While the nation and many states experienced significant shifts in their electoral make up as a result of the November 4th elections, the 118th General Assembly will look much like its most recent predecessors. The most significant reason for maintaining the status quo is that 86 of the candidates in the 124-seat House ran unopposed as did 29 of the candidates in the 46-seat Senate.
Democrats picked up 2 seats in the House, but the Republicans still maintain a large majority at 71-53. In the Senate, zero seats changed hands, so the Republicans continue to hold a 27-19 advantage.
The House will see 20 new faces including 17 women (an increase of 4 from last session) and 27 Blacks (2 more than the previous body). There will be 9 "new" senators, although 4 most recently served in the House and 1 has previous Senate service. Blacks picked up 1 seat in the Senate, but the 3 women candidates in this year's election lost to their male opponents. The 2009 Senate will be an all-male body.
There will be some changes in leadership positions in both bodies. The House returns to Columbia for an organizational session December 2 and 3. The Senate will not reorganize until January 13.
Rep. Bobby Harrell (Charleston) will return as Speaker, and it is generally agreed that Rep. Harry Cato (Travelers Rest) will move from chairman of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee to Speaker Pro Temp. Rep. Kenny Bingham (Lexington) is expected to be the new majority leader.
Bob Walker's loss in his primary election means that there will be a new chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee. The LCI committee will have a new chair following Rep. Cato's move up the ladder. The outcome of these chairmanships may depend upon whether the Speaker gains the power to appoint committee chairs or the committees retain the right to elect their own chairs. We will know more in a few weeks.
In the Senate, Sen. Greg Gregory's (Lancaster) retirement means that there will be a new chair of the Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee. Sen. Ronnie Cromer (Newberry) could be named to that position. The retirement of three prominent Democrats means that there are three open seats on the Finance Committee.
The Public Policy Committee will meet on November 20th to approve SCICU's legislative agenda and strategic plan for 2009.
Two weeks after the General Assembly sliced $488 million from the State Budget for 2008-09, the Board of Economic Advisors lowered revenue projections by an additional $135 million. This marks the third time the BEA reduced revenue estimates for the state since the budget went into effect in July. 