The Year of Reform in S.C.

Someone once asked Winston Churchill why he was such an optimist. “Because,” he replied, “it doesn’t do much good to be anything else.”

Like Churchill, I’m optimistic about our future here in South Carolina. In particular, I’m optimistic about the chances for real, meaningful government reform – changing the way we do things in Columbia to make our system of government more accountable, more transparent, and much more fiscally responsible.

While state leaders search for ways to move South Carolina forward, there’s not likely to be any expanded spending plans in the S.C. General Assembly. There’s no money for that. But what would benefit the state handsomely and not cost any money is government reform – saving money by streamlining functions and cutting waste, and restoring confidence by letting all citizens see how government spends their money.

There are several meaningful reform measures up for consideration this year:

- Comprehensive tort reform legislation by Sen. Larry Martin of Pickens County aims to reduce the cost of healthcare by cutting back frivolous lawsuits. Senator Martin and others also hope to eliminate the five-member Budget & Control Board, the massive agency that oversees much state spending, and replace it with a more responsive department controlled by the governor.

- State leaders including Senators Kevin Bryant of Anderson County, Dick Elliott of Horry County and Larry Grooms of Berkeley County have introduced legislation requiring local governments to post their spending details on the Internet. (My office is currently working with local governments to encourage them to voluntarily post spending details online, and we expect the first governments to soon begin doing so.)

- Unbeknownst to most people, state agencies can spend taxpayer money to hire lobbyists…whose job is lobbying the legislature for more taxpayer money. Reps. Jim Merrill of Berkeley County, Herb Kirsh of York County and other genuine taxpayer heroes rightfully want to end that improper practice.

- Reps. Nikki Haley of Lexington County and Nathan Ballentine of Richland County have introduced transparency-related measures, including a successful effort to require more legislative votes to be recorded, and they have pending legislation for more stringent campaign contribution disclosure requirements.

- House Speaker Bobby Harrell of Charleston County and others are laying the groundwork for comprehensive tax reform.

- Senate President Pro-Tem Glenn McConnell of Charleston County and others want to cap state spending to ensure that the growth of state government doesn’t outpace our ability to pay for it. The recent budget shortfalls are a glaring example of why this legislation is needed; simply put, government tends to spend everything it collects during prosperous times, and then is forced to enact painful cuts whenever the economy slows down.

- Senator Shane Massey of Edgefield County wants lawmakers to accept full responsibility for their “pork barrel projects.” His proposed “earmark reform” bill would ban secret spending for these projects.

Whether or not you agree with all of these specific proposals, what’s clear is that most of them would greatly benefit our state. In the midst of tough economic times for many South Carolinians, now might be a perfect time to insist upon fundamental changes in the way government operates.