“The things Governor Campbell did changed the course of our state. If anyone deserves this, it’s him.”

— Rep. Chip Huggins, R-Lexington, on why he introduced legislation to create a commission that would raise money for a statue on State House grounds of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell

TODAY AT THE STATE HOUSE

In the House: Convenes at 10 a.m.

9 a.m., 501 Blatt Building, Ways and Means subcommittee hears budget requests for Legislative Printing and Information Technology Systems

In the Senate: Convenes at 10 a.m.

9:30 a.m., 308 Gressette Building, Banking and Insurance subcommittee discusses mandating insurance coverage for autism

Elsewhere:

9 a.m., 511 Blatt Building, Full Legislative Ethics Committee meets

For a complete list of legislative meetings, go to http://www.scstatehouse.net/ and click on the “Meetings” link.

THE DAILY BUZZ

Rep. Wallace Scarborough, R-Charleston, and nearly 30 other House members, want to allow The Citadel to hold state-sanctioned prayers at on- or off-campus events.

Prayer is allowed at U.S. military academies, such as the Naval Academy, he said.

The school did not ask for the bill, Scarborough said.

The Citadel is not like other public colleges, he said.

“When you go to The Citadel, you expect to wear a uniform,” he said, “you expect to carry a rifle. You expect to do push-ups. You ought to expect to pray.”

Scarborough, known for never — no matter how cold it is outside — wearing socks, was asked whether he was expected to wear socks at the Charleston military academy.

“Not my senior year,” Scarborough said.

SCHMOOZING

Where and from whom state lawmakers will be able to get free food and drinks today:

• Breakfast: 8 a.m., 221 Blatt Building, shrimp and grits provided by the S.C. Broadcasters Association

MORE ON THE WEB

What you can find online

YGA Today, a midday look inside the State House, will be posted on http://www.thestate.com/ early afternoon each legislative day.

ETHICS EYED

Senate Ethics Committee chairman Wes Hayes, R-York, has introduced a pair of campaign finance-related bills.

Senate bill 1015 clears up confusion over how lawmakers report the value of gifts. It is unclear to some whether current law requires reporting of all gifts, or only those worth $25 or more. The bill sets the standard at $25.

Senate bill 1016 would cap at $5,000 the fines that can be levied by the State Ethics Commission. Current law allows for unlimited fines for those who do not file required reports or who file late. The fines are $100 a day but can accumulate indefinitely. Hayes’ bill keeps the $100 a day, but sets the maximum at $5,000.

CIGARETTE TAX TARGETED

Some Democratic lawmakers would like to raise the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax to spare cuts to Medicaid, the insurance safety net for the elderly, disabled and poor.

Gov. Mark Sanford has asked the federal government for permission to cut the program’s growth rate and administer it as private insurance.

House Ways and Means chairman Dan Cooper doubts legislators will raise the tax. He noted with fewer people smoking, there’s less money.

“I’m not very eager to make state government dependent on something that’s going to decline,” said Cooper, R-Anderson.

SCHOOL DEBATE NEAR

Creation of a statewide charter school district that could boost the number of such facilities is likely to be debated in the state Senate next week.

The change is a priority for many Republican legislators and Gov. Mark Sanford, who see it as a way to offer alternatives to traditional schools.

Some charter advocates, though, fear their schools would lose local funding if they moved to wider charter schools district. Other opponents say the attention focused on charter schools distracts from the need to better fund traditional public schools.

FIXING THE BOOKS

House leaders advanced legislation to repay a $104.9 million budget deficit created when lawmakers altered state accounting methods during lean budget years.

Plans in the House and Senate would repay the money using some of the roughly $500 million in one-time surplus funds available. Repaying the debt also was included in Gov. Mark Sanford’s budget.

The measure is being tracked by bond-rating firms, who downgraded the state’s AAA rating last year over concerns about financial practices.

“We want to send a message to the credit rating agencies that we’re ready to put everything back in order,” said Ways and Means’ Cooper.