COLUMBIA--Senate sessions may be carried live on the Internet, but forget about sending them e-mail while they're on the Senate floor.

For at least six years, the Senate's e-mail system has been set up to block all incoming e-mail while senators are on the floor, said Senate Clerk Jeff Gossett.

That apparently went unnoticed until Wednesday during budget debate as Sen. Brad Hutto waited for an e-mail that never arrived.

When the Orangeburg Democrat checked into it, he found out about the block. By Thursday, he had arranged to have his e-mail unblocked, but was steaming.

"The rest of you out there, if you want to hear from the public, you better make that request," he said.

Gossett said that Senate's e-mail system captures all messages sent to senators when they go into session and then sends it to them when they finish for the day. "There's nothing sinister about it."