Some local lawmakers called the 2003 session the most difficult one they had ever been part of. "It's been a very contentious year. It's by far the hardest year I've ever seen in my 23 years in the legislature," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence. "It's a lot easier to be up there" when you have money to fund programs with, said Rep. Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville. The session went down to the wire, with such bills as a new DUI law passing with only 10 minutes remaining, Lucas said. Leatherman and Lucas both called the DUI law, which decreases the legal limit for "under the influence" from .10 to .08, one of the session's victories because it saves the state from losing $6 million in federal money this year and should save lives, as well. Leatherman also was pleased with the passage of "good, solid" campaign finance reform and predatory lending laws, as well as legislation that could make changes at the Division of Motor Vehicles. "We were able to get significant pieces of legislation through, and others we'll have to take up when we go back in January," said Rep. Marty Coates, R-Florence. The House and Senate approved a $5.3 billion budget Tuesday that keeps funding for education and Medicaid at the same amount as last year, thanks to $265 million from the federal government. Without the money from Washington, the budget situation would have been worse, Lucas said. Rep. Jim McGee, R-Florence, said he was happy that the General Assembly finally hammered out the budget, but said he was frustrated with the many delays. "It's apparent there is a lot of division over there and it's not working the best, in my opinion," he said. Democrats were unhappy about the proposed $5.3 billion spending plan, which they said continues to shortchange education. Sens. Maggie Glover, D-Florence, and Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, voted against the budget proposal. Glover and Malloy said they didn't know where the state would be without the aid of the federal government. Rural areas take the brunt of the damage when education is underfunded, said Rep. Jim Battle, D-Nichols. The Education Finance Act, which was designed to make education equitable across the state, appropriates more state money to poorer areas, while wealthier districts get more of their revenue from their counties, Battle said. Therefore, he said, cuts in state funding hurt rural districts more because they constitute more of their money. Malloy said the $44.6 million more that will go to schools only goes so far. The cost per-pupil is still $500 less than the state budget board's research division said it should be. One thing all legislators seem to agree on, however, is that South Carolina needs a source for steady Medicaid funding. The $128 million in federal aid for Medicaid "satisfies the today problem, but tomorrow's problem is still going to be there," Malloy said. "When you have no money, it's already very difficult," Glover said. "But when you have people who have no resolve to generate new revenue, it's just mind-boggling." One alternative is to raise taxes, which citizens don't want, Battle said. Some of Glover's constituents, whom she called "more progressive and forward-thinking" than the lawmakers, had called her saying to pass the cigarette tax. "I have not heard this constant cry for no new taxes," she said. Leatherman said he will spend the summer on a tax study committee that will determine whether all taxpayers pay their fair share under the state's tax code. He said he is committed to finding steady Medicaid funding by next year because the state has a moral obligation to help those who can't help themselves. But amid education and Medicaid, the state can't forget its other agencies, Malloy said. The state Department of Corrections has cut guards because of a $20 million deficit, and Leatherman said he worries about potential uprisings or breakouts. Because of filibustering and last-minute bill-approving, the Senate never passed a resolution that would have brought the Legislature back June 17 to deal with any vetoes Gov. Mark Sanford might make. Lucas said he is disappointed the House and Senate will not reconvene. "I think it's critical for us to go back at the end of the session" and deal with gubernatorial vetoes and conference committees, he said. If the Senate had two or three more days, many of the last-minute bills could have been made stronger, Lucas said. Battle said he would feel better if they went back because no one knows what first-year Gov. Sanford might do. McGee and Coates said they trust the governor to do the right thing. Malloy said returning to Columbia would not only be expensive for taxpayers but also unnecessary because the General Assembly spent so much time with so little progress, despite all the hard work.
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