You put on an old jacket and find a $5 bill. You get a refund check from the IRS. You win the pot holding a busted straight.

That was pretty much how members of the Senate Finance Committee felt late Thursday night when it was announced the state was $130 million ahead of revenue projections for this point in the year. After paying some bills, the committee had $110 million to put toward state agencies, which lightened the mood considerably.

The committee had spent the week trying to trim the state's $5.3 billion spending plan to make up for a $111 million hole created by several changes senators made in the document handed them by the House of Representatives.

Several times Thursday, committee chairman Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, sent members back to subcommittees to search for places to cut the budget. Each time the senators returned with bad news.

For brevity's sake, here is the basic conversation (in my head):

Leatherman: "Senator, I have sent you back to subcommittee to cut some money out of the budget. What have you come up with?"

Sen. X: "We searched long and hard, and we decided we need an additional $6 million."

Leatherman: "Senator, that doesn't sound much like a cut to me. Are you sure you understood what I said."

Sen. X: "I'm sorry Mr. Chairman. After a quick consultation with staff, we have decided we can live with an additional $7 million. Make that $8 million."

Leatherman: (Tap tap) "Is this thing on?"

Of course, many senators suspect Leatherman knew all along about the surplus.

"The chairman just wanted to make sure we tightened the budget as much as possible before he let us know about that money," said Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree. "If he hadn't done that, we would have spent that money and still be millions short."

It was either that or Leatherman enjoyed watching the senators rifle through couches for change.

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME LAW

State Attorney General Henry McMaster enjoyed another victory last week, as the House of Representatives approved legislation granting the state grand jury the authority to investigate environmental crimes.

Currently, crimes such as dumping hazardous waste are illegal in South Carolina, but local law enforcement officials often are unable to build cases.

"These kinds of crimes are very hard to prove," McMaster has said. "They are carefully planned and done in secret."

The federal grand jury can be called in to build a case, but after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, federal agencies are more concerned with terrorism and matters of national security.

As it is now, local authorities can gather some evidence, but without the state grand jury subpoena they cannot access logs and records. Both are needed to prove intent in white-collar crimes.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Daniel Island, calls the measure a "common sense proposal."

Two previous attorneys general made similar proposals to the Legislature without success. This marks the first time the proposal has made it this far. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.

BIKE RIDE

During a recent Cabinet meeting, Gov. Mark Sanford received several gifts for his upcoming bike ride across the state.

The ride, proposed by Sanford as a way to promote health in the state, starts May 1 in Spartanburg County and ends at Wannamaker Park in North Charleston on May 16. The governor will make the 150-mile trip in three segments over three weekends.

Sanford announced the trip during his 2004 State of the State address as a way of encouraging South Carolinians to make more healthy decisions.

On Monday, during Sanford's monthly Cabinet meeting, several Cabinet heads gave Sanford gifts for use on the trip. Among them: bug spray, a bell for the governor's bike, energy bars, a whistle, a snakebite kit and a bright orange vest with "Governor Sanford" stripped across the back.

Seeing this, the governor said: "This will make me a target. They'll see this and start aiming for me."

SPEAKING OF FITNESS

Sanford announced Friday that Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis is his official ambassador of physical fitness.

The position is honorary, which means no one has to worry Davis will show up at their door, slap the pizza out of their hand, and make them drop and give him 50.

That will be the job of the S.C. drill instructor, the next honorary position to be announced by the governor's office.

Davis's lone duty as ambassador will be to spread the word among South Carolinians about the importance of making better diet and exercise decisions.

"I've got to be honest, my four boys would have never spoken to me again if I'd picked anybody other than Stephen Davis to do this," Sanford said. "He's positively one of their favorite athletes, and they had an absolute blast meeting him earlier this year."

Davis said he was flattered to be named to the position.

"I've received a number of honors on the football field, but to have the governor of my home state ask me to help him lead this effort ranks right up there with any of them," Davis said.

Other honorary health appointments expected out of the governor's office: the S.C. ambassador of angioplasty and the state podiatrist.

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