COLUMBIA - Gov. Mark Sanford reached wide and far with veto pen Wednesday, striking plans to expand a children's health program and attempts to end blue laws for retailers.

Sanford issued the most budget vetoes ever, striking out 237 items in the main budget and six in a related surplus spending bill. The vetoes totaled $167 million of the state's $7.4 billion budget.

The Republican governor, who coasted to re-election last year by heaping criticism on lawmakers, praised them Wednesday for passing important bills. But he called on them to cut spending and set aside money.

"What I could not get away from is the fact that I think we may be more than due for a downturn with regard to the national economy," Sanford said.

A similar downturn in 2001 led to three straight years of budget cuts that crippled some agencies.

Lawmakers return Thursday to take up the governor's vetoes. Sanford urged them to uphold his vetoes so agencies could be spared midyear budget cuts if the economy sours.

The vetoes are "an opportunity to leave to legislative colleagues one last chance to ever-so-slightly tamp down the total amount of spending here in our state's Capitol," Sanford said.

While Sanford said he supported the idea behind a provision in the budget that would suspend blue laws for one year, he vetoed it because that kind of major law change shouldn't be put in the budget and could threaten the rights of employees to refuse to work on Sunday for religious reasons.

Blue laws require retailers in most counties to open after 1:30 p.m. Sundays.

You must be logged in to comment.