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January 18, 2008
Selection process for DOT commissioners to get needed change
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LUCAS |
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By Rep. Jay Lucas
It was great to begin the second half of our state’s 117th Legislative Session last week. Although the House has not convened since June of 2007, a great deal of work has gone on since the House last adjourned. One area of off-season activity has centered around the Department of Transportation.
Last year I served on the South Carolina Department of Transportation Study Committee appointed by Speaker Harrell. This committee studied waste and mismanagement of our largest state agency, the Department of Transportation. DOT is responsible for billions of dollars in spending that is utilized to build and maintain our state’s highway and road infrastructure. The committee was disappointed to learn that there had been questionable accounting methods employed by DOT and more than a few decisions made by agency officials that did not pass “the smell test.”
One of the most disappointing aspects about the problems at DOT was the role played by the commission, the seven-member panel appointed by the legislature and the governor to set policy for the department and monitor the progress of projects and programs.
When the commissioners testified before the study committee, they appeared to be, at best, unaware of what senior department officials were doing, and, at worst, implicitly approving the actions. It quickly became clear that part of the problem with DOT was the lack of involvement and oversight exercised by the commission.
Consequently, one of the important measures in last year’s bill to improve the DOT was to create the Joint Transportation Review Committee. This committee, on which I serve as vice chairman, will work to screen candidates seeking election to the commission. As in the past, the six commissioners will be elected, from each of the state’s congressional districts by the legislators who reside in those districts. However, under the new system, those wishing to serve on the commission will go through an extensive background check, interview, and public hearing process similar to what our state’s judges and members of other boards and commissions go through.
The screening committee will take into consideration the candidate’s educational and professional background and will examine any business or personal relationship between a candidate and the legislature or the department that might create conflicts of interest.
Our state deserves to have the most qualified and responsible individuals we can find to serve on our transportation commission. The issues related to maintaining our state highways and questions about where and how to build new ones touch all of us. We may not all have children in the schools, be victims of crime or need critical health care, but we all travel the state’s roads, and we all benefit from the economic development made possible by a sound infrastructure.
As members of the General Assembly we owe it to the citizens of South Carolina to make certain that those responsible for developing the state’s long-term transportation plan are familiar with the challenges we face, prepared to bring good ideas to the debate, and willing to question the actions of agency officials. I believe that the work I will do as a member of the new screening committee will go a long way in helping the General Assembly meet that obligation.
If you would like any additional information on these bills, or any other legislation under consideration by the General Assembly, feel free to visit our website at www.scstatehouse.net. If you have a comment or opinion concerning the matters discussed in this report, or if I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call my legislative office in Columbia (803) 734-2961; my office in Hartsville (843) 332-5566; or my home in Hartsville (843) 383-9421; or write me at 812 W. College Avenue, Hartsville, SC 29550. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.
District 65 Rep. Jay Lucas represents parts of Darlington, Kershaw, Chesterfield and Lancaster counties in the S.C. House of Representatives.
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