Gov. McMaster vetoes budget items, calls for appropriation reform [Video]

COLUMBIA, S.C. — At a press conference on Wednesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster took the next steps on several pieces of legislation lawmakers have picked up since the session ended in May, including the Judicial Reform bill and this year’s budget.

The governor vetoed several items in the budget, including a number of earmarks of one-time direct appropriations to certain local projects, usually at the request of that district’s representatives.

McMaster said the appropriation system is getting out of hand, with no formal vetting procedure or debate on each earmark.

“It goes outside the regular appropriations path, you don’t have the hearings, you don’t have the analysis, you just put it in the budget at the request of a legislator or the request of someone else and there it …