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Article published Oct 5, 2004
Sanford sets stage for next year's agenda
ALEXANDER MORRISON
Staff Writer
Gov. Mark Sanford
stopped in Spartanburg Monday night to push for two changes that would make it
easier for him to advance his legislative goals next year.He told a crowd of
about 200 Republicans at the jacket-and-tie-only Piedmont Club that he would
like to change the Senate rules so that Democrats could no longer stall his
bills."You've got some horse-and-buggy rules that don't fit the 21st century,"
Sanford said.Sanford lamented the Senate's failure both to pass income tax cuts
and to vote on much of his agenda."The rules would not allow it," he stated.
"The burial ground was over in the Senate."Currently, a handful of legislators
can filibuster a bill in the Senate, preventing it from coming to a vote unless
at least 28 of 46 senators demand a vote on the bill."I think he's been very
frustrated," said Sen. Glenn Reese, D-Boiling Springs. "He's had a lot of issues
that he wanted to be debated."Reese agreed that the minority party had perhaps
too great an advantage in the Senate's rules. However, he pointed out that a
Republican Legislature amended the Senate filibuster rules in 2001 before
Sanford came to office.The other change Sanford endorsed was for voters to
replace Reese with Republican challenger Steve Parker."It's nothing personal,
but it's an essential shift," Sanford said, explaining that he respected Reese
but that they differed on many issues.Parker has endorsed Sanford's agenda on
virtually every issue."The Democrats, because they are in the minority, have
become obstructionist to the ideas," said an adamant Katon Dawson, chairman of
the state Republican Party.Reese said he stood against Sanford's income tax
reduction not because he was against lowering the income tax but because he
wanted to see a flat income tax rate instead of a bill that would have favored
corporations.It was Sanford's first trip to Spartanburg since May, when he
attended the groundbreaking of the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the
Carolinas.Sanford is working on his executive budget for the coming year in
which he hopes to eliminate waste.He explained that state government does about
14,000 activities and that "a couple of these things are done in multiple
places."The governor will hold his last budget hearing today.Sanford also
defended his attempt last year to close the University of South Carolina's Union
campus and seemed to lean toward making a similar move next year."It's the
larger question of structure," Sanford said. "We need to get away from local
politics deciding the structure of the statewide education system."Sanford's
appearance was a fund-raiser for Parker's campaign. Sixty couples donated $250
as part of the "host committee." Others who attended were asked to donate.Alex
Morrison can be reached at 562-7215 or alex.morrison@shj.com.