What will Larry Martin do?

South Carolina State Senator Larry Martin is in a position to make or break the Freedom of Information Act Sunshine bill, H3235.

It is in his Judiciary Committee.  He controls what is on the agenda and what is not.

In fact, it was reported that when the subcommittee chair was asked about setting up a hearing on the bill, he said, “I’ve gotta check with Larry to see what bills he wants passed this year.”

Wow… It really shows the power that these chairmen have to bury a bill.

Larry has promised a hearing on Tuesday.  But it can’t be just a hearing.  It must be a hearing and a vote on H3235.

I need you to do two things right away to make sure this bill gets passed into law!

1. Contact Senator Larry Martin and tell him that H3235 must be passed into law this year “as is” with no amendments. He can be reached at (803) 212-6610 and at LarryMartin@scsenate.gov.
2. Contact your State Senator and tell him the same thing.  You can find out who your Senator is and his contact information at this link.

The Legislature adjourns for the year on June 7th.  Time is short and we must act now!!

This is our last chance to pass this bill!

It must be passed without amendments.  You see, if it is amended, then it must go back to the House for another vote and there simply is no time for that.

If we don’t act now South Carolina lawmakers will continue to hide behind their exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

You’ll remember when they ignored the voters and passed a Department of Administration bill that did not make the reforms that the voters asked for.

Right afterwards, using the Freedom of Information Act, many of you helped us ask for copies of their e-mails, memo’s, and notes that had any communication about the DoA bill.  We wanted these documents so we could find out who was influencing their decision to ignore the voters.

Most lawmakers responded that they would not give us the information because they are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act!

Stunning!

They work for us!

H3235 will fix three problems:

1. It will remove the legislature’s exemption from the Freedom of Information Act.
2. It will limit the fees that they can charge for copies of documents to the market rate for copies. There was testimony in the House committee hearings on this bill about people who were charged exorbitant copy fees by local governments.
3. It will limit the delay before the information is made available.  There was additional testimony from those who were simply stonewalled and delayed so long that by the time they got the requested information, it was no longer useful.

These changes to the Freedom of Information Act are critical to our ability to hold government accountable to the people.

Without it, you and I are blind!

Senator Larry Martin has promised that H3235 will be on the Judiciary agenda on Tuesday.  The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 P.M. in room 308 of the Gressette building.

Further, he is the former chair of the Senate Rules Committee so he knows very well the rules and procedures of how to move a bill quickly to the floor of the Senate for a vote.

In short, the fate of H3235 is in Senator Larry Martin’s hands.

He can be reached at (803) 212-6610 and at LarryMartin@scsenate.gov.

Believe me, if Larry Martin wants this bill to get a floor vote in the Senate, it will.  He knows the rules and procedure of the Senate well enough to move a bill quickly when needed.

There is no reason this bill should not be on the floor of the Senate Wednesday for a vote.

If this bill fails to make it to the floor of the Senate by Wednesday, Senator Larry Martin is responsible.

Now, once it comes up for a vote in committee and then on the floor of the Senate, it is your Senator’s responsibility to vote to pass the bill.

It is more important for you to contact Senator Martin and your Senator than it is for you to be at the hearing!

Your Senator must hear from you!  You are the one who votes for or against him.  You have the most influence on your own Senator.

Contact him TODAY!

Follow this link to find your Senator and his contact information.

Simply tell him that H3235, the Freedom of Information Act Sunshine bill, must be passed without amendments before the Senate adjourns on June 7th.

Don’t forget to contact Senator Larry Martin and let him know that you expect him to use his knowledge of the rules and procedure to create some sunshine for the people of South Carolina.

Now, I imagine Senator Larry Martin is feeling rather secure right now because the recent SC Supreme Court ruling left him without a challenger in the upcoming election.

He will win reelection because he has no opposition!

Will that make him feel secure enough to cave to the pressure of the establishment who want nothing to do with sunshine and accountability?

Does Larry have a steel spine and the gumption to simply do what is right even though his reelection is guaranteed?

Tuesday will tell the tale!

He has the influence and the knowledge of the Senate rules to make sure this bill gets an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate.

So contact Larry now and make sure he knows you won’t accept any excuses for not getting it done.

He can be reached at (803) 212-6610 and at LarryMartin@scsenate.gov.

Remember, without H3235 there is no real accountability and transparency in the South Carolina legislature!