Stateline Headlines

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unlikely to Apply in November

Wisconsinites this November won’t likely need to show photo identification at the polls. That’s because the state Supreme Court says it won’t immediately consider whether to reinstate a voter ID law blocked in a lower court.

Anti Car-Tax Sentiment To Be Tested In Washington State

Since Republican James S. Gilmore rode an anti car-tax pledge to the Virginia governor's mansion in 1998, the unpopular levy has become a political target in many states. The next big test of its continued viability as a revenue source will come on Nov. 2, when voters in the state of Washington will consider an even tougher anti car-tax initiative than the Gilmore proposal that started it all.

Utah Legislators Skeptical of Governor's Tax Proposal

TRANSITION WATCH: Utah Republicans grapple over the budget, Michigan's incoming governor mulls a new bridge to Canada, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Texas Governor Rick Perry Poised to Join Presidential Race

TODAY'S TAKE: Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican who has long railed against Washington and the federal government, is expected to launch his bid for the presidency this weekend. He would be the only sitting governor in the contest, but as former governors already in the contest can attest, his record as executive will come under close scrutiny.

With Health Care Lawsuits, States Hope for Victory but Plan for Defeat

Even as 21 states are suing to stop the federal health care overhaul from taking effect, each one is also taking concrete measures to implement the law.

Party Switch Gives Texas House Republicans Supermajority

TRANSITION WATCH: Two-thirds control of the House means Texas Republicans can overcome Democratic delaying tactics, outgoing governors issue their final pardons, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

State's ag economy needs immigrants, business leaders say

No pay raises for state employees in SC budget deal

SC review finds ‘questionable’ stats, other ills in S.C. First Steps

Sanford earned $130,000 as contributor to Fox

SC Ports agency to mapping out fiscal 2014 plan

What Rainey v. Haley tells us about ethics reform

After public hearings, DHEC sticks with its suggestion on food stamp restrictions

No pay raises for state employees in SC budget deal

Lunch, with a side of politics -- Legislators dish on where, how they break for meals

Compromise could provide $800M for SC roads

State, tribes should seek common ground on tobacco tax agreements

School-choice debate looms in budget talks

SC legislators reach deal on road repair, 4K funding

SC inches closer to other states with military-friendly legislation

Fight against Common Core flares in South Carolina

State pension fund posting 12.7 percent return

SC business leaders continue push for support of Gang of Eight immigration bill

South Carolina soul searching on welfare of children

State GOP’s new chairman optimistic about party-building, paying back debt

SC students up 10%, but staffing up 50%? Study would scrutinize school spending

State transportation chief has reservations about Senate road funding plan

SC Supreme Court dismisses ethics complain against Gov. Haley

State transportation chief has reservations about Senate road funding plan

Probation has ‘not complied with state law’

SC students up 10%, but staffing up 50%? Study would scrutinize school spending

Haley, husband report $284K in earnings

Haleys donated $130,000 to charity

SC lags nation in home computer, Internet access

What lawmakers did (and didn’t) do this year in Columbia

SC GOP chairman resigns for DC job, replacement chosen

State House for sale -- How SC ethics reform died

Foreign cyber hackers target Blythewood’s website

Tuberculosis outbreak rocks S.C. town

Haley signs bill boosting breweries' business

SC's 2013 session ending with much left undone

Sellers formally plans SC Lt. Gov. run

SC gun proposals founder in legislative session’s final days

SC Senators -- Ethics dead for the year

SC House OKs private-school tax credits

SC senator asks governor if ransom was paid for hacked data

South Carolina State of the State Address 2013

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Jan. 16 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Nikki Haley's (R) 2013 State of the State Address

S.C. State Workers Challenge Health Insurance Hike

This year, the South Carolina legislature budgeted to give state workers, university employees and teachers their first raise in four years in exchange for increasing what they contribute to their retirement plans.

South Carolina State of the State Address 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jan. 19 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Nikki Haley's (R) 2011 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: Let me start tonight with a tradition established by my predecessor

South Carolina State of the State Address 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jan. 20 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) 2010 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver my view on the

South Carolina State of the State Address 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jan. 14 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) 2009 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver my view on th

South Carolina State of the State Address 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jan. 16. - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) 2008 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentleman of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians : It's an honor to be with you again tonight to deliver my vie

South Carolina State of the State Address 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 17 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) 2007 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentleman of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver my view of the St

South Carolina State of the State Address 2006

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 18 - Following is the prepared text of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) 2006 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentleman of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver

South Carolina State of the State Address 2005

COLUMBUS, South Carolina - Jan. 26 - Following is the text of Gov. Mark Sanford's 2005 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentleman of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers and my fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver my view of the state

South Carolina State of the State Address 2004

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - Jan. 21 - Following is the text of Gov. Mark Sanford's 2004 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, My fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight to deliver my view on the state

South Carolina State of the State Address 2003

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - Jan 21 - Following is the text of Gov. Mark Sanford's 2003 State of the State Address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, My fellow South Carolinians: It's an honor to be with you tonight and I would say before I beg

South Carolina State of the State Address 2002

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - Jan. 16 - Following is the text of Gov. James Hodges' 2002 State of the State Address: Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the General Assembly, honored guests, please join me in honoring our nation with the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United

South Carolina State of the State Address 2001

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - Jan. 18 - Following is the full text of South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges' 2001 State of the State Address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentleman of the General Assembly, distinguished guests and my fellow South Carolinians. Even in the dead of winter, an optimist can always find

South Carolina State of the State Address 2000

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - Jan. 19 - Following is the full text of Gov. Jim Hodges' 2000 State of the State Address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, distinguished guests and my fellow South Carolinians. The last year of the 20th Century was one for the record books in S

Innovations in Community Justice

In the last four years, the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services collected and paid out more than $22 million to crime victims throughout the state. In the past Fiscal Year alone, over $6 million was collected and paid to crime victims in South Carolina.

Frugal Governor Finds State Government A Tough Sell

A notorious penny-pincher, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) is trying to bring his model of personal economizing to the structure of state government. Even he admits this isn't easy.

Radioactive Waste: A Political Hot Potato

Its dij` vu all over again: A Republican rules the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy is pushing for plutonium shipments to a state that doesnt want them, where a Democratic governor is threatening to use armed state troopers to block the shipments.

South Carolina Anti-Terror Bill Broader Than Most

Should South Carolina suffer a terrorist threat or attack, the nation may get to evaluate the power of state legislation to protect residents from physical, financial or psychological harm.

Poverty Rate Increases in Most States

The nations economic slowdown fueled an increase in the poverty rate in most states last year, with the greatest jumps in Utah and South Carolina.

On the Record: South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges

South Carolina's Democratic chief executive, Jim Hodges, is carefully monitoring the federal tobacco payments his state is to receive over the next quarter-century. The Palmetto State has already gotten $165 million, but waning tobacco sales may shrink the $2.3 billion total South Carolina is due. During a recent swing through Washington, D.C., Hodges spoke with Stateline.org's Blair S. Walker about the tobacco-payment issue and about the Confederate flag controversy gripping his state.

South Carolina Gov Signs Confederate Flag Compromise

While some relieved South Carolina lawmakers are grandly calling it the end of the Civil War, a historic Confederate flag compromise in Columbia shows how the war's legacy still inflames racial tensions 135 years later.

S.C. Video Poker Ban Energizes Gaming Friends, Foes

South Carolina banished the burgeoning video poker industry from its borders on July 1, and gambling foes now hope to rid other states of this form of gambling. Owners of the gaming devices say they may have lost a battle, but the war is not over.

States To Brush Up On Childrens Oral Health

Representatives of eight states will gather in Charleston, S.C. next month for a closed-door policy workshop designed to strengthen oral health care initiatives for children.Selected from 28 states that applied for the workshop, delegations from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia will attend the National Governors Associations Policy Academy for State Officials on Improving Oral Health Care for Children Dec. 13-15.

Napolitano Thrives in GOP Stronghold

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) holds a double-digit lead in polls as she seeks re-election in the home state of Republican icon Barry Goldwater. Her successes include funding statewide full-day kindergarten and boosting teacher pay while cutting business and income taxes. Starting today (Aug. 7), Napolitano carries her achievements onto the national stage as she becomes the first woman to chair the National Governors Association.

Govs' Anger With Feds Boils Over

CHARLESTON, S.C. - As they approach crucial November elections, governors from both parties blame the Republican-led Congress and White House for a widening chasm between the federal government and the states.

Voucher Groups Seek to Oust Opponents

This year, school choice - or using public money to pay for private school tuition - is a big election issue in states where voucher plans have been defeated by narrow margins in recent years, such as Utah, South Carolina and Texas. Meanwhile, those same states have pro-school choice organizations that are well-funded and increasingly politically savvy.

In Case of Attack, Who Would Run the Legislature?

An obscure Cold War statute would allow South Carolina legislators to designate successors in case lawmakers were wiped out in an attack on the United States. Problem is no one now serving in the General Assembly has submitted a list of emergency successors. At least three other states have similar succession laws on the books.

In School Sports, Who Makes the Call?

A shot at the buzzer of a high school championship game - was it in time or not? - led the South Carolina Legislature to consider a bill to require referees to watch video replays. It was hardly the first example of armchair quarterbacking by lawmakers.

WORTH NOTING: South Carolina's Shampoo Specialists

The Palmetto State cleans up a law requiring hairstylists to get more training than cops. Frog legs are frowned upon by Florida health officials. And an aide to Utah's lieutenant governor gets way ahead of his boss. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.

Sanford Fights Bailout for States

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) is at odds with most of the nation's governors: He is crusading against calls to send billions of dollars to cash-strapped states to help stimulate the economy.

Another Sanford joke riles lawmakers

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) jokes about terrorism at the Capitol. A Kansas political operative asks for unemployment benefits after running a losing campaign. And a GOP ad in Louisiana commits a football faux pas. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.

Weekly Wrap: Washington State, South Carolina Clash in jobs Competition

Why Washington state did not offer Boeing new incentives; Questions about government transparency in Utah; Job-creating commission may not have generated jobs.

Is it Really a Great Day in South Carolina?

Governor Nikki Haley’s mandatory telephone greeting for state employees has gotten mixed reviews since it went into effect in September, but the governor sees the policy as a wholly positive development.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley Rallies GOP Women

In a visit to Washington’s conservative American Enterprise Institute this week, the state’s first female governor promoted her new autobiography and encouraged women to consider running for office.

South Carolina Considers Private School Tax Perk

EDUCATION BEAT: Parents would see an average of $205 in tax savings for each student they have in private school, according to a state estimate.

South Carolina State of the State Address 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jan. 18 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Nikki Haley's (R) 2012 state of the state address: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, and my fellow South Carolinians: This and every year, we will con

Republicans Score More Victories on Voter ID

TODAY'S TAKE: South Carolina and Texas are the latest states to approve GOP-backed measures requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Similar bills are moving forward over Democrats' objections in Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Haley Tells South Carolina Legislators to Get Back to Work

TODAY'S TAKE: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called legislators back for a rare special session, but the state Senate president says the chamber will not convene next week as ordered.

South Carolina Is Latest to Pass Immigration Crackdown

TODAY'S TAKE: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will sign legislation requiring police officers to ask suspects about their immigration status. Alabama and Georgia have approved similar measures this year.

South Carolina Struggles to Pay Its Road Bills

TRANSPORTATION BEAT: An influx of cash from the federal government helped South Carolina start to pay its road construction bills on time again. But the money shortage has forced the state to put off projects, and legislators want to find out more.

South Carolina Governor Faces Scrutiny Over Trips

TODAY'S TAKE: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a Tea Party-backed conservative who has urged fiscal restraint, is fending off criticism over expensive trips she has recently taken, including a taxpayer-funded economic development journey to Paris and Munich.

New Policy Means It's Always 'a Great Day in South Carolina'

TODAY'S TAKE: To improve her state's image, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is asking state workers to answer their phones by saying, "It's a great day in South Carolina. How can I help you?" It's not the first time a governor has intervened in state workers' etiquette.

Governor Promises Tough Session for South Carolina Unions

ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: In this year's legislative session, Republican Governor Nikki Haley says, "We'll make the unions understand full well that they are not needed, not wanted and not welcome in the state of South Carolina."

Loans for Green Homes

States are awash in federal money for energy efficiency - $5 billion to weatherize low-income homes and another $6.5 billion for a wide range of projects from enforcing building codes to researching new energy efficiency technologies. But a South Carolina electric cooperative association wants $4.5 billion more to help rural homeowners who they say will otherwise be left out of the green revolution. The funding would allow an innovative home-efficiency financing plan forged in a handful of states to go nationwide, potentially making a big dent in the Obama administration's energy goals.

Education's Less-Than-Certain Windfall

There's $10 billion for schools in the state aid bill Congress passed last month. But some school systems have reason to wonder whether they are going to see the money.

South Carolina Budget Board's Days May Be Numbered

TAX AND BUDGET BEAT: For decades, South Carolina governors have been trying to consolidate power by killing the state's Budget and Control Board. This year, it may finally happen.

Amazon Gains Upper Hand in South Carolina Tax Break Battle

Despite determined opposition from big retail chains and most of the state's business establishment, a huge tax exemption for the on-line company is moving forward.

Summary of the South Carolina State of the State Address

South Carolina Gov. Sanford, once considered a strong GOP presidential contender, used his final state of the state address to again apologize for the "storm" his extramarital affair wrought and laid out three goals he hopes to accomplish in his final year in office, including a cap on spending.

South Carolina's Haley Pushes Tax Cuts Despite Budget Shortfall

South Carolina's incoming governor wants to eliminate income taxes, Iowa public workers ratify new contracts against the wishes of the governor-elect, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day

Recent court rulings and ongoing lawsuits have prompted widespread concerns about whether election laws can work smoothly next Tuesday.

Republican to Advise Democrat Kitzhaber on Oregon Health Policy

TRANSITION WATCH: Oregon's new governor picks a Republican for a key post, Florida's incoming governor faces delays filling his administration, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Oklahoma's Ban on Sharia Law Gains Traction in More States

TODAY'S TAKE: In the wake of a controversial ballot measure last year that banned Oklahoma courts from applying Sharia law, at least seven states are considering similar legislation.

Gubernatorial Candidates, Ohio - Wyoming

For a comprehensive list of gubernatorial candidates in Ohio through Wyoming.

WORTH NOTING: R.I. Sweeps Out Cleaning Staff

The Rhode Island attorney general's office is duped by a janitor. A South Carolina lawmaker gets defensive over an incriminating photo. And Ohio cracks down on very tiny, but unwanted overnight guests. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.