In a depressing show of disrespect for the state's local governments, the S.C. House on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it virtually impossible to remove billboards from alongside their roadways. Worse, the House beat back an amendment that would have brought the cost of removing offending billboards into line with the paltry property-tax values local governments are allowed to assign to them. As a 90-member House majority sees it, counties, cities and towns should be able to derive little revenue from billboards but pay dearly to remove them.

Every Horry County representative thinks this is OK. Voting in favor of the bill Wednesday were Reps. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach; Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach; Nelson Hardwick, R-Surfside Beach; Thad Viers, R-Socastee; and Liston Barfield, R-Aynor. According to the House Journal, Rep. Billy Witherspoon, R-Conway, did not vote but is one of the bill's sponsors.

Of the local House delegation, only Rep. Vida Miller, D-Pawleys Island, voted against the bill. Good for her.

The hope must be that when this blatant special-interest legislation reaches the Senate, Sens. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach; Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach; and Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, will show more respect for the prerogatives of local governments.