Sanford sees hope with lawmakers on vetoes

By JENNIFER HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA — Gov. Mark Sanford buzzed from one meeting to the next like any other day, but the clanging bell calling House members to vote on his state budget vetoes Tuesday constantly echoed into his office a floor below.

That sinking feeling he got this time last year — when the House overrode his vetoes with little or no debate in two hours — was replaced this year with some hope of progress with his rough-and-tumble relationship with the Legislature.

The House took time to debate each veto on merits instead of last year's in-your-face override-fest. They ended up sustaining four vetoes and will send the 54 they overrode to the Senate.

The House planned to return Wednesday to deal with the remaining 89 from the state budget and another 14 from a separate spending bill.

"I think this really is encouraging," Sanford said. "What I think we're beginning to see in terms of political movement is a divide ... philosophically where folks are."

Sanford has pushed for the Legislature to be fiscally conservative even if it means setting more than $28 million from public college budgets on the chopping blocks.

Most of that is expected to be put back into the budget. South Carolina ETV lost $104,626 and the State Budget and Control Board was cut $206,602 in the vetoes kept by the House.

House Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, the chief budget writer, said it was about "the right thing to do on the floor."

"I think there was progress this year," said Harrell, who witnessed the governor bring two squealing piglets to the House doors to protest pork in the budget last year. "I hope this does not adversely affect our relationship with him."

Sanford started a campaign earlier this year to pay back trust funds borrowed when times were tough before spending money on new projects.

His vetoes cut about $70 million from the $5.8 billion state budget. Sanford also vetoed about $26 million from a separate $73 million bill.

If his vetoes were sustained and if that money were used to repay those accounts, the state would still have $226 million left to be repaid.

The 149 state budget vetoes surpass the 106 Sanford issued last year.

House Majority Leader Jim Merrill, R-Charleston, said the governor made a strategic mistake by handing down so many vetoes.

"When you put that many vetoes into a bill ... we create natural constituencies against complying with them," he said. "I don't think in anyway shape or form that it's against the governor. It's just an affirmation of the fact that the budget was thoughtful."

House Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews, members were not going to sacrifice the needs of South Carolinians.

"We have debated this budget," Ott said. "We believe this budget balances putting money back into the trust funds with meeting the needs of the South Carolina that we supposedly represent."

Sanford said fight for taxpayers can cause some discomfort.

"Is it hard for me? Absolutely," Sanford said. "If you use that rhetoric. You better act on it."

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