Late last week, Gov. Mark Sanford announced the last item on his legislative agenda for next session: changes in Senate rules that are needed to stop individual senators from holding up progress. The election of senators in the tri-county area who support that key legislative goal is good news for the governor and the state.
Particularly significant was the return of Sen. Glenn McConnell to his District 41 seat, by an overwhelming majority. As Senate president pro tem, Mr. McConnell is the governor's strongest ally in the Senate, and authored the restructuring legislation that incorporated the governor's reform plans.
Sen. McConnell says that reintroduction of that legislation is a priority, but emphasizes that first the Senate rules must be revised to prohibit obstructionists from holding up the state's important business. That happened last session when a few senators blocked the reorganization plan to protect some of the elected constitutional officers that Gov. Sanford wants to see appointed.
All but one local senator elected Tuesday have declared their support of the Sanford proposal to bring more agencies into the Cabinet and put the question of whether constitutional officers should be elected to the voters. The lone exception was Democratic Sen. Robert Ford, who, along with another senator, used the rules to help block legislation that was on its way to adoption that would have given the state grand jury power to deal with environmental crimes.
But Republican Sens. Larry Grooms, Bill Mescher and Sen.-elect Chip Campsen declared their support of the governor's reform program early. As the governor's former legislative liaison and senior policy adviser, Mr. Campsen will be a key supporter for government reorganization.
Gov. Sanford has urged rules changes that will increase the number of senators required to hold up a bill, decreasing the number of senators needed to break a filibuster and toughening restrictions on amendments of non-germane legislation.
As the governor observed in a press conference last week in Charleston: "Despite the best efforts of a lot of senators on both sides of the aisle, the current process has proven effective at keeping things from happening, but not so effective at making things happen."
Sen.-elect Campsen has noted that despite the reorganization success of Gov. Carroll Campbell, the state's chief executive has authority over only about 20 percent of state government. For the sake of economy, efficiency and good service to taxpayers, that has to change. The Senate -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- should move quickly to amend the chamber's rules to eliminate a procedural roadblock to needed reform and accountability.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/110404/edi_04edit2.shtml