SC senator to fast-track bill that would unearth secret pet project spending
South Carolina lawmakers’ habit of secretly funding pet projects through the state’s annual budget will soon be put under a microscope.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, told The State he plans to fast-track a proposal that would require such spending to be disclosed publicly, weeks after The State published an investigation that found legislative leaders hid at least $20 million in pet projects in last year’s budget.
And four more senators have publicly pledged support to the proposal since that story ran, though the proposal will need more support to pass.
“I would hope that everybody would see the wisdom in transparency,” said Massey, the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Such spending has been anything but transparent in recent years. Legislative leaders have packaged money for local projects — including parks, museums and nonprofits — under nondescript titles in the state budget. They then instruct state agencies on how to spend the money after the budget is passed.
The past three S.C. governors — Republicans Mark Sanford, Nikki Haley and Henry McMaster — have routinely vetoed such spending, either labeling it wasteful “pork” or criticizing its lack of transparency. But lawmakers regularly override those vetoes, then hand-deliver the checks to their constituents back home.
Many of the nearly 70 projects reviewed by The State appear worthwhile. But some invite questions, such as the $500,000 directed by a senator to a nonprofit run by his wife. And others don’t fulfill their stated purpose, such as the $180,000 in Dillon County airport upgrades that were routed through the S.C. Department of Public Safety’s “local law enforcement” grant program.
A bipartisan group of senators wants to change that system, and Gov. McMaster agrees.
A proposal filed by Sens. Massey, Richland Democrat Dick Harpootlian, and York Republican Wes Climer would require the state budget to disclose a description of each project, the project’s cost and the legislator who requested it.
The bill — S. 890 — would apply to projects added to the state budget by the Senate Finance Committee, but it also could be interpreted to require disclosure of projects requested by House members, too.
Since the bill has been filed, four more senators have signed on as cosponsors. They are Republicans Chip Campsen and Sandy Senn of Charleston, Katrina Shealy of Lexington and Senate Rules Committee member Tom Young of Aiken.
Massey’s move to give that proposal an early hearing is an important step toward passage in a state where lawmakers consider hundreds of proposals each year. It also allows lawmakers to debate whether such spending should be kept secret before they take up the budget this spring.
“It’s important for people to know what the rules are going to be before you really get into the budget debate,” Massey said.
Still, the rule change will ultimately require a two-thirds majority’s approval in the Senate before it can go into effect — a high hurdle to clear.
And to get to a vote by the full Senate, the change must first be adopted by the committee, whose members include state Sen. Hugh Leatherman. The Florence Republican oversees the Senate’s state budget-writing process and, in that role, gets final call on whose pet projects get funding in the budget.
It’s a powerful tool for building consensus on the budget and for helping lawmakers bring something home for constituents — factors that may make it difficult for lawmakers to give up.
Efforts to reach House Rules Committee Chairman Alan Clemmons, R-Horry, for comment this week were unsuccessful.
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "SC senator to fast-track bill that would unearth secret pet project spending."
