The Comptroller General (CG) appeared before the Senate Finance Constitutional and Criminal Justice Subcommittee to provide his budget request for FY 13. When the CG stated he had no request for increases in his budget, but would need additional resources to expand his staff next year, one Senator on the panel raised an interesting point: should the CG’s office and the State Treasurer be combined so there is one office handling state finances? According to their conversation, not many states operate financially with two separate entities. In addition, the CG doesn’t oppose the merger and thinks it would lower costs while combining similar functions of state government.
In addition to the Comptroller General, the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families also presented a budget request. If that sounds odd to you, it should, and for two reasons. (1) The center is a non-profit organization (not a state agency) that is an outgrowth of the public-private partnership between the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. And (2) if the agency is already partnered with DSS, why does it need its own special appropriation in the budget? They should be presenting their $500,000 dollar request to DSS, not the Senate.