Latest on Transparency Bill

Update from Talbert Black on SC Transparency Bill:

Today, the Senate voted to adjourn early in order to block a motion to recall H3047 from committee. H3047 is the bill that will require each Senator to record how they vote on every new law that is passed and on every section of the budget. Most Senators want to avoid voting against H3047 directly by voting on procedural motions to keep the bill from being considered. They think they can hide their opposition to transparency behind a procedural vote.

Today, Senator David Thomas told the Senate he intended to make a motion to recall H3047 from committee. However, Larry Martin moved to adjourn before the motion could be made. The Senate voted 27-17 to adjourn. Let Senator Thomas know you appreciate his intentions, but next time it might be better if he doesn’t warn the Senate leadership before hand.

Remind your Senator that any vote that keeps this bill from passing un-amended is a vote against the bill itself. Look at the list below and if your Senator voted to block the motion to recall H3047 by adjourning then contact him and hold him accountable for voting against transparency. The Senate should not have adjourned before the motion to recall H3047 could be made by Senator David Thomas. We need to make sure the Senate knows we are serious about holding them accountable for every vote that prevents this bill from passing! If your Senator voted against adjournment, let him know that you appreciate his vote, and let him know that you will be watching him on all future votes. Don’t let him think that one good vote is enough. He needs to be voting on the right side every single step of the way. This is likely a test to see if we are still watching and if we really will hold them accountable for using procedural votes to keep the bill from being heard.

Senator Larry Martin made a motion to adjourn the Senate for the day. I’ve never seen the Senate adjourn before the motion period. This was clearly a tactic to prevent anyone from making the motion to recall H3047. In fact, when Senator Larry Martin made the motion to adjourn and before the vote was taken on his motion, Senator David Thomas made sure that the entire Senate knew that adjourning would prevent them from considering H3047. A role call on the motion to adjourn was demanded by Senators Thomas and Shane Martin. The vote to adjourn passed 27 – 17. The results are below. Make sure you contact your Senator and hold him accountable if he voted to adjourn. If he voted against adjourning, tell him thanks and make sure you remind him that any vote that prevents this bill from passing will be counted as a vote against the bill itself.

Voting to adjourn (and to block the motion to recall H3047):

Alexander
Anderson
Campbell
Campsen
Cleary
Coleman
Hayes
Hutto
Jackson
Knotts
Land
Leatherman
Leventis
Lourie
Malloy
Martin, Larry
McConnell
McGill
Nicholson
O’Dell
Pinckney
Rankin
Reese
Scott
Setzler
Sheheen
Williams

Voting not to adjourn

Bright
Bryant
Courson
Cromer
Davis
Elliott
Fair
Grooms
Martin, Shane
Massey
Mulvaney
Peeler
Rose
Ryberg
Shoopman
Thomas
Verdin

Please, contact your Senator and hold him accountable for voting to block the motion to recall H3047 by adjourning and ask him to demand an immediate recall of H3047, the true transparency bill!

May 26, 2010   Posted in: State

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