How “Restructuring” Gave the Legislature More Power
NEW POWERS FOR LAWMAKERS? Much has been made of the restructuring of state government through the Department of Administration bill passed in January. Proponents of the bill have labeled it historic reform and said it would move South Carolina away from unresponsive government. But analysis of the bill by the Policy Council showed that the legislation […]
Restructuring Update: déjà vu all over again?
S.22 ISN’T ABOUT SEPARATING POWERS. AND IT NEVER HAS BEEN On government restructuring, it’s déjà vu all over again. As happened last year, the Senate passed a weak restructuring bill, S.22, that would eliminate the Budget and Control Board (BCB) and replace it with an agency overseen by the same five politicians and with the same powers […]
Half Time Ethics Report
It’s the beginning of April and lawmakers‘ two-week furlough is almost up, leaving us at roughly the half-way point of the 2013 legislative session. This was supposed to be the Year of Ethics Reform, but is it? Below is a “half-time report” detailing what’s been done already and what’s yet to be done. While some […]
Why Is Bonding Authority a Big Deal?
…BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT YOUR MONEY AND WHO’S ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPENDING IT If the General Assembly is going to restructure government, it’s worth remembering the point of restructuring – separation of powers and increased accountability. This year’s Department of Administration bill (S.22) fails to achieve that goal in a variety of areas, most flagrantly procurement […]
Dept. of Administration Bill Gets Worse
CURRENT DOA BILL WOULD FURTHER FLOUT CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES [UPDATE: Late yesterday the full Senate passed S.22 by a vote of 35 to 10. The version passed by the Senate did not differ substantially from the bill as amended by the Senate Finance Committee, discussed here.] Several weeks ago, Senator Shane Massey remarked on the […]
What’s the Point of Restructuring?
Lawmakers say it’s about accountability. The only trouble is: Their bill doesn’t achieve it. On Thursday, January 10, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee – the subcommittee dealing with S.22, a bill to create a Department of Administration – SCPC President Ashley Landess testified on what should and shouldn’t be in any major […]
Government Restructuring – or Reshuffling?
THE DOA BILL HAS DIED IN THE SENATE. DID IT DESERVE ITS FATE? It’s been more than a month since we last saw the Department of Administration bill being debated in the legislature. Since then, the House and Senate have been working in conference committee to reach a compromise. On Wednesday the conference committee sent […]
UPDATE: The House version of the DOA bill
The House of Representatives has finally unveiled their amendment to the Department of Administration bill – after crafting it behind closed doors for more than two months. It sailed through the House in record time and has already gone back to the Senate. This House proposal finally eliminates the Budget and Control Board. The trouble […]
Government De-Structuring?
Yesterday the Senate passed what many are calling the most significant restructuring plan this state has seen in decades. By a vote of 44-0, the South Carolina Senate passed H.3066 – a bill creating a Department of Administration and dissolving the anomaly that was the state Budget and Control Board. Unfortunately – and despite all […]
Getting restructuring right – or wrong?
The state Senate is currently debating what could turn out to be the most important piece of government restructuring legislation to come along in a quarter-century. Among other things, the bill would create a Department of Administration, putting some executive functions where they belong (under the governor), and eliminate the Budget and Control Board. […]
