Too quiet.

With the S.C. House of Representatives on a weeklong, self-imposed furlough, all action took place in the state Senate. I'll let you insert your own joke here.

Senators did manage to call a temporary cease-fire on the issue of a primary seat belt law, postponing further debate on the matter until next week.

This allowed them to do a little legislative house cleaning, clearing their calendar of several uncontested issues.

By Wednesday, they finished their business and decided to adjourn early for Easter weekend. They left Columbia so quickly, one can only hope they wore their seat belts.

The little action that did take place last week occurred in committee meetings, where issues ranging from tax reduction to tort reform were debated.

Gov. Mark Sanford's co-chief of staff Tom Davis appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to outline the argument for the governor's income tax reduction plan.

At one point during the meeting, Sen. Verne Smith, R-Greer, began peppering Davis with questions. Davis' answers were evidently a tad too long-winded for Smith.

"Can you answer a question without going around Hong Kong to get to it?" Smith asked.

Another senator asked Davis a question. His answer this time was simply "Yes."

Said a laughing Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, "Tom, you learn fast, son."

CONSERVATION BANK

The Senate Natural Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday introduced an amendment that could restore lost funds to the state's Conservation Bank.

The bank, created in 2002, was to be fully funded at $10 million July 1. A move during the House budget debates last month gutted the bank, however, leaving only about $2.5 million in the fund.

State Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Williamsburg, has proposed an amendment restoring full funding.

The Senate Finance Committee will take up the state's $5.3 billion budget next week.

"THE KUDZU OF THE DRUG WORLD"

Attorney General Henry McMaster has scheduled a daylong law enforcement summit May 3 in Columbia to discuss the state's growing problem with the drug methamphetamine.

McMaster, who this year has taken aim at the underground blood sport of dog fighting, businesses that harm the environment and sexual predators who use the Internet, has said meth labs are his next target.

"Meth labs are the kudzu of the drug world," McMaster said in an interview last week. "They are everywhere. We will be marshaling our forces and focusing on that problem statewide."

The summit will focus on problems associated with methamphetamine. Law enforcement officials also will discuss strategies for combating the drug's rapid growth. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as public health officials and business leaders will participate in the meeting.

Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug. It is made in illegal laboratories and has a high potential for abuse and dependence. The manufacturing process, which uses over-the-counter cold and asthma medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern fuel and antifreeze, is dangerous and the danger of fire is high.

UNINSURED MOTORISTS

State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, has introduced a bill that would require a proof-of-insurance decal on the front window of automobiles.

Grooms said his bill is an attempt to reduce the number of uninsured motorists on state roads.

The bill was inspired by a voter survey Grooms sent out last year. So far, it has received a lukewarm response in the Senate.

"It's late in the session, so folks up here are cautious about their support," he said. "I believe it will get some traction next year."

Grooms hopes his bill will at least make it to subcommittee this year to get the ball rolling.

BITS AND PIECES

-- After being told Wednesday that serial litigant Edward Sloan Jr. was suing the state Legislature over the Life Sciences Act, state Sen. John Kuhn, R-Charleston, shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"It's been a strange year," he said. "That's all I can say."

Sloan, who last year took Gov. Mark Sanford to court over his service in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, is suing the Legislature because he believes lawmakers violated the state constitution by passing the massive omnibus bill.

-- The governor and first lady will welcome the children of deployed soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard and Shaw Air Force Base on Monday afternoon. The children will hunt for eggs and enjoy refreshments in the Caldwell-Boylston and Lace House Gardens on the Governor's Mansion Complex. The hunt is scheduled to begin at about 4:15 p.m.

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