A look at what went down Tuesday at the State House:

STATE BUDGET HITS SNAG IN SENATE

Plans to get the state’s $5.5 billion budget to Gov. Mark Sanford’s desk hit a snag Tuesday when Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, balked at the idea of adopting the massive spending plan without reading it.

It was a one-day delay legislators didn’t expect as they raced to complete their budget work to force Sanford to act on the bill by next week. That would give them plenty of time to override expected vetoes before adjourning on June 3.

The Senate delayed action on the budget until Wednesday. The House approved the compromise with a 96-18 vote.

Ryberg’s move sank an otherwise buoyant mood that had surrounded a spending plan that gives taxpayers a $40 million break on the marriage penalty, which works out to about $108 less in state taxes. The budget also hands state workers a 3 percent raise — their first pay increase in two years — and puts more money into public schools and Medicaid programs.

The measure also pays off a burdensome $155 million deficit, left from the 2002 fiscal year, that Sanford had asked lawmakers to fix. With an unexpected surplus and a revised revenue forecast, the budget spares state agencies from cuts expected last fall.

The governor has threatened to veto parts of the budget because he doesn’t like the way lawmakers dealt with a 2-year-old deficit. He also said he wants $430 million restored to trust and reserve accounts that have been raided in the past few years.

MINIBOTTLES CLOSER TO BEING ON BALLOT

South Carolina voters are one step closer to choosing whether they want to keep minibottles after a House committee approved a state constitutional amendment Tuesday.

South Carolina is the only state in the county that forces bars and restaurants to pour liquor drinks from the tiny bottles, similar to those used on airplanes. The state started using minibottles in 1974. But it’s not yet time to crack open those small bottles of liquor and celebrate for people on either side of issue.

The House Judiciary Committee’s approval sends a constitutional amendment to the House floor, where it will need two-thirds approval to make it on the November ballot. The measure already passed the Senate.

Voters wouldn’t directly decide the fate of the 1.7-ounce bottles. Instead, they would choose whether to keep the clause in the constitution requiring restaurants and bars to use minibottles.

If voters approve the amendment, it will then be up to the Legislature to decide whether to get rid of minibottles and what to use in their place.

If it does pass the House, the legislation would still need Gov. Mark Sanford’s approval. Spokesman Will Folks would not say exactly what Sanford would do with the bill, but the governor supports allowing restaurants and bars to decide how they serve their liquor.

From Staff and Wire Reports