taxes, fees and spending.
Apparently, this is the only way that Harrell can muster enough votes to ensure that the cigarette tax – as well as every penny of the state’s record-breaking $21.1 billion budget – becomes law.
More coming … stay tuned …
