The South Carolina General Assembly has adjourned after bitter fights mostly centered around what to do about the tight budget and declining state revenues.

However there were a few bright spots -- some accomplishments that we should not overlook.

There is a new law regulating campaign finance and a bill to lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers to 0.08 percent.

With the approval of the new alcohol limit the state will be eligible for more federal aid which certainly helps in these tough budget times.

Also a new law sets regulations which will limit predatory lending. It protects borrowers from unfair high-interest loans and unscrupulous lenders.

Another new law brings about needed changes at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

On Saturdays during the summer DMV offices will be open in Florence and five other offices across the state allowing people to do business with the agency on the weekend except for the holiday weekends of July 5 and Aug. 30.

In addition to the Saturday opening under the new law drivers could get tag renewal stickers and registrations from county treasurers' offices or private entities that could charge a service fee more than the standard $24. Your drivers' license will now expire every 10 years for most people instead of five years. Also there will be a number of transactions that you can do online to keep you from having to go to DMV offices.

Under the campaign finance reform law political parties and campaign donors will have to make more information available about where their money and support is coming from. And even though the General Assembly didn't pass a cigarette tax increase to help fund Medicaid there was a key vote in the Senate showing support for the increase. We certainly hope that vote carries some weight next year when the issue will again be facing the state.