FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – On Friday, State Senator Hugh Leatherman of Florence held a press conference to address South Carolina’s crumbling roads.
He announced a senate plan that would not increase taxes, but set aside an additional $400 million towards repairs.”I’m optimistic, I think we are going to get a roads bill passed this year and do what the people sent us up there to do and that’s fix the roads,” said Leatherman.
Roads are the lifeblood of our economy here. If we have good roads, then companies will come and provide roads for our people,” he explained.
It is unclear exactly what roads this plan would address or where the money would come from. However, Leatherman was adamant about not taking money from the general fund.
“You take money out of the general fund to fix the roads, you’re taking money out of education, you’re taking money from public safety, you’re taking money from mental, you’re taking money from all of the other agencies that provide services to our people,” he mentioned.
Those against the plan think the $400 million price tag won’t do anything to ease congestion and won’t even bring all roads up to good condition.
South Carolina House Speaker, Jay Lucas of Hartsville, spoke against the plan.
In a statement yesterday, he said the senate’s action “simply kicks the can further down the road and frankly, into a pothole.”
Governor Nikki Haley, meanwhile, says she’s in favor of the plan since it doesn’t raise taxes.
“Got a ways to go, but we will get there. We will pass this bill and we fix the people’s roads,” Leatherman stated.
The senate will reconvene Tuesday and if passed it will then it will go to the house.
If the house decides to amends it, it will go back to the senate but Leatherman says he’ll be the driving force behind this bill.
