COLUMBIA, S.C. - House members restored funding for voting machines and Special Olympics and withdrew permission for the Highway Patrol to charge for traffic control at football games as they overrode Gov. Mark Sanford's first budget vetoes.

On Wednesday, the House rejected six of Sanford's 22 vetoes from last year and parts of a seventh, allowing the rest to stand. The House agreed to reduce funding for the State Museum and a litter control program among other cuts.

Legislators restored $60,045 to Leadership South Carolina, saying it was a training ground for political and business leaders. Sanford said the program should be paid for privately or by participants.

But lawmakers countered that cutting state funding - about a fifth of the program's budget - would keep low-income people from participating.

"We need somewhere to train the future political leaders of our state," Rep. Walt McLeod, D-Little Mountain, said. The state's investment is "chicken feed if it will help our government be better."

Two-thirds of the Senate have to agree for the program to keep the money.

The House also voted to keep Medicaid payments to pharmacists at current levels. Sanford had argued the Legislature restricted the state Department of Health and Human Services' ability to lower those rates. The agency administers the federal health care program for the poor and the elderly.

"It's going to put a real strain on small pharmacies in small towns," Rep. Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews said Tuesday as Democrats discussed the issue.

There was little discussion as the House restored language prohibiting the state highway Patrol from charging for traffic control at special events. Sanford said the Public Safety Department should be able to recoup some of its costs for the work.

The House let stand most of Sanford's vetoes of 10 items on a so-called "wish-list" - that is programs that would be funded if the state collected more money than expected. The House voted to keep money flowing to two programs: $700,000 for the state's share of improving voting systems and $50,000 for Special Olympics.

"It's obviously great for us," said Barry Coats, president of the Special Olympics of South Carolina.

One veto that stood was cutting a little less than $100,000 for staff at the Commission on Women. Sanford's office is paying that bill.

Sanford "saved us $100,000 and paid for it out of his governor's office budget," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said.

The Senate now will take up the budget vetoes. Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the governor has laid out "the rationale for his vetoes. I'm sure he hopes the Senate will take a look at that rationale."