H. 3365 and H. 3841 are bills giving Higher Ed and the Technical Colleges more flexibility in their purchases. Currently, these institutions must crawl and beg permission from the antiquated Budget and Control Board for approval for many major expenditures.

I’ll support these bills as long as we can get some transparency. As you’ve heard me express before, I’m for flexibility as long as it is coupled with transparency. Well, I offered an amendment today that requires these institutions to post on their website a transaction register that includes a complete record of all funds exempted from the requirement.

Our Comptroller General has already offered assistance to any agency wanting his assistance in posting the information online.

Teachers, contributors, students,and parents have expressed their frustration many times when they’re told by administration that there’s no money for the essentials or there’s a new tuition hike. If we can grant transparency, we’ll get a clear view of where the money’s going. The taxpayer has every right to track down how every nickel and dime is spent.

Now there is a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Rose, S. 0789, that will require full transparency for all of higher ed’s budgets, but its in committee. So here’s an opportunity to start with a small slice of the budget to prepare for what’s coming.

I’m getting some resistance on this amendment, so the fate of these bills are in question.

I can be very rigid when it comes to flexibility without transparency!

The Greenville News article: “Clemson faces spending questions,” was very interesting. I applaud the House members, especially Rep. Dwight Loftis, who it appears is leading the effort to audit the Clemson Public Service Activities programs.

I am both surprised and dismayed that Sen. Mike Fair, who, I think is the straightest of the straight-shooters in the General Assembly, is attempting to mediate a solution that will satisfy Rep. Loftis and the other legislators without conducting an audit. But I hope they will stay the course and not be intimidated by influential people who for whatever reason are resisting, and indeed lobbying to get the Legislative Audit Council (LAC) to reject the request for the audit.

I would remind these and other legislators that these influential people hold little sway in the real world of rank and file voters in South Carolina. I would encourage them to work hard to get the support of other legislators in this effort and even consider expanding the scope of the audit to include the entire university.

It has been said that: “those most in need of scrutiny will resist it the most.” If there is “nothing to hide” and the PSA programs are being properly managed, then there is nothing to fear. In fact, if they are clean, the Legislature, in my view, will be more apt to support them on future requests.

And it is just plain taradiddle to claim exorbitant costs to conduct the audit. It will not cost one additional dime. It might delay the audit of another department, but that’s about it.

In my 20 years in the Legislature, I never refused to sign a request for an audit. Well-managed departments should welcome, indeed request, audits of their organizations. The General Assembly’s motto should be: “In God we trust, everybody else we audit.”

If the LAC rejects or even delays the audit, Rep. Loftis as a member of the Ways and Means Committee should begin immediately the effort to completely remove LAC funds from the budget as they would not be performing the functions for which they were created. When audits were necessary, they could out-source them.

Lewis R. Vaughn

Greer

Today, I had the honor of introducing my nomination to the Summary Court of Anderson County, Mrs. Wynée Eubanks. Wynée Eubanks brings 25+ years of professional proficiency that includes extensive knowledge in program/project analysis, coordination, development and implementation. Her areas of expertise are in records management; staff development and training; and program, policy and procedure evaluation. She earned her Master’s of Business Administration degree (MBA) in Business Management from Florida Metropolitan University, and her Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Business Merchandising from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Mrs. Eubanks has held the positions of Registrar and Director of Developmental Learning at Atlanta Christian College. Wynée also held the distinct honor of being the first African-American to hold the position of City Clerk, City Census 2000 Coordinator and Superintendent of Municipal Elections with the City of East Point, Georgia. She held the position of Supervisor of the Municipal Court before being promoted to City Clerk and Superintendent of Municipal Elections.

She is currently the Executive Director of a non-profit organization called Spiritual 2-A-Days. She serves Spiritual 2-A-Days with her husband, Tony, who also is the chaplain for the Clemson University Football team. Spiritual 2-A-Days is not just another mentoring program. The word of God serves as the tool for teaching, rebuking, guiding, encouraging, and edifying of young men and women in high schools and colleges. The Eubanks reside in my district in Pendleton.