With the next session for the S.C. House of Representatives five months away, local legislators mix official business with their normal lives in the summer.

“I am in Columbia every week,” said Rep. Lester Branham, D-Lake City.

Branham, who is board chairman for the Baptist Healthcare System of South Carolina, said he goes by his House office when he travels to Columbia for board business.

“Constituents still need services year-round,” he said. “I am always in contact with individuals and groups about issues.” He said he discusses needs with constituents and tries to be prepared to address them.

Branham has other endeavors, too. Before he retired in 1998, Branham was a Baptist minister for 43 years. He said he still delivers sermons in place of vacationing pastors when he has time.

Rep. Marty Coates, R-Florence, said the summer months provide time for him to “play catch-up.” “I am self-employed (as a management consultant),” he said.

“In the summer I’m traveling around the country a lot. And I spend time with my family,” said Coates, who has two children.

Coates also said he gets many telephone calls in the summer from constituents.

“People call about road repairs, ditches that need cleaning, disability issues and a variety of things,” he said.

Coates said he doesn’t go to Columbia much in the summer, but he can keep up with his legislative office through forwarded mail and e-mail. He also said he gets a chance to see voters in the off-season.

“I spend time out in the district from August to January. I go to country stores, churches and other activities,” said Coates, who serves in a district that he said is 80 percent rural.

Rep. Jesse Hines, D-Lamar, also said he spends the time with the people in his district when the legislative session is over.

“I stay in contact with constituents regarding legislation that may affect them,” he said.

Hines, a retired school administrator and former Darlington County school board member, said he uses his time away from Columbia to visit his daughter in the Dallas area, too. He also has a son in Orangeburg and said he gets to spend more time with his grandchildren when the session is out.

All three legislators said they will be ready to tackle legislation when the General Assembly resumes action in January.

Property tax reform is an issue cited as a one that will require immediate action.

Coates said that with the 2006 election year coming up, he expects issues that candidates are pushing that aren’t prominent now will make their way into debates.

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