South Carolina’s ‘disappointing’ legislative session ends

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s legislative session has drawn to a close without a state budget and with most of lawmakers’ priority issues left undone.

Legislators of both parties called it a disappointing session, particularly since efforts to fix South Carolina’s roads and bridges collapsed in the Senate.

State law required the regular session to end at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Lawmakers return for a special, three-day session June 16. But their work is limited to the state budget and bills that have passed both chambers with differences that can be worked out in six-member conference committees.

A bill that would raise money for roadwork is among those dead for the year.

GOP Sen. Tom Davis of Beaufort spent the last two weeks filibustering the bill because he opposes increasing the gas tax.