Legislature moves quickly on new governor’s agenda

By Cindy Landrum  

JANUARY 21, 2011 11:18 a.m. (0)

New South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told the state during her inaugural address it was time to get to work.

And the state legislature took her literally.

During the first days of this session of the state’s 119th General Assembly, the House passed a bill requiring more roll call votes and voters to have photo identification and the Senate confirmed some of Haley’s cabinet choices.

But that is not a true test of whether this governor will get along better with the legislature better than former Gov. Mark Sanford, Haley’s mentor whose eight years in office were marked by a strained and often contentious relationship with state lawmakers, said Robert Oldendick, a University of South Carolina political science professor.

And the first year probably won’t be, either, Oldendick said.

“During any transition period, there’s a honeymoon,” he said. “But I think the first legislative session is not really a true test of whether the governor and the legislature will be able to work together and that’s because of the nature of the major problems the state will face.”

The state faces a huge budget deficit of up to $1 billion and that’s a matter of setting priorities, he said.

“It’s not like she’s taken the lead and said here’s the battle I’m going to set,” Oldendick said. “With the kind of shortfall there, there are really only a certain number of places that can be logically cut.”

The other big issue in front of the legislature is redistricting – and that’s an issue Haley doesn’t look that interested in, he said.

Oldendick called the governmental transparency issue “low-hanging fruit.”

One advantage Haley has over Sanford is she was a former member of the state House, he said.

Eric Bedingfield, R-Mauldin, said the first week marked a fresh start.

“Everybody entered the process as genesis, a new beginning,” he said. “Everybody is open-minded and Nikki Haley has experienced things from our side, the legislative side, of the fence. That’s a positive.”

Bedingfield said all legislators realize a difficult year lies ahead.

“I think we’re all adults and we have to make adult decisions,” he said. “One thing Nikki has the advantage of, while her ideology may be similar to Mark Sanford, she brings a new tactful approach.”

Democrat Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville said the new governor and the legislature have the goal and responsibility to work together.

The question, he said, is what are they working toward?

“The answer should be jobs and improving the economy in South Carolina,” he said.

This year, the legislature needs to be careful on where and how they make the budget cuts necessary to balance the budget, he said. The bad part is necessary services will be cut. The good part is that the General Assembly has a chance to make good decisions with its collective back against the wall, he said.

He said the Senate needs to look at the agenda discussed so far – voter photo identification cards, restructuring, worker’s compensation, tort reform, spending caps and raffles – and consider how they will help create jobs.

“It’s good to get reacquainted. It’s good to get the new governor in. It’s good to hear some new ideas,” he said, “but then we have to see how do we fix the problem we have.

Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, said the better gauge will be the first 30 days.

“I think if we’re down the road a bit on some of her proposals, I think we’ll be OK,” he said. “There’s a can-do attitude with a good dose of excitement about the possibilities in front of us.”