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Cobb-Hunter happy with budget vote

"There are a number of people who may find fault with the budget, but I can honestly sit here and say that this year ... we did have a unanimous vote out of the (House Ways and Means) committee."

Committee member Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, praised the ability of the committee to reach a unanimous consensus to pass the $5.8 billion budget during a televised press conference Tuesday.

The budget spends more on education and law enforcement while paying down money borrowed from trust funds.

"I am very pleased on what we did," she said. "There are areas where we could do more, but we did the best we could with what we had."

The budget is expected to come before the full S.C. House of Representatives for debate next week, but Cobb-Hunter said she does not expect there to be much dissension or further discussion.

"Through the leadership of the chair of the committee, they went the extra mile to make sure that those of the minority party had their questions answered, had an audience and were able to dialogue with them on issues important to us," she said.

Tuesday's press conference, sponsored by ETV and the S.C. Press Association, is a part of a 17-week series "This Week in the House," featuring Republican David H. Wilkins, speaker of the S.C. House. The series invites leaders of the S.C. General Assembly to a forum to discuss upcoming issues.

Wilkins praised the leadership of both Cobb-Hunter and Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston (who joined Cobb-Hunter in the press conference), in passing the budget smoothly.

"This year the revenue picture is better," Wilkins said. "It is the first time in my legislative career that a budget has come back unanimously from the Ways and Means committee at a 25-0 vote. The economy ... is better, and that certainly helps the situation."

Education

One issue deemed as key by both Cobb-Hunter and Harrell is the ability to fund K-12 education to the Education Finance Act level.

With the budget, the total per pupil funding for South Carolina will be $9,826, which includes the "base student cost" being fully funded at $2,290. Teacher supply money was increased to $250, and teacher salaries will be increased so they will continue to be $300 above the Southeast average.

"I was very pleased for what we were able to do for education as far as fully funding the EFA," Cobb-Hunter said. "The $2,290 is critical," she said. "I am pleased to have seen us do that with real dollars and with recurring dollars. This is major in my book."

The budget also fully funds the state's scholarship programs: LIFE, Palmetto Fellows and HOPE scholarships and continues to provide funding for tuition assistance to two-year institutions.

Law enforcement,

state employee salaries

In addition to education, law enforcement was also a priority in the budget.

The budget adds 100 new Highway Patrol officers, 124 corrections officers, 20 SLED agents, 118 S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice officers, 10 S.C. Department of Natural Resources agents and four new criminal prosecutors.

State employees will receive a 4 percent pay raise for the first time in years with many law enforcement officers getting 10 percent raises, bringing their salaries more in line with the rest of the Southeast.

"Quite frankly, when we think about these men and women who are out there putting their lives on the line, it is not asking too much," Cobb-Hunter said. "And, of course, what we were able to do for state employees and retirees. Also in this budget, we were able to keep the cost of insurance from being passed on to the state employees. That is significant considering what we have done."

Standard & Poor's

credit rating

Cobb-Hunter addressed the concerns put forth by one of the nation's top credit rating agencies that Gov. Sanford's plan was a reason for continuing a negative outlook on the state's borrowing.

Sanford wants to reduce the state's top income tax rate from 7 percent to 4.75 percent over several years.

While the state's triple-A rating remains intact, Standard and Poor's analysts see the "reduction of a major revenue source without a long-term plan to either balance the reduction or replace it poses a credit risk and is not commensurate with other" Triple-A rated credit.

The state has done better than most in keeping its Triple-A credit rating, a benchmark that has consistently helped the state spend less when it borrows than states with lower ratings.

Wilkins noted the issue may "give people a little more of a cover to hide behind" and additional reasons not to be for the budget, but he is still confident the budget is still solid.

Harrell said the issue would be examined further.

"We worked really hard in this state to maintain the Triple-A credit rating," Cobb-Hunter said. "But to have that negative note attached to it gives me pause."

Continuing, Cobb-Hunter said, "I did not support Gov. Sanford's income tax plan, not just for this reason but simply because I don't think we can afford it. I hope the Senate will take this into account ... and really look at this from a fiscal standpoint and a longevity standpoint about whether or not the state can afford to go down this income tax reduction road."

Psychological evaluation

funding for law enforcement

Cobb-Hunter also answered concerns brought forth by the head of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy this week regarding the state's elimination of funding for psychological evaluation programs for aspiring police officers.

Since the state ceased funding of the program about two years ago due to budgetary cuts, small towns and cities have generally done away with the program due to the evaluations' pricetag.

Cobb-Hunter said that while the budget does not address this program, she noted the importance of these evaluations.

"We don't need more rogue cops out there, but unfortunately we have them," Cobb-Hunter said. "There is nothing that we have done with pay increase with the law enforcement officers that will address that."

The issue, she said, is one that has not been brought before the Ways and Means committee.

"If we had been fully aware of that we could have in our posture this year have taken steps to address that," Cobb-Hunter said.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551.