The issues elected officials will debate
next year at the state and national levels may be predictable, but the
outcomes of many are anything but.
The familiar issues of taxes, massive federal budgets and public
safety are just some of the issues cited by state and national leaders
Tuesday during a breakfast meeting of the York County Regional Chamber
of Commerce.
At the state level, changing the rules for how the Senate operates
likely will be the most important vote taken next year, as senators try
to shed their body's reputation as "the graveyard for so many issues,"
said S.C. Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill.
In particular, Hayes said, senators should vote to make it easier to
break filibusters, which would keep individual senators from holding up
legislation. Gov. Mark Sanford has said the rules allowed 39 bills to be
blocked last session by only one senator. Also, 99 bills were pending in
the Senate when the session ended, compared to only three in the House.
Sanford has proposed not allowing only one senator to block debate.
Hayes said he expects the issue to come to a vote on the first day of
the new session.
"Many of the things that need to pass in the General Assembly have
died in the Senate," he said.
On taxes, Hayes said he expects more debate on modifications to the
state tax code in part to help stay competitive in attracting business.
The governor has proposed a tax plan that includes lowering the income
tax rate from 7 percent to 5.9 percent.
"I think that's going to be looked at very seriously," Hayes said,
adding that he's "a little skeptical."
Sanford's plan also includes raising the tax on cigarettes from 7
cents a pack to 68 cents a pack. Hayes said the Senate likely has the
votes to pass this change, but he suspects the House may not.
On public safety, Hayes said the state needs to pass a tougher seat
belt law.
"It's the one thing we can do that can definitely save lives," he
said.
On the national level, U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., said there's no
mistaking the No. 1 priority: the budget.
"It affects everything we do," said Spratt, the ranking Democrat on
the House Budget Committee.
The country faces a $413 billion deficit, and the problem will not
take care of itself, Spratt said. Local programs are feeling the hit, he
said, which has kept his office full of local and state leaders asking
for federal help with local problems, such as the $38 million shortfall
in York County's "Pennies for Progress" program for road improvements.
Some suggest spending cuts to fix the problems, but Spratt said
finding places to cut is where things get tricky. Cuts from larger
programs, such as defense and Medicare, would be tough sells, Spratt
said.
"You begin to see the box the federal government finds itself in," he
said.
Spratt also said tax reform and whether to privatize Social Security
will be hot issues in the next year.
"The (tax) code is way overdue a closet cleaning," Spratt said,
adding that there hasn't been a major reform of the tax code since 1986.
Expect to hear more talk of a national sales tax, he said.
There don't seem to be any easy answers with any of the upcoming
debates, Spratt said. But federal officials have one major
responsibility.
"The top priority of the government is to somehow put the budget back
on track," Spratt said.
Jason Foster • 329-4066
jfoster@heraldonline.com
