YOUR TAXES AT WORK

An unnamed lawmaker has been allowed to sell insurance to disability boards and county hospitals.

The House Ethics Committee “advisory opinion” said the lawmaker can vote on matters related to 2 state agencies that provide money to local disability boards and county hospitals.

The unnamed lawmaker is state Rep. Brian White, R-Anderson, an insurance agent and chairman of the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

White received nearly $39,000 in commissions since 2015 from 5 disability service organizations.

They annually get millions of dollars from the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs – 1 of 2 state agencies cited in the 2017 advisory opinion.

White reported to the State Ethics Commission receiving about $28,000 in insurance-related payments from 2008 through 2016 from a county hospital.

That hospital received money from the Department of Health and Human Services – the other state agency in the advisory opinion.

White was not accused of wrongdoing but was removed from the Ways and Means Committee.

He didn’t reply to our request for comment. Nor did former Rep. Mike Pitts, now a Laurens County magistrate who in 2017 was the House Ethics Committee chairman. Nor did Rep. David Weeks, D-Sumter, who is the committee’s vice-chairman.

Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, now the chairman of both the House Ethics and Ways and Means committees, said in a written response that the Ethics Committee is “never aware of who requested” advisory opinions as there is “attorney-client privilege” between the House member and the attorneys who draft the documents.

We asked if any House member ever waived the attorney-client privilege to allow the lawmaker to be publicly identified.

Smith, an attorney, replied, “Not that I can recall.”

That means the identities of the lawmakers requesting opinions likely will continue to remain secret although advisory opinions are public records approved by elected committee members.

State law allows legislators to police their own ethical behavior through their House and Senate Ethics committees. Over the years, the committees have liberally interpreted ethics laws – to the benefit of lawmakers.

Brundrett is the news editor of The Nerve. Contact him at 803-254-4411 or rick@thenerve.org .