Legislative action for the week of April 6-12

The 14th week of the legislative session:

STATE BUDGET-CUTS: The Senate Finance Committee has eliminated raises for state workers and dropped plans to buy new school buses from the state budget. The committee also cut more than $70 million in tourism, economic development and other spending Tuesday to cover a shortfall created when budget advisers cut revenue estimates by $90 million.

STATE PENSIONS: A bill that would guarantee a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for retired legislators and all other state employees has stalled. The South Carolina House voted 58-51 on Wednesday in a rare move to send the proposal back to committee, a day after Gov. Mark Sanford bashed the House for giving it key approval.

STATE ROADS: The sales tax paid on automobiles would go toward building and repairing roads and bridges under a bill approved in the House.

PAYDAY LENDING: Consumer advocates decried a move by a House panel Thursday that stripped a key payday lending protection from a bill that would have tied loan limits to a borrower's income. The committee also doubled the amount that could be borrowed to $600. Advocates said that if the bill passes with these changes, customers could be worse off than they are now.

SCHOOL JUNK FOOD: South Carolina lawmakers just couldn't swallow the idea of requiring healthy food in schools. A legislative proposal to ban greasy pepperoni pizza from school lunch lines and Moon Pies from vending machines appears dead for the year. A House panel said local school boards should decide what students can buy.

ALTERNATIVE COURT: A bill that creates an alternative court system for nonviolent offenders and requires prisoners to serve most of their sentence has been approved by a House panel. Attorney General Henry McMaster says a combination of counseling, treatment and education under the alternative court system is a better way to rehabilitate people and will save the state money. The bill also would require prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.

DRUNKEN DRIVING: Drunken drivers in South Carolina could soon face stiffer penalties, especially if they make a habit of the offense. The South Carolina Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a proposal that toughens penalties according to the amount of alcohol drivers have in their system and the number of times a person is convicted. The compromise was sent to the governor's desk Thursday.

SCHOOL TESTING: The Senate's Education Committee has approved a bill that would change the standardized tests used at the end of each school year to assess student and school performance. The Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test has been criticized by teachers and administrators because the results take too long to report and don't let educators analyze topics where students are struggling.

GREEN ENERGY INCENTIVES: Three proposals that would provide tax breaks for energy-efficient purchases were nearly defeated Thursday, but South Carolina's Senate leader saved them by agreeing to offer the incentives a year later. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell's move came after colleagues raised concerns about whether the state can afford to offer the tax incentives in a tight spending year.

TILLMAN STATUE: A bill that would remove a statue of 'Pitchfork' Ben Tillman from Statehouse grounds is likely defeated for the year. Rep. Todd Rutherford told a House panel Thursday the monument should be taken down unless it includes the truth about the former governor's role in the state's racist history.

TEACHERS-SEX: A Senate panel on Thursday revamped a proposal that would stiffen the punishment for teachers who have consensual sex with students. The bill now says a teacher who has sex with an 18-year-old student could be charged with a misdemeanor and face 30 days in jail. Consensual sex with a student who is 16 or 17 would be a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

STATE BUDGET-EDUCATION: South Carolina school officials said Wednesday they are unsure how to handle a $30 million funding shortfall projected for this school year because of a slumping economy. Education officials were told not to expect some of the money generated from a penny on the state sales tax.

VOTING-CHILDREN: Children under 17 could follow their parents into the voting booth under a bill given final approval in the House. Currently, the law says no one but the voter can be near the booth, unless the voter is disabled.

DRUG TESTING-CANDIDATES: Political candidates could take voluntary drug tests and have the results published on a state Web site under a proposal that received key approval by the Senate. Senator Harvey Peeler filed a bill that would have required drug testing for candidates last year after the state's former treasurer was indicted on a drug charge.

SCHOOL CHOICE: A bill requiring school districts to give their students more educational options is not likely to pass this year. A House panel voted to put aside a bill that made districts offer choices among their schools but made cross-district transfers voluntary.

Associated Press