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Gov. Mark Sanford and S.C. legislators have both been engaging in some political maneuvers.
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COLUMBIA -- Gov. Mark Sanford says this year's legislative session reminds him of the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Another option might be "The Neverending Story."

After five months, the Legislature still has work to do -- including sending the state's $6.6 billion budget to Sanford and dealing with his vetoes. Lawmakers will return on June 14, the day after Republican and Democratic primaries, to close out the year.

Sanford wanted legislators to deal with any vetoes before the primary to "let voters know where they stand on growing government at 13 percent," and said he would call a special session if they didn't agree to return voluntarily.

But House and Senate leaders trumped Sanford's political gamesmanship with some of their own, refusing to ratify the budget until Wednesday. That made his threat of a special session a moot point.

Sanford, however, plans to take his show on the road this week, traveling the state to take his case to the people. He's expected to land in several districts where incumbent Republican House members are facing primary opposition.

"I said if you guys aren't coming to town, then I'm going to your town," Sanford said.

Rep. Adam Taylor, R-Laurens, one of the targeted Republicans, said he has nothing to hide in his votes on the budget. He said there's no question that Sanford is playing politics.

"In my eight years, the times we've had to come back we've historically taken a week off," Taylor said. "I'm in Columbia three and four days a week during the session, and out of fairness all I'm asking for is a week to campaign."

Conflict

The budget flap wasn't the only source of conflict between Sanford and legislators. A pair of vetoes -- one of a bill increasing the fine for failing to properly secure children in automobiles and one last week of a bill making it illegal to protest within 1,000 feet of a funeral -- left lawmakers and the public scratching their heads.

Both bodies overrode the child safety veto. The House overrode the funeral protest veto and the Senate is expected to follow suit when it returns.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted the most recent veto, saying it was a slap in the face to military families.

Rep. Bob Walker, R-Landrum, who has a son in the military, was overcome with emotion as he expressed his disappointment.

"I respect the governor, but this is very disheartening," Walker said. "We've lost two (servicemen killed in Iraq) in our district, and they deserve the utmost respect."

Despite all the feuding, the Legislature did manage to achieve its major objective of the session -- crafting a property tax relief plan. The process began last year with hearings around the state and culminated in a deal to raise the state's sales tax by a penny to 6 cents on the dollar to eliminate school and county operating property taxes from owner-occupied homes. It also cuts the tax on groceries from 5 cents to 3 cents on the dollar.

"The success of this initiative will have strong benefits for South Carolina for decades to come," said Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, who served on the Senate committee that toured the state.

Sanford said that repaying the final $174 million owed to trust and reserve funds that were raided during lean budget times at the start of the decade and erasing a long-standing accounting deficit fell into the "good" category.

"Those are two important steps toward fiscal responsibility," he said.

Lawmakers also took a step forward on the school choice front, approving legislation that makes it easier to form charter schools. They also approved a uniform start-date bill that says no school can open before the third Monday in August beginning in 2007.

The session will be a memorable one for Walker, who was unanimously elected chairman of the House committee on education and public works. He replaces Rep. Ronnie Townsend, R-Anderson, who is retiring.

Walker, who has served in the House for 14 years and under Townsend for the past 12, said he's looking forward to continuing the progress made toward improving education. He said there are a host of issues that will need to be dealt with, including funding, testing and choice.

"This is an excellent opportunity to continue to be in the forefront when it comes to the education of our children," Walker said.

Legislators also strengthened the state's sex offender laws, including adding a provision that allows the death penalty for repeat child molesters. The bill also increases mandatory minimum sentences for anyone convicted of a sex crime.

The session was a momentous one for Rep. Harold Mitchell, D-Spartanburg, because it was his first.

"I survived," Mitchell said. "There were a lot of controversial bills, so it was almost like a crash course in government."

Mitchell wasn't content just to survive. He pushed through a bill aimed at providing affordable housing to low-income residents.

"This is creating something that helps not only District 31, but the entire state," Mitchell said.

While many key items were passed, some were left on the table.

Worker's Compensation reform, a top priority for the business community, passed the House but died in the Senate.

Several efforts to raise the state's lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax to provide health care programs also failed.

"That's disappointing," said Rep. Mike Anthony, D-Union. "Health care is a major issue, and I'm not sure we've really done anything to improve it."

Legislation limiting local governments' authority to take private property -- a top priority when the session convened in January -- also was left undone. But a conference committee could wrap up work when lawmakers return June 14.

And in a victory for those who love their burgers medium rare, the Legislature approved a bill that loosens regulations requiring ground beef to be cooked to 155 degrees. The bill, which still needs Sanford's signature or an override if he vetoes it, would allow anyone 18 or over to order a restaurant burger cooked the way they like it.

Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com.