House and Senate in agreement 

 

COLUMBIA—On Tuesday the South Carolina House of Representatives and the State Senate reconvened to revisit the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The new budget will take affect on July 1, 2019 and continue until June 30, 2020.  

Last month, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster used his power of line item veto to reject 28 sections of the proposed $9 billion budget. The total for the expenses vetoed by Governor McMaster totaled to $41 million, a small fraction of the total proposed budget. On Tuesday June 25, South Carolina lawmakers returned to the capital for the last time this year to vote to approve or overturn Governor McMaster’s vetoes.  

The 28 items that Governor McMaster vetoed were because, in his words, “lacking transparency”.  Additionally, Governor McMaster vetoed several items that were passed during the 2019 General Assembly legislative session. One of those items was a bill that would make a disorderly conduct charge eligible for conditional discharge.  

In total, the House and Senate overturned 25 of Governor McMaster’s 28 line item vetoes, including the law on discharging disorderly conduct charges.  The South Carolina House and Senate are not expected to meet again until their regular assembly in January of 2020. All 25 of the overturned vetoes will now go into law with the new budget taking affect on July 1. 

By Samuel Robinson