Best and Worst Ideas of 2009
Ashley Landess
July 2009
Part of our job is to keep you informed of important South Carolina events. You will soon be receiving a copy of our inaugural publication recapping the best and worst ideas of the 2009 legislative session. This annual product is a special bonus for our members to put complex legislation in context and give you an inside perspective on what legislators are discussing.
The publication is also a preview of next year’s session since many of these ideas – more bad than good – will be revived. In short, this is not a list of legislative minutiae or a rating of bills, but a guide to the current direction of state government. The economic downturn and resulting budget debate dominated the 2009 session. Fierce debate over the federal stimulus package and arguments to cut spending instead of accepting bailouts occupied most legislative time. In fact, just 121 bills were passed this year as compared to an average of 250 for the prior two years. The economy, however, was not the whole story of 2009.
Perhaps the largest event that will shape the long-term future of our state was the state Supreme Court decision ordering the executive branch to accept federal stimulus funds. The court, whose members are elected by lawmakers, determined those lawmakers can force the executive branch to do its bidding by simply passing a law instructing the governor to act a certain way. This precedent allows lawmakers to dictate executive action and fundamentally guts what little checks and balances were afforded to the governor’s office under the state Constitution.
South Carolina’s consolidation of legislative power makes reforming state government more difficult than ever before. With no check on legislative decisions, reform must
come from the General Assembly itself. Thankfully, a core group of committed, reform-minded lawmakers willing to take risks and stand up for the principles of good government are fighting to make this happen.
Let’s be clear. The General Assembly controls state government. It therefore bears responsibility for the issues facing our state – a lack of transparency, corruption, a stagnant economy and poor-performing schools.
If the legislature has too much power, it is because citizens have not demanded constitutional reform. If the educational system in South Carolina is broken, it is because parents have not demanded choice and accountability. If state government is corrupt, it is because citizens have not demanded all spending records be posted online.
In the end, reforming state government is not a job for the legislature, or even for groups like the Policy Council. It is a job for you – the people of South Carolina. The
legislative recap you will receive shortly gives you the information necessary to understand where we are. That is the first step in deciding where we want to go.
Nothing in the foregoing should be construed as an attempt to aid or hinder passage of any legislation. Copyright 2009. South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation, 1323 Pendleton Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201. |
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