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Article published Jan 13, 2005
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Senators give up some of their power for the good of the state
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South Carolina state senators acted in the best interest of
the state this week when they gave up a bit of their power to ensure a more
efficient and democratic legislative process.Senators have always cherished the
ability of one senator to block legislation and appointments. It made their
positions more powerful and gave them a greater say over state matters.But this
power became a critical problem last year. The Senate became bogged down in
filibusters, mostly over a bill that would allow primary enforcement of the seat
belt law.A number of crucial issues were never handled by the Senate because of
these delays. Senators could see that the rules were hampering their body's
ability to effectively legislate, that a minority of a few senators could block
action by the entire Senate.They deserve credit for being willing to sacrifice
those powers to create a more efficient and more democratic system.Under the new
rules, it will be easier to overcome a filibuster. Senators can still insist on
lengthy and full debate over bills, but it will be much harder for a handful of
senators to keep the Senate from voting on a matter.Also gone is the ability of
one senator to block a bill by sending it to the contested calendar. Now bills
can be brought back from this legislative exile after six days.Spartanburg
County received an additional bonus in the rule changes: less likelihood that
the county's Magistrate Court will be thrown into long periods of uncertainty
again.State Sen. Glenn Reese blocked reappointment of all the county's
magistrates for months over his insistence on reappointing a magistrate who was
later suspended and forced to retire by the Supreme Court. The new rules allow a
supermajority of a county's senators to recommend magistrates. One senator can
no longer block the process.The changes the Senate has adopted allow for a
smoother flow of legislation. Opponents of the changes claim that bills will go
through without as much deliberation. But filibusters and contested calendars
rarely resulted in genuine debate. In fact, they often stifled and delayed
debate.The new rules give the Senate the chance to thoroughly examine
legislation and better ensure that senators will have an opportunity to vote on
bills.Senators have acted in the state's best interest and have empowered the
Senate as a whole by giving up a little bit of their own personal authority.
Now, if they would only extend that attitude toward government
restructuring.