Another DOT vote

On Wednesday, Sens. Vincent Sheheen and Chip Campsen proposed a compromise compromise to try to break the Senate logjam on DOT reform.

Or maybe that's a compromise compromise compromise; I don't know. Lawmakers as a body refuse to do the simple, obvious thing that would actually address the structural problem with the agency's accountability -- eliminate the commission in any form and put the elected chief executive in charge. Since that's not going to happen -- despite some good efforts from Sen. John Courson and others -- we have to look to something much less to make any progress at all.

Under the Sheheen/Campsen proposal, the governor would hire (and fire, at will) the director to run the agency "charged with the construction, maintenance, and operation of the state highway system pursuant the direction of the planning commission."

The current commission would be abolished. Legislators would appoint a Transportation Planning Commission (in the same way they now appoint board members), which would be charged with "developing a budget for the department's operations and the systematic planning of the state highway system, the development of a statewide mass transit system, and the review and authorization of routine operation and maintenance requests and emergency repairs. "

Even this was too much for the Senate. While the reformers were willing to go along with it, they didn't constitute a large-enough number. It was tabled on a 20-19 vote. An AYE is a vote to table the amendment; a NAY is a vote to support the amendment.

AYES

Alexander                 Anderson                  Ford
Hutto                     Jackson                   Land
Leatherman                Leventis                  Malloy
Matthews                  McGill                    Moore
O'Dell                    Patterson                 Peeler
Rankin                    Reese                     Ritchie
Short                     Williams

NAYS

Bryant                    Campsen                   Cleary
Courson                   Cromer                    Fair
Grooms                    Hawkins                   Hayes
Knotts                    Lourie                    Martin
McConnell                 Ryberg                    Scott
Setzler                   Sheheen                   Thomas

The Senate also rejected another plan, which means senators will return to work Tuesday to face the continuation of the John Land filibuster against the McConnell-Grooms plan -- which in reality is a filibuster against any reform at all, because the effort here is to keep the bill from ever going to conference committee, where status quo supporters fear the Senate conferees will accept the House bill.