Gov. McMaster vetoes $20.5 million to replace aging SC school buses
More than a third of the $56.4 million in state spending that S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed was slated to replace aging, fire-prone S.C. school buses.
McMaster opposed spending $20.5 million on new school buses, saying that money depends on the S.C. lottery raising more than projected, his office said Monday, announcing his vetoes to the state budget. In addition, lottery money should be spent solely on the scholarships the lottery was created to fund, the Governor’s Office said.
S.C. lawmakers often spend lottery dollars on education-related expenses other than the scholarships.
McMaster’s veto amounts to two-thirds of what S.C. lawmakers approved last week to spend on school buses. The state budget includes $28.9 million to buy or lease new school buses.
McMaster wrote in his veto message that spending money before it is available “is not a responsible budgeting practice. If additional lottery proceeds become available in the next year, they should be carried forward for use as scholarships for South Carolinians.”
McMaster also released a vidoe veto message on social media. “The lottery money should be used only for scholarships for our young people, because that’s what voters were promised 17 years ago,” McMaster said in the video.
South Carolina’s aging buses are proving to be a fire hazard for S.C. students, the state Department of Education says. Seventeen buses have caught fire or dangerously overheated since August 2015. In some cases, children were on board.
The added $28.9 million — if all of the money comes in —would allow the Education Department to buy 298 buses and lease another 116 new buses, according to the agency. Buying a school bus costs about $80,000.
Even with the added money, the Education Department will be operating almost 1,000 buses that are more than 20 years old.
“By vetoing funding for the purchase of new school buses, the governor is putting the safety of our students at risk,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in a statement, adding “not only are these old buses twice as expensive to operate and maintain, but they are also experiencing structural and mechanical issues.”
She said she plans to work with the General Assembly to override the veto “and ensure South Carolina’s students have a safe means of transportation to and from school.”
Sen. John Scott, D-Richland said he will push for the General Assembly to override McMaster’s veto.
“We need those school buses,” Scott said.
Scott noted that a lot of lawmakers added spending this year – roughly $150 million – went to shore up the state’s retirement system.
“That was a must,” he said, but noted that meant those dollars were not going to pay for education or buses.
The state budget will take effect on July 1.
It is unclear whether S.C. lawmakers will return this summer to take up McMaster’s budget vetoes. Legislative leaders had said they would wait until January to take them up if McMaster’s vetoes were not substantial.
Cassie Cope: 803-771-8657, @cassielcope
SC budget vetoes
Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed $56.4 million – or less than 1 percent – of South Carolina’s roughly $8 billion state general fund budget. It will take a two-thirds vote in both the S.C. House and Senate to override his vetoes. Here’s a look at what he cut:
▪ Mandatory contraceptive coverage for dependents of members of the state health plan. The proposed change would cost the state $8 million, the Governor’s Office said.
▪ Allowing counties to spend up to 20 percent of the gas-tax money they receive from the state for roads to be spend on non-pavement projects, including drainage improvements, signage, lighting and sidewalks. McMaster said he opposed diverting the money away from paving and maintenance, when lawmakers already OK’d “the largest tax increase in state history” when they raised the gas tax last month over his veto.
▪ Pork projects, according to McMaster. They include $6.2 million for Parks Recreation and Tourism revitalization, $3.3 million for sports marketing grants, and $4.9 million for medical contracts.
▪ Cuts to the S.C. Conservation Bank. McMaster’s veto restored funding to the environmental conservation agency to roughly its current levels. Lawmakers had proposed spending one-time money on the bank, which is set to disband next year. “While I agree with many of the criticisms regarding the Conservation Bank, I believe it is a useful tool for protecting our environment and maintaining our competitiveness,” McMaster wrote. “South Carolina deserves a reasoned debate about the Bank’s future and mission through normal legislative processes- not the budget.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Gov. McMaster vetoes $20.5 million to replace aging SC school buses."