Many longtime lawmakers call the $5.8 billion budget proposal passed by the Senate Finance Committee this week one of the best they have ever seen.

The plan would spend $20 million more than a version passed by the House last month, allowing for new state troopers and continued Internet access at public schools.

“I don’t hear a lot of grumbling, so it’ll be pretty easy sledding when (the budget) hits the floor,” said Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Beaufort.

But the ride could get rough when Gov. Mark Sanfordgets a crack at the final budget, which is expected to look a lot like the one approved Thursday.

Sanford says the proposal doesn’t restore enough money to trust funds raided during the economic downturn over the past few years. He signaled he could be preparing for another public feud over the issue.

Last year, he brought piglets to the House to show his distaste for lawmakers’ pet projects.

“I don’t want those pigs to come back,” he said, “but this goes to the heart of a very, very important issue.”

Sanford wants to put more than $360 million back into various state trust funds. Both the House and Senate plans would return $117 million to the trusts.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Hugh LeathermanR-Florence, said there is little wiggle room to send more money back to trust funds.

“Do you reduce the base student cost? Absolutely not.” Leatherman said.

For the first time in five years, lawmakers have budgeted enough money to meet the per-pupil funding level of $2,290 mandated by state law.

The Senate plan looks much like the House proposal, but it would spend $5.2 million more for new troopers, $8.3 million more at the Department of Corrections, and shift $12 million in education money to fund classroom technology.

The Senate chose not to pay for some regional projects the House favored, such as Morris Island Lighthouse renovations.

It did find money for others — such as $500,000 to ScienceSouth, a private, Florence-based educational company, to provide educational programs to schools.

The budget bill will be debated by the full Senate in a few weeks. Lawmakers hope to move quickly so they will have plenty of time to consider potential Sanford vetoes.

It’s not known which items Sanford could try to nix, but he says he’s convinced the budget can be streamlined.

“We need to get our fiscal house in order,” he said.

Reach Stensland at (803) 771-8358 or jstensland@thestate.com