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Hundreds of Millions in COVID Funds Remain Unspent by Health Agency
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Of the more than $1 billion in state and federal funding provided to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to combat the coronavirus outbreak that hit South Carolina two years ago, nearly half of it remained unspent through February, The Nerve found in a review of agency records.
In documents submitted by DHEC at last week’s meeting of the state Joint Bond Review Committee (JBRC) – a 10-member legislative panel chaired by Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter – the agency said that as of Feb. 28, it had spent a total of $636.3 million, including $333.3 million on testing, $134.3 million for personnel costs, $68.3 million on vaccination efforts, and $33.7 million for contact tracing.
As of April 2, confirmed COVID-19 deaths and cases statewide since the start of the pandemic totaled 15,045 and 1.1 million, respectively, according to DHEC records.
Gas-Tax Suspension Bills Running Nearly on Empty
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Two S.C. House bills that would temporarily suspend the state gasoline tax are moving about as fast as the rate of fixing South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges.
Meanwhile, the surplus in a special fund created with the 2017 gas-tax-hike law continues to grow, standing at more than $1 billion through February, which represented nearly 45% of all revenues collected since the law took effect.
The law raised the state gasoline tax by 12 cents per gallon over six years – a 75% jump from the base 16 cents – and increased other vehicle taxes and fees. The next 2-cent increase under the law is set to take effect July 1.
Power Play by S.C. Attorney General in $600M Settlement?
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The state’s top court next week will consider whether S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson could legally pay two private law firms – one of which he formerly worked at – $75 million out of a $600 million settlement with the federal government over plutonium storage in South Carolina.
“That’s money that should be and is the property of the state of South Carolina,” said Greenville attorney Jim Carpenter, one of the lawyers who represent the plaintiffs in the case, when contacted Thursday by The Nerve. “It’s not the attorney general’s money to dole out.”
Carpenter represents longtime government activist John Crangle of Columbia and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in Greenville County known over the years for suing state and local government on behalf of citizens.
State Law Keeps Judicial Income Hidden from Public
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Under state court rules, judges must avoid even the “appearance of impropriety” in all of their activities, and “minimize the risk of conflict” with their official duties.
Citizens, however, typically have no easy way of determining whether the income sources of many South Carolina judges or their immediate family members pose potential conflicts of interest when those judges are hearing court cases. That’s partly because unlike for other public officials, state law exempts most judges from filing annual income-disclosure statements with the State Ethics Commission.
And judges also are exempted from having their annual taxpayer-funded incomes listed in the online salary database for state employees making at least $50,000 yearly.
Lawmakers Again Proposing New State Ecodevo Agency
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
When the state is flush with taxpayer money, lawmakers can’t resist the urge to create new agencies.
Last week, Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, and three other Democratic senators introduced a bill that would create a state agency to serve a group of rural counties, called the “I-95 Corridor Authority,” which would “carry out economic development, health and educational improvement activities which, in the opinion of the authority, will improve the economic conditions in its member counties and are located in a member county or an adjacent census tract.”
A companion House bill, sponsored by Rep. Lonnie Hosey, D-Barnwell, and 15 other Democratic House members, was introduced last month.
In both bills, the authority would be legislatively controlled, with eight of its 13 board of director members appointed by lawmakers whose districts include the member counties, and the other five members selected by the governor.
Legislative study consultant could get $750K
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Another legislative study, another likely six-figure taxpayer bill at the end.
Last week, the “Electricity Market Reform Measures Study Committee,” which was created by state law in 2020, met virtually for the first time with a team of hired consultants with the Boston-based Brattle Group.
Under its contract with the eight-member committee, co-chaired by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, and Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, Brattle will receive a maximum $750,000 for “labor and non-labor fees and expenses,” with the possibility of being paid more if authorized by the committee.
Hourly consulting fees range from $250 for a research analyst to $625 for a principal in the firm, according to the contract, provided last week to The Nerve by Senate clerk Jeff Gossett under the state Freedom of Information Act.
Legislative Delegations Still Meddling in Local School Matters
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
County legislative delegations are again asserting their power over local school districts.
The Legislature so far this session has passed at least five school-related bills introduced by House or Senate members representing counties in which the affected school districts are located.
Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed all five bills – three of them on Monday – though lawmakers overrode the first two vetoes.
Until the mid-1970s, legislative delegations generally governed the counties they represented, including approving county budgets. The 1975 Home Rule Act was supposed to give counties more control over their own affairs, though it didn’t end lawmakers’ control over local school districts and certain other areas.
Stanton Healthcare Applauds the Idaho Legislature for Passing Texas-inspired Heartbeat Bill to Ban Abortions After Six Weeks
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- By Stanton Healthcare
BOISE, Idaho -- Stanton Healthcare has been part of the core team that is leading the way in passing legislation to ban abortions in the state of Idaho. Senate Bill 1309, which was just passed by the Idaho legislature, is extremely significant as it is modeled after the Texas law and has already withstood several federal court challenges, including not being blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court or the state of Texas' Supreme Court.
Stanton's Physician Assistant, Samantha Doty, testified before the Senate State Affairs Committee, and said the following:
"At Stanton we believe that abortion is wrong at any point in the pregnancy because from the moment of conception a uniquely distinct human being is created. Although our desire is to see abortions completely outlawed in the state of Idaho, we believe enacting SB 1309 would a huge step in the right direction."
Current, Former Lawyer-Legislators’ Firms to Share Fees in $300M Settlement
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
In announcing last month that the state is expected to receive more than $300 million from a national opioid settlement, S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson said the money will provide “much-needed financial resources which will help combat South Carolina’s opioid epidemic.”
What wasn’t mentioned then is that part of the proceeds will go to at least six law firms with ties to current or former state lawmakers, according to information provided to The Nerve by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).
Of South Carolina’s $300 million-plus share of the total $26 billion national settlement, to be paid out over 18 years starting this year, at least $24 million, or 8% of the state’s proceeds, would be split among law firms representing the state, all 46 counties and 43 municipalities.
Judicial Department Releases Staff Salaries After Legal Pressure
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
More than three months after ignoring The Nerve’s written requests, the S.C. Judicial Department has released an updated salary list of state judges and other higher-paid court staff, which shows 141 employees making at least $100,000.
The third branch of state government responded to The Nerve only after the South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – hired a law firm to press for the release of the records.
Under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the exact compensation of a public employee earning $50,000 or more year is a matter of public record. But unlike most other state agencies, the Judicial Department doesn’t provide salary information for its $50,000-plus workers to the online state salary database maintained by the S.C. Department of Administration.
Gas-Tax-Hike Surplus Swells Over Past Year
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As South Carolina motorists over the past year have been paying more in state gasoline taxes – on top of skyrocketing gas prices – the surplus from revenues generated under the 2017 gas-tax-hike law jumped by nearly $300 million, records show.
As of Jan. 31, the cash balance of a special fund created with the law stood at $1.05 billion – $297.9 million, or about 40%, more than the total surplus a year earlier, according to state Department of Transportation and comptroller general records. The increase was $46 million greater compared to the previous annual growth in the reserves.
Looking at it another way, the current surplus equals about $260 for every driver with a regular South Carolina license.
Years Later, State Lawmaker Owes Tens of Thousands in Ethics Fines
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As of 2015, state Rep. Cezar McKnight owed a total of $60,190 in civil fines to the state Senate Ethics Committee after being publicly reprimanded for campaign reporting violations when he was a Senate candidate.
To date, only $1,039.12 of his debt has been collected, according to committee records.
In a recent interview with The Nerve, McKnight, D-Williamsburg, an attorney who has been a House member since 2014, said he doesn’t know exactly how much he still owes.
“I’m working on trying to find a way to get this resolved because I think it’s unfair,” he said. “I’m actively trying to get redress of my grievances.”
Google Project Could Get Part of $150M in State Surplus Money
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The S.C. Department of Commerce hasn’t committed to any projects with most of the $150 million in state surplus funds that the agency wants to spend next fiscal year for a new “infrastructure” program, the department’s director told budget writers recently.
Yet Commerce secretary Harry Lightsey, whom Gov. Henry McMaster appointed last June, disclosed to a state House Ways and Means panel that approximately $80 million of the proposed $150 million could be used in part for a Myrtle Beach project tied to internet search giant Google, and another project involving an automotive test track at a publicly owned business park near Greenville.
He also discussed two other projects totaling about $70 million that would benefit corporate giants Boeing and Volvo, the details of which were revealed by The Nerve before the Feb. 1 Ways and Means Economic Development Subcommittee hearing.
The Thin Viability Line
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- By Dr. John Seago - Eagle Forum
This year promises to hold seismic shifts in the cultural, spiritual, and legal battles over abortion, so let us prepare to face these challenges with prudence, courage, and faith.
The most consequential Pro-Life development of last year was the Supreme Court of the United States agreeing to hear arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson case. This case could be the vehicle to overturn or drastically reign in the two most deadly rulings in our country’s history: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The second development is the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which has saved thousands of preborn lives already, and has served as a beacon of light for how our country can move into a post-Roe era.
Is Roe Finally Over?
U.S. Rep. Mace Owes $11.5K in S.C. House Ethics Fines
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is an ex-S.C. House member, owes a total of $11,500 in civil fines to the state House Ethics Committee for campaign reporting violations related to her former position, according to the committee’s top lawyer.
The total includes a $600 fine for the late filing of a campaign report due last month, Jane Shuler, the committee’s chief legal counsel, said in a written response this week to The Nerve’s questions about Mace’s fines.
An online list of House Ethics Committee fines, which was last updated in December, shows that Mace was separately fined $5,100 last year for the late filing of campaign reports due in January and April, plus another $700 for the late filing of a report due in July.
Lawmakers Secretly Nominate Ex-Legislator for Judge's Seat
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- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As expected, the Horry County legislative delegation last week nominated former House member Alan Clemmons as the county’s master-in-equity judge.
But House and Senate members who make up the delegation didn’t nominate Clemmons – who had been a longtime delegation member – during a public meeting in Horry County as initially scheduled. Instead, they did it secretly while in session in Columbia, with most of them signing a circulated letter that was sent to Gov. Henry McMaster, who will decide whether to appoint Clemmons to the six-year, six-figure seat.
Clemmons’ predecessor made $188,873 annually.
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