For more than six weeks, the Senate has been involved in a war over a primary seat belt law, which would allow police to pull over motorists for driving without a seat belt. Currently, the state has a secondary seat belt law, which means police can ticket you for not using a seat belt only if an officer pulls you over for another reason.

On Wednesday, the war ended with the death of the bill. Immediately following the vote, Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, stood up and said quietly, "That's it, it's over."

He walked over to Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, the bill's chief sponsor, and shook his hand.

"You put up a good fight," Knotts said. He then gave Hutto a noogie, which is, after all, the high mark of senatorial courtesy.

AND YOU THOUGHT THE HOUSE WAS DONE WITH THE BUDGET

Next week, the Senate will take up the state's $16.7 billion budget, $5.3 billion of which they get to play with.

The document has changed quite a bit since House members signed off on it in March.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee managed to give state employees an across-the-board 3 percent raise, fully fund the state Conservation Bank, increase the budget of the state Department of Natural Resources and avoid cutting the budget of the Department of Corrections.

Those moves were made possible after the Board of Economic Advisors announced a $110 million surplus that senators quickly used to shore up an almost identical hole in the budget.

On Wednesday, House Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, pushed through a measure that would bring state laws in line with federal regulations dealing with the marriage tax penalty and inheritance tax.

The measure, according to Harrell, will save state taxpayers $54 million.

"That seems like a good use of the surplus to me," Harrell said.

Senators, who have already spent that money, will likely ignore the proposal. But, said Harrell, "that's what Conference Committee is for."

AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT?

A bill headed to Gov. Mark Sanford's desk could open the door for economic development at the Charleston International Airport. Senators concurred with a House bill Thursday that included an amendment dealing with the state Department of Commerce's ability to offer incentives to aeronautical companies.

Sen. John Kuhn, R-Charleston, said Commerce asked for the legislation. "I don't know if they have a fish on the line or they are eyeing somebody, but this was a good move to open the door to such possibilities," Kuhn said.

Commerce Secretary Bob Faith was not immediately available for comment. But if the level of activity off the Senate floor Thursday was any indication, something is afoot.

MONUMENT GETS KEY APPROVAL

A bill to erect a monument to the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate on Thursday. Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, and Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgland, are sponsors of the measure to erect a statue of Robert Smalls.

Smalls was born in 1839 to a slave in Beaufort and went on to become a respected legislator and congressman. The measure now heads to the House.

DISTRICT REPRESENTATION

Reps. John Graham Altman III and Wallace Scarborough, both of Charleston, introduced a bill Tuesday that would require candidates for any office to live in the district where they file. Currently, only members of the House and Senate operate by this rule. Other elected offices in the state, according to Altman, do not.

"Most people thought you had to live in your district, but according to a recent ruling by the state attorney general, it appears you do not," Altman said. "As it is, someone can file for every seat in a district and create great mischief."

Altman's bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. Should it pass, it would not go into effect until after the November election.

SHORT-TIMER

As the Senate's session drew on Thursday, prolonged by multiple five-minute recesses (which in Senate time is about 30 minutes), Sen. Arthur Ravenel, R-Mount Pleasant, became increasingly irritated. Following one recess, Ravenel, who retires from office at the end of the session, grabbed his microphone and said angrily, "Senators, I'm getting tired of these five-minute recesses that drag on and on. When are we going to adjourn? Some of us want to go home. Particularly me!"

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