McMaster has rejected money that would replace high risk buses in South Carolina. Buses that have been catching fire.
17 of South Carolina’s state school buses have caught fire or dangerously overheated since August 2015
FACTS: 17 of South Carolina’s state school buses have caught fire or dangerously overheated since August 2015?
In March, six students athletes at White Knoll High School were severely burned when a radiator failed on a bus they were riding. Are you okay with knowing buses are prone to fire? Will it take a bus load of burning kids for you to agree?
More than 5,000 school buses hit the road every day in the Palmetto State taking kids to and from school and activities and many of the buses they’re riding were brand new in the 1980’s. The average age of school buses in South Carolina is 16 years old.
In our State Budget, the Senate & House put $56 million to purchase 298 new buses & lease another 116. Governor McMaster just vetoed $20.5 million of this $56 million (1/2 of our bus funding)… paid for out of “Excess Education Lottery Proceeds.” Why?
Gov. McMaster stated that “The lottery money should be used only for scholarships… because that’s what voters were promised.” This might be persuasive… if it were actually true! (Which it is not.)
Section 59–150–350(D) of our Lottery Legislation actually REQUIRES that a portion of the Education Lottery Proceeds go to buses: “Funds made available from the Education Lottery Account must be used to provide… to the State Department of Education for the purchase or repair of school buses;” This section also lists other required spending (including scholarships). If Gov. McMaster wishes 100% of the SC Education Lottery money to go to scholarships, then he should present a bill to do this; however, the current law actually requires exactly what the legislature did! The rule states to use a small portion of the lottery proceeds to repair or replace the oldest buses! Our lawmakers are going to have to work to override this veto in order to meet the requirements in our own law.
-Former Mechanics for SC Dept. of Education speak out against state, say school buses are fire-prone
-Modifications to SC’s fire-prone school buses not making fleet safer.
-56 students escape South Carolina school bus blaze
-SC School bus catches fire with 6 kids on board
-Bus catches fire on SC interstate
-Duncan SC School Bus Fire — 09 May 2017
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! encourage them to join SC Senator Mike Fanning in voting to override this veto!
*SC Veto Override — To pass a Bill over Governor’s veto requires a two-thirds vote of members present and voting of both bodies acting separately.
