Legislators preserve SC public broadcast funding
South Carolina senators have set up a potential fight with Gov. Nikki Haley over how the state pays for public television.
The GOP-controlled Senate on Thursday approved a measure with 25-18 vote that uses general taxpayer cash to pay for South Carolina ETV. It's part of the debate over the state's $5.8 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year.The Republican governor had told legislators she doesn't want taxpayer cash used to run ETV or the Arts Commission.To satisfy Haley, some senators unsuccessfully called for ETV to lose general taxpayer money, but make it up by keeping cash it charges other agencies. Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden said that proposal only obscured how taxpayers were paying for ETV.Sheheen was Haley's Democratic opponent in November's election.