Posted on Sun, Jan. 07, 2007

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A LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW | AT THE STATE HOUSE IN 2007

Small changes may yield big results

From Staff Reports

Many South Carolinians were happy to hear the news last year that taxes on their homes and groceries would be cut.

Legislators, who return to the State House Tuesday, and newly re-elected Gov. Mark Sanford hope to continue the lower-tax trend while improving the business climate and streamlining bureaucracy.

Many small changes, they say, could create big advancements in residents’ quality of life.

Whether it’s making highways and secondary roads safer or giving children who live in poverty a better start in life, lawmakers will consider a host of bills that might seem to be small potatoes but could bring meaningful changes.

The $6.5 billion state budget will be at the top of the General Assembly’s to-do list, but several other key issues will take their turns on center stage at the State House this year. Among them:

• Economic development and job creation

• Government restructuring

• Improving state roads and bridges

• Affordable coastal homeowners insurance

• Workers’ compensation changes

• Gang activity crackdown

• Tougher drunken driving and underage drinking laws

• Open school enrollment and expanding kindergarten for at-risk 4-year-olds

• Renovations and upgrades at public colleges and universities

WHAT LIES AHEAD

Beginning today and running through Tuesday, The State will examine what lies ahead for lawmakers and how their decisions will affect residents across the Palmetto State.

COMING MONDAY

• Expected changes in the state’s criminal laws and health and environmental standards

Coming Tuesday

• What’s in store for S.C. schoolchildren as well as colleges and universities

Online

• Check out thestate.com and The State’s new S.C. Politics Today Web site for the latest legislative, government and political news.

Ahead this week

• The State will have comprehensive coverage of inauguration events, including online photo galleries, up-to-the-minute information and in-depth analyses as Gov. Mark Sanford begins his second term Wednesday.