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Article published Apr 7, 2003
Senate bill should ban lawmakers' family members
from commission
The S.C. Senate has passed a self-serving
Public Service Commission reform bill that would address House but not Senate
nepotism.
Last year, the Senate addressed several problems with the Public
Service Commission, which regulates and sets rates for utilities in this
state.
Its concerns were echoed earlier this year in a report by the
Legislative Audit Council. That report recommended establishing minimum
requirements for commissioners and establishing a code of conduct for
them.
In response, the House and Senate have each passed PSC reform bills.
But neither bill does enough to address one key concern of the Legislative Audit
Council: nepotism.
The General Assembly elects commissioners to their
$76,000-a-year jobs. Relatives of lawmakers have traditionally held an advantage
in seeking election to these positions.
The House bill includes a provision
that would prohibit lawmakers from voting on a relative's candidacy for a
commission job. But that means nothing. A legislator's influence is much more
than his own vote. It's his ability to campaign on the inside and round up votes
from his colleagues.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill earlier
this year that would have banned lawmakers' family members from commission jobs.
But in the version of the bill passed by the Senate last week, only spouses of
lawmakers are prohibited from holding commission seats.
A look at the current
candidates for the commission shows why this change was made. The candidates
include: a senator's son-in-law, two senators' sons and a House member's
husband.
Clearly, senators would like to ban the House member's husband but
not their sons and in-laws.
The Public Service Commission is an important
public body. Its decisions on utility rates affect every South Carolina home and
business. The General Assembly should make sure that Palmetto State residents
know they can trust the commission to look out for their interests. Citizens
need to know that it is made up of the most qualified individuals rather than
just lawmakers' relatives looking for a nice, high-paying state job.
The
House and Senate should revisit the issue and adopt a ban on lawmakers'
immediate family members serving on the commission.