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| House forces Sanford's hand |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/13/2009 |
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By JIM DAVENPORT Associated Press Wednesday, May 13, 2009 COLUMBIA — The state House agreed with a 95-18 vote Tuesday to require Gov. Mark Sanford to apply for federal stimulus cash they say is needed to protect schools, colleges, law enforcement and prisons from deeper budget cuts. That House vote came as the budget bill headed back to the Senate with expectations the $5.6 billion spending plan would land on Sanford's desk as early as today. The $350 million in stimulus cash would be added to state spending. Once Sanford signs the law or the Legislature overrides his vetoes, the governor will have five days to request the money. The Senate took no immediate action on the bill Tuesday, but Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, expects the bill will pass and be on the governor's desk by the end of today. "I suspect we'll adopt that," Leatherman said. "I can't imagine that the Senate's not going to adopt what the House sent over here" after the two budget committee staffs worked out compromises. South Carolina agencies and programs stand to see as much as $2.8 billion in federal stimulus cash flowing through budgets during the next two fiscal years. Sanford said he controls decisions on requesting $350 million each year, or $700 million. He's called for the money to be used to offset state debt. The White House has twice rejected Sanford's debt repayment proposals, saying the money needs to mostly be used in education and to help prevent teachers from losing jobs. Sanford said legislators acted too quickly. "One, being asked to vote on the budget in such a short amount of time isn't fair to the people expected to vote responsibly on it, and it's a disservice to the people they represent," Sanford said in a statement. Legislators said their amendment blunts budget cuts made during the past 10 months as more than $1 billion was slashed from a $7 billion budget. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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