If you judge work in the House by what is done on the floor, you’d be discounting most the hard work that goes at the subcommittee and committee levels .

After a week of furlough, and just two weeks into the session, the House Calendar is pretty lean right now with very few debated bills.

One bill this week, the first to the floor for our new Labor, Commerce and Industry Chairman Bill Sandifer (R-Oconee), got committed to Ways and Means (H3283) .

Most bills are initially read across the desk and immediately referred by the Speaker to a committee. This bill though went “without reference” which meant the bill hit the floor immediately, thereby bypassing the vetting that occurs at subcommittee,committee levels. That might have been a reason why the bill quickly went from the uncontested calendar, to the contested calendar. Then after much floor debate, the bill was voted to be sent to the Ways and Means Committee.

If you’re keeping score at home , this was a recorded, roll-call vote 67-46 to commit the bill to Ways and Means for further vetting. (You’ll need to scroll down half way through the journal to see the Yes/No votes).

At the committee-level, Ways and Means still garners a lot of the attention as they work on next year’s budget. LCI got attention too with a Payday Lending Bill that appears to be on the fast track for auto-approval when it reaches the House floor. (My constituent, Warren Bolton, has an interesting opinion about this bill).

That bill wasn’t all the hub-bub though as apparently this week some House Members’ personal email addresses become public. Fortunately most voters realize that our state house email addresses are the best way to contact us.

Lastly, on a local level here in House District 71, you’ll be pleased to know there soon could be changes in the makeup of our Richland County Recreation Commission. Several Richland Delegation House Members I spoke with last week are in support of restructuring the commission – either by returning its functions to County Council Members or by expanding our appointments for a more, fair process that allows all areas of the county to have representation. I expect the latter will be the consensus and I’m hopeful this week our delegation will file the bill with everyone of us listed as a sponsor.

In this weeks’ rewind, I’d also like to recognize the following constituents who were at the State House this week: Sharon Dorn, Rosalind Funk, Robbie Koon DeFreese visited to talk about State Employees/Retirees. Chief Mark Keel, Colonel Kenny Lancaster and Captain Zack Wise were all recognzied from the House balcony for their work with the SC Department of Public Safety. I also enjoyed speaking with Sara Moore (freshman, Ben Lippen, Chestnut Hills) who visited with others from Youth Corps and was also recognized in the balcony for her efforts to improve our community and state. Carolyn Abrams made her annual visit regarding the SC Association of Nurse Anethetists (try saying that three times fast!). I always enjoy meeting with her and her fellow CRNAs in my office.

For more “week in review” information, you may wish to read Wolfe Reports. That’s one of the newer blogs out there following state politics and apparently he spends as much time over at the State House as we elected officials do. Of course, you can also follow sctweets.com for live, up-to-the-minute tweets from the House floor by several elected officials.

Potential gubernatorial front-runner, Henry McMaster (currently state Attorney General), will be visiting Lexington/Richland School District Five tomorrow.

The visit will once again place another SC elected official right in the middle of Mrs. Kelly Payne’s civics classes (also commonly referred to as a “must visit” for state politicians and politicos).

Earlier this year Representative Nikki Haley and I stopped by Mrs. Payne’s class and soon after that, SC Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell paid a visit. Just this week, she’s even had Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom speak with the students.

While the recent visits have been more “high-profile” than the past, she has had several other officials and consultants visit before and share first-hand accounts and information about South Carolina politics.

Do not be surprised if sometime soon State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex , Lt. Governor Andre Bauer , and quite possibly Governor Mark Sanford pay a visit as well.

I’ve worked and spoken with several of these students for the past few years at various events and parades and can tell you that when you visit with them, you better bring your “A game”.

Enjoy the visit students and send me pictures to post tomorrow night!

(UPDATE: To see photos from the visit, click here )

Interesting how national and state politics are eerily similar at times. Here’s an article from Politico by Manu Raju.

****

Just after November’s election, Republican senators huddled in a closed-door meeting to consider a package of rules that would have tossed Ted Stevens out of their conference, imposed term limits on party leaders and otherwise changed the way the Senate Republican Conference does business.

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who proposed the rules, saw quickly that they weren’t going to be popular with his colleagues. So one of his staffers urged him to withdraw the proposal setting term limits on the GOP leader, and DeMint hoped the others would remain packaged together so they could be considered in a single vote.

But Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander of Tennessee took issue with the staffer and quickly called a vote on the term-limit proposal before DeMint decided to withdraw it. Then party leaders proceeded to call up each of DeMint’s other proposals separately, creating a long series of votes that DeMint lost badly.

“No doubt,” DeMint said, Republican leaders were “trying to humiliate” him.

But some Senate Republicans say privately that DeMint has done plenty to humiliate himself.

As Republicans seek a way forward after two disastrous elections, social and fiscal conservative activists off Capitol Hill are rallying behind DeMint because of his unrelenting style to force his party to return to its small-government, free market roots. DeMint, 57, said in an interview that he’s not dwelling on his previous battles with the GOP leadership and sees areas where his party’s leaders and the Obama administration can work together to solve the country’s problems.

But DeMint is less willing to compromise with Democrats than many in his party, and some Senate Republicans doubt his fiery tactics can lead their party out of the political wilderness when the public is seeking an end to legislative gridlock.

DeMint’s critics, including senior Republican senators and top aides in the Senate, say his refusal to work within the norms of the body — by showing deference to party leaders and chairmen and building support behind closed doors without airing concerns first to the news media — undermines his ability to draw support for his cause.

To read the entire article, click here .

“”

Coming home after lunch today with my folks in Clinton (the halfway point between us/them), Karen turned to me and said “look at all the trash on the highway. You should do something about this”.

Now I don’t want you to think I’m some tree-hugger or anything (although I was “Green Approved” this past year) and I don’t want to go all “Lou Holtz” on you but really, it was pretty trashy for the 11 mile stretch before the concrete median starts just outside Irmo.

And, yes, it happens to be the area I live in. Many of you reading this, live here too.

So, first things first, I’ll be contacting the SCDOT tomorrow about this and then I want to work to get something going in our area . If you’d be interested in being one of my team leaders for a “Keep Our Community Clean” program, please email me and I can share more details with you.

Hopefully, there’ll be some interest from our community. Otherwise, Iron Eyes Cody is gonna get more upset than he was back in the 70s when I was a child.

(Special Thanks to Mrs. Charlene Meetze who originally mentioned this idea to me awhile back).

(UPDATE: This entire section has been cleared and cleaned now!)

The motto of Capitol Ministries is delivering the gospel to every state legislator, in every state capitol, every year. Reaching elected officials and leading them toward maturity in Christ are their primary focuses.

Here in South Carolina, Jeff Lingerfelt is the face of this effort and has been working at the State House longer than I have. Jeff not only holds Bible studies for elected officials, he also holds them for staff and everyone who works in the State House Complex.

In addition to his Bible Studies , every Thursday morning a handful of us meet in the Senate Chapel for a devotion given by local ministers or a few of us elected officials. I still remember the first items on my desk my very first day: a Bible from Capitol Ministries and a memo inviting me to the weekly devotionals – then lead by former Senator Verne Smith.

To print a copy of the 2009 Legislative Prayer Guide, click here.

Jeff is a missionary and his funding comes through the generosity of others: Regular givers, one-time givers, and donors/participants in the annual Golf Tournament.

I encourage each of you to learn more about this ministry and to hopefully support this effort at some level. [Read more...]

Lexington/Richland School District Five students sure have had some special visitors lately!

Last week, it was Speaker of the SC House of Representatives visiting Kelly Payne’s students at Dutch Fork High School. Today, it was Governor Sanford surprising third graders from Dutch Fork Elementary School.

Students from the classes of Mrs. Wessinger, Ms. Osowski, Mrs. Sazehn, Ms. Williams, Mrs. Livingston and Mrs. White spent the morning touring the inside of the State House as well as having a scavenger-hunt on the grounds.

Every student behaved very well and several even asked wonderful questions of the tour guides – Heyward, Brenda, and Kayleigh!

Governor Sanford encouraged the students to focus on their studies and also, when they’re old enough, participate in democracy by voting. He specifically mentioned the historic inauguration of President Obama and how participation is vital to keeping democracy alive.

If your class or family would like to schedule a State House tour, please give my office a call and we’ll help make arrangements for you!

(I’ll post more pictures later, including a group photo of the entire third grade class and their teachers!)

Like millions across our country (and the world), I was glued to the TV yesterday soaking in this historic moment, the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama.

While I did not vote for him for President, I am more than willing to give him a fair chance to lead our country. A fair shot that too many others never gave President Bush during his terms in office, I might add.

Between all the coverage of the swearing-in, the luncheons, the parade, the meetings, and the inaugural balls, I heard something that just about ruined it all for me. (Not that I’ve ever dreamed of being President but, had I ever done so, the dream would have been shattered for me yesterday).

Apparently, being President means you gotta give up your Blackberry?

How dare they?! Call me crazy, I know. Given the choice of being President or keeping a phone, how could someone really even think twice, right? Well apparently our President wants to keep his – and I can’t blame him.

I’m sure I’m not the only one attached (or rather addicted), am I? I wouldn’t want to give it up either. Granted, he will have staff keep up with his meetings, contacts and other things but how can he “catch up” with his friends? Seriously?

I give him credit for wanting to stay in touch with “real people”. If we’ve learned anything this election season, it’s that more people can get involved in the political process if they actually know more about it. Usual channels only touch the usual folks. President Obama was successful in using “other channels” like Facebook , Twitter , Email, YouTube, and more. Channels usually overlooked by officials. In doing this, he was able to get his message out to more people as well as energize and mobilize more people to get more involved in the political process.

This “Blackberry Conflict” may have already been settled by now, but as far as I’m concerned, you give up so much in public service that the least you should be able to do is keep your personal phone to stay in touch with friends and family…and maybe even catch a score or two from a ballgame.

While we’re talking about technology and “new media”, how about the SC Senate Republican Caucus releasing their agenda today via YouTube? And of course, there’s also a handful of ( SC elected officials ) using Twitter to provide live-updates from the House/Senate floor (as well as their personal lives, if folks care).

In this day and age, folks have more access than ever to the political process and I’m glad to see our President, and several SC officials, communicating more and more with the voters.

UPDATED: seems POTUS gets to still use Blackberry. Thanks to GarnetSpy for sharing that link.

WASHINGTON — When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on January 20, he will do so upon the Bible that his personal political hero, Abraham Lincoln, used for his own swearing in, in 1861.

Lincoln, America’s 16th president, served from 1861 until his assassination in 1865 and is widely revered for having preserved national unity by winning the Civil War and ending the practice of slavery.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, who, like Obama, was an Illinois legislator before he rose to the presidency.

Using Lincoln’s Bible is one of a few personal touches that Obama has put on the inaugural ceremony. Others include the inclusion of soul singer Aretha Franklin, evangelical megachurch leader Rick Warren, and a young poet to deliver the traditional inaugural poem.

Even without those details, the country’s 56th presidential inauguration would be anything but traditional: Obama is the first black president elected in the country’s history — a milestone many Americans considered impossible not long ago.

Obama will be sworn into office one day after the country observes Martin Luther King Day, a holiday that honors the inspirational black civil rights leader.

(To read more of this column by Heather Maher, Radio Free Europe, click here )

Gordon Ziesing is the son of Rolf and Stephanie Ziesing in Irmo. Gordon has been nominated to be an Athletic Ambassador for the United States through a program called People to People .

People to People Sports Ambassador Programs offer student athletes in grades 5-12 the opportunity to compete internationally, train with world-class coaches, and develop leadership skills, self confidence, and a foundation for success in a globalized world. Program delegations come from local communities, so students make friends locally before they travel globally.

Gordon currently plays baseball at Friarsgate Park . He is a wonderful, talented, and special child who would be an exceptional youth representative for the United States in the Austria games. This program is not only looking for the best players; but also, they need the most well rounded youth to be representative of our country. Gordon will make all of us proud and I am pleased to submit a letter of recommendation on his behalf this week.

Gordon is currently a 7th grader at Dutch Fork Middle School and is a well rounded, good natured kid. He is an avid baseball player – playing since he was 7 years old and plays almost year round in summer league, fall ball, pick up games and batting gages. He is also a good student currently in honors classes at Dutch Fork Middle School, and is also very artistic. He has also benefited from experiencing life in different parts of our country having lived in Pittsburgh, PA; Westerly, RI; Baltimore, MD; and driving cross-country to visit family in Montana.

At such an early age, he’s already showing his exceptional talents on, and off, the field.

* Principal’s list (straight A’s) at CrossRoads Middle , and honor roll at Dutch Fork Middle
* Student Council member at Dutch Fork Middle
* Elected to Beta club at CrossRoads
* Received the “good sportsman” award at “Batter’s Up” baseball camp
* Volunteers as a shadow player for the Challenger baseball league at Irmo Little League
* Assists younger baseball teams during practice

Let’s wish Gordon well in the upcoming selection process. Young men like him truly can make a difference in our community, country, and world.