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THK C HRONICLE, Clinlon, S. C., May 16, 1968—11 Many Meetings, Much Reading A Legislative Day In The Life Of Sen. Dobbins BY MARIAN MARSH (Special to The Chronicle) COLUMBIA - It’s a busy week for the Senator from Laurens Comity when the General Assem bly is in session. I he legislative week usually begins on Tuesday when the Sen ate and the House of Represen tatives convene at noon to start the week’s work. F or Sen. William C. Dobbins, this means driving to Columbia. Tuesday morning from his home in Ioanna. Reps. W. Paul Culbertson and David S. Taylor, who both live in Laurens, usually make the drive together to Columbia. Upon arrival, Sen. Dobbins goes directly to the Statehouse. In the lobby other legislators are gathering, chatting in small groups while waiting for the bell to ring. The mood is generally jovial. Legislators greet each other heartily. Visitors who wish to observe the activities of the day may tie seen filing into the galleries of the House and Senate. A fourth-grade teacher herds her pupils up the stairs. Mrs. Helen Slawson guides the group, pointing out the South Car olina State Seal emblazoned on the red and gold carpet. One youngster wants to know if the two large Palmetto trees at the top of the stairs are real. Mrs. Slawson explains that both trees were brought from Hilton Head Island and were treated with a plastic-like process topre- serve them. Ttie House and Senate secre taries are busy in the lobby answering the phones and handing messages to pages who hurry off in search of legislators. The press begins to arrive: reporters with their notebooks, photographers with their cam eras, and television cameramen with their heavy equipment. San. Dobbins picks up his mail from the post office, collects his messages from the lobby desk, and walks into the Senate chamber. On his desk, and on the desks of the other senators, are copies of the Senate Journal and Calen dar. The Calendar is a numbered green booklet which gives the schedule for the day. It lists bills coming up for reading, bills to be introduced and also lists special events such as invitations to social events, joint assemblies, and memorial services. OFFICIAL RECORD The Journal is the official record of Senate activities. Both the Journal and Calendar are available to Statehouse visi tors upon request. The senators rise as the pre sident ex-officio of the Senate, Lt.-Gov. JohnC. West of Camden, enters. He calls the Senate to order and the legislative week is under way. Both the Senate and the House open each day with a short de votional by the Chaplains. After the call to order and the devotional, the usual order of business in the Senate is: (1) Receipt of communications (2) Introduction of new bills and resolutions (3) Call of local uncontested AT COMMITTEE MEETING — Sen. Dobbins, third from left, chats with Sen. Rembert ('. Dennis of Berkeley County, left, and Sen. Kdyrar A. Brown of Barnwell, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of which Dobbins is a member. At ritfht is Sen. William Ci. DesChamps of Lee County. Pic ture was taken prior to Finance Committee meeting recently. — ( Photos by Bill Johnson, USC Journalism School) Upon introduction, bills are referred to the appropriate com mittee for study. The committee studies the bill and reports back either favorably or unfavorably. The fate of a bill often de pends on the committee’s reac tion to it. sometimes upon the feeling of the committee chair man. After the committee has had the bill for five days, the bill may be recalled from committee by a vote of the majority of the Senate. SENIORITY Seniority is very important to a legislator and determines to a large extent his power and effectiveness. All committee assignments, for example, are made on the basis of seniority. In the Senate, the top com mittee is the Senate F inance Committee and its chairman, Sen. Edgar A. Brown of Barnwell, is considered by many to be the most powerful man in South Carolina state government. Sen. Brown has served in the Senate since 1929 and as pre sident pro tern and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 1942. Sen. Dobbins, who has twice been elected to the Senate and has served in the House for three terms, is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. His other committee assign ments are Agriculture; Aviation; My Neighbors Education; Fish, Game and For estry; Highways; Medical Affairs and Natural Resources. He is 2nd vice-chairman ofthe Natural Resources Committee. Committee meetings are held weekly on Tuesdays and Wed- nesdays. The powerful Senate Finance Committee meets on Tuesday from 2:30 p.m. until about 5:30 p.m. The state appropriations bill is, of course, the most import ant legislation which the Senate Finance Committee considers. But every bill which carries an appropriation eventually comes before this committee. All money bills must l>e in troduced in the House of Repre sentatives. Other bills may lie introduced in either the House or Senate. Bills receive three readings but debate is usually limited to the second reading. Bills are read by title only on the first and third reading. After passage by both houses, the bill is enrolled for ratifi cation. Most bills liecome effective upon the signature of the gov ernor. RPIEFS' m “Well, how’d the boss react to your report?" ^ UNLOADING MILLIONS — The United States has paid “port charges" totaling $t>0() million to unload foreign aid cargoes at the ports of some 100 nations, according to Rep. John Dowdy (D.-Tex.), even though there had been an agreement that there would be no charge. He said, “It seems to me. if we are going to give our resources to a country, it should not charge us for un loading it in their country. We are not buying any friends with our foreign aid." ) Motion period ) Call of the statewide cal- :r. dnt meetings ofthe House and ite are scheduled occasion- to hear a visiting speaker roup, for example when Miss gy White of Laurens ad- ;sed the General Assembly ebruary. uesday’s session, usually rt unless there is a filibus- or unless a controversial ■e of legislation is being con- .red, ends about 1:00 p.m. the ’senators break for lunch. he real work of the General embly is done in committee. he Senate has 25 standing imittees. The House has eight. BEAT THE PRICE RISE on BRONZED BABY SHOES Style 50 This is your last chance to have your baby shoes bronzed at these savings as prices go up May 31. ORDER NOW FOR FATHER'S DAY AND SAVE! BRONZE STYLES REG PRICE SALE PRICE 50 Bookends S15.95 $13.95 62 Oval Miniature Frame 15.95 12.95 67 TV Lamp 19 95 16.95 86 • 2-Shoe Ashtray 14.50 12.50 91 Onyx Paperweight 10.50 8.95 Ei|r«vi<| is inly IRt per letter BRING SHOES IN NOW SALE ENDS MAY 29 J. C. Thomas, Jeweler Clinton —Joanna The Senate and House usually begin at 11:00 a.m. on Wednes day and at 10:00 a.m. on Thurs day. The legislators usually free to head for hom^y lunch time on Thursday WEEKLY MEETING The members of the Laurens County delegation hold a weekly get -to-gether on Thursday Im mediately after the General As sembly adjourns. Tuesday and Wednesday nights are often devoted to banquets and social events with the legisla tors as honored guests. Since the wives of the legis lators are Included In these in vitations, Mrs. Dobbins attends many of these events. Gov. Robert E. McNair often Invites groups of legislators to breakfast with him during the legislative week. Sen Dobbins is often a guest of the governor on Thursday mornings, along with fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee. DOBBINS CATCHES DP ON SENATE READING 7 You cannot bring about pros perity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brother hood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help The poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build charac ter and courage by taking away man y s initiative and independ ence. You cannot help men per manently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. Abraham Lincoln This message sponsored in the public interest by GRE ODD Joanna Plants MILLS