South Carolina Senate approves budget plan

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Senate has approved a budget proposal that allows for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of road and bridge construction.

The 31-6 vote late Thursday followed seven days of floor debate on the Senate’s $6.3 billion plan. Another round of votes Tuesday would send the 2013-14 budget proposal back to the House.

Proposals for funding road and bridge work have repeatedly bogged down in the Senate over the last two weeks.

The amendment, approved with bipartisan support, transfers $50 million to the State Infrastructure Bank, to be leveraged through borrowing.

The Senate also agreed to restore $20 million to local governments by taking money from items ranging from college scholarships to the marketing of state parks and farmers markets.