STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
MARK SANFORD, GOVERNOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Will Folks
803-734-2100
[email protected]


"TAXPAYER HEROES" HELPING SHIFT LEGISLATIVE
LANDSCAPE, CHANGE STATUS QUO IN COLUMBIA

Columbia, S.C. - May 26, 2005 - Gov. Mark Sanford today praised a growing group of Representatives in the South Carolina House for their support in voting to sustain the vast majority of his budget vetoes this week. The governor specifically praised Representatives Ralph Norman, Ted Pitts, Nikki Haley, Ben Hagood, Nathan Ballentine and Kenny Bingham for voting to sustain at least 80% percent of his budget vetoes. The governor also specifically thanked Representatives Mac Toole, Marion Frye, Scott Talley, Jim Stewart, Jeff Duncan, Don Smith, Doug Smith, Murrell Smith and Chip Huggins for voting to sustain a majority of his budget vetoes.

"There's a growing core of House members who - like most working South Carolinians - realize that the good ole' boy system of growing government at nearly three times the rate peoples' incomes are growing simply doesn't make sense," Gov. Sanford said. "This group of taxpayer heroes deserves tremendous credit for working with us to put our state's fiscal house in order as opposed to simply spending whatever new money comes in. I think that's a very a positive shift in the legislative landscape toward changing the status quo in Columbia and better protecting the taxpayers of this state, and I'm hopeful more will join them."

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Will Folks
Press Secretary, Governor Mark Sanford
803-734-5258 (office)
803-734-6447 (facsimile)
803-446-6713 (mobile)
[email protected]
www.scgovernor.com