The proposal, a part of the budget passed by the S.C. House of Representatives, would have allowed an additional 100,000 cubic feet of nuclear waste at the Barnwell County landfill.

Senators killed the bill, leaving a relatively small hole in the budget passed out of the Senate Finance Committee last month.

It was the first substantive change senators made to the state's $16.7 billion budget, $5.3 billion of which is state-controlled money.

"We are still very close to a balanced budget," said Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence. "We will have one before we are through."

Leatherman said he was confident senators would find money to take the place of the Barnwell funds.

"I was just not willing to open that facility up to more waste," Leatherman said. "My desire would be to see us move toward closing it down."

Last month, the Senate Finance Committee approved a budget that would give state employees an across-the-board 3 percent raise, fully funds the state Conservation Bank, increase the budget of the state Department of Natural Resources and avoid cutting the budget of the Department of Corrections.

Wednesday marked the second day of muted debate in the Senate, a departure from last year's three-week battle.

A budget crunch during an election year seems to have made for a less contentious debate.

Still, senators have clashed over a few proposals, including an attempt to float a nonbinding referendum in November.

The measure, proposed by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, would have asked voters whether they support increasing the state's sales tax by 2 cents and using that money to reduce or eliminate property taxes.

Thomas has fought unsuccessfully all session for passage of a similar measure.

Critics of the proposal warn that such a plan would cripple local municipalities, costing them as much as $800 million over the next 10 years.

Supporters of property tax reform, such as Sen. Bill Branton, R-Summerville, and Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, said such a referendum could give senators a mandate for change next year.

But Grooms warned: "I don't want to us to get into the habit of passing nonbinding referendums. Once you get started, they get out of hand."

The measure was carried over and is expected to be addressed during the session today.

Earlier Wednesday, Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, unsuccessfully attempted to increase money in state trust funds.

He said legislators have raided trust accounts to balance the budget, in the process ignoring about $600 million the state essentially owes itself.

"All we've done is hide the financial condition of this state," Richardson said.

He said the state is in a dangerous situation, one that will have no remedy should an emergency occur.

Leatherman said the measure would force the state to make up about $90 million.

The measure died.

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