First, some background. Everyone acknowledges it is important to dredge the Charleston harbor from its current depth of 45 feet to 50 to accommodate the next generation of larger commercial ships. The port in Charleston has rightly been called South Carolina’s most important economic engine, the means by which our manufacturers export their goods to the world, and so the deepening is a must. The cost is estimated to be $300 million, with the state-federal split being 60/40, meaning that South Carolina is responsible for $180 million of the dredging cost and the feds the remaining $120 million.

The problem, however, is that our federal government is in dire financial straits – fast closing in on $17 trillion in national debt, and with no end in sight to the upward spiral – and shipping companies and others engaged in international maritime commerce now demand assurances from ports as to their ability to handle the business if the federal funds don’t materialize. As a practical matter, in the case of the Charleston port project, that means demonstrating South Carolina is ready, willing and able to pay the entire $300 million dredging cost itself if such becomes necessary.

To that end, the state House of Representatives appropriated $180 million for the port deepening. The state Senate Finance Committee did that one better – it appropriated the $180 million in state funds, and also approved a new bond bill raising the state’s debt ceiling by $120 million so that the state could borrow money to cover the federal government’s share of the dredging cost. And it is in connection with that bond bill that Sens. Bryant and Martin exhibited political courage and ended up getting a huge win for state taxpayers.

This year, the state legislature is poised to spend $1.1 billion more in revenues than last year – an over ten percent increase and a time when most private household income levels are flat-lining. And so Sen. Bryant, as a member of the finance committee, asked a logical question: Since the state has $1.1 billion in additional revenues to spend this year, why not allocate $120 million of that surplus toward the cost of the port deepening, rather than borrowing it? Paying for that crucial capital expense would be a far better use of that money, Sen. Bryant argued, than using it to further grow state government.

When the members of the finance committee disagreed and approved raising the state’s debt ceiling by $120 million, Sen. Bryant responded by placing a minority report on the bill, blocking it from being debated on the floor of the SC Senate. And in the following days Sen. Bryant, along with Sen. Martin who stood right by his side, was put under intense political pressure to release his hold on the bill. Rarely have I seen state senators subjected to such pressure. They eventually allowed the bond bill to come up for a vote, but not before a $20 million reduction in the state’s long-term debt for retirees’ health insurance was put into the budget.
Sens. Bryant and Martin proved themselves to be true taxpayer heroes. Despite unprecedented pressure, they didn’t relent until the $20 million debt reduction was guaranteed – a debt reduction that otherwise absolutely, positively would not have occurred. If more state lawmakers had their courage, South Carolina would become the most fiscally conservative state in the union and, as other profligate states like California, Illinois and New York slid into insolvency and chaos, be the primary destination for individuals and companies looking to prosper in a truly business-friendly environment.

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You can view the original Pub Politics clip here: http://bit.ly/HqKByf

If you are interested in learning more out about our state’s budget, please visit the South Carolina Statehouse’s website.

Gina Smith of The State Newspaper wrote about the Charter School Bill in an article that ran yesterday. State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais has made the legislation a top priority for his department because the one-size fits all model doesn’t work in education. You can find her article here:

“It has been a privilege serving the people of Beaufort County the past three years in the state senate,” Sen. Davis said. “As a legislator, my overriding objective has been and always will be to limit the size of state government and to promote individual liberty and economic freedom. I want South Carolina to be the freest state in the nation, a place that is a magnet for entrepreneurs and capital investment.”

Sen. Davis also wants to build on recent successes regarding local funding issues. “Last year, for the first time in decades, the legislature revised the formula for funding education to treat our county more equitably. Two years ago, for the first time in over 16 years, it elected a Beaufort County resident to the state highway commission, and our infrastructure projects are now receiving fair consideration. Beaufort County taxpayers send a tremendous amount of money to Columbia, and my goals are: first, to reduce the amount it sends; and second, to have more of what it does send repatriated to our county.”

Sen. Davis currently serves on the following Senate committees: Judiciary, Banking and Insurance, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Education, and Rules. Prior to his election to the Senate, he was the Chief of Staff to former Gov. Mark Sanford, and for the past 27 years he has been an attorney in the law firm of Harvey and Battey. He and his wife, Reid, reside in Beaufort with their three daughters, Elizabeth, Grace and Claire.

Tuesday, the bill came up again, this time for consideration by the full Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee passed H. 4033 on an 11-to-8 vote, and I immediately filed a minority report on the bill. What that means is, pursuant to the Senate rules, the bill cannot be considered by the body unless it is set for “special order debate” by a supermajority vote. I have obtained the necessary assurances from senators on both sides of the aisle that such will not happen, so H. 4033 is effectively dead.

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