Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today voted in support of the spending bill that finances most federal agencies. The vote in the Senate was 65-30. A similar measure was passed by the House of Representatives today, and a vote on the final version will occur next week. President Bush should sign it into law. The measure covers the government budget year that started October 1 and is a compilation of nine separate bills financing all federal agencies except the Department of Defense and the Homeland Security Department. “I am pleased that my colleagues have come together in a bipartisan fashion to finish the work on the federal budget,” said Graham. “Every Senator was asked to give up some projects and make sacrifices for the common good.” “I would like to thank my colleague, Senator Hollings, and all the members of the delegation for working together to benefit all South Carolinians,” said Graham. The projects for the Lowcountry and Pee Dee of South Carolina include: Beaufort County:

• $2 million for US 278.
• $200,000 to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for facilities and equipment.

Bennettsville:

• $36 million for the activation of a new prison facility.

Berkeley County:

• $20 million towards land acquisition for Bonneau Ferry.

Charleston:

• $20 million for a cooperative agreement between MUSC and the National Institute of Standards and Technologies for construction of research facilities.
• $14 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance at Charleston Harbor.
• $10 million for the Medical University of South Carolina oncology center.
• $5 million for Project Seahawk to enhance intermodal security and law enforcement within our nation’s coastal cities.
• $4 million dollars to the Medical University of South Carolina for buses and bus facilities.
• $3.3 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance of the Cooper River/Charleston Harbor.
• $3 million to the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory.
• $2 million for Water Missions International, a faith-based nonprofit engineering organization, to develop clean water treatment projects in developing countries.
• $2 million to the College of Charleston for the School of Science and Mathematics
• $1.5 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for the deepening and widening of Charleston Harbor.
• $1 million for the King Street and Spring Cannon Corridor.
• $700,000 to From Darkness to Light, of which $450,000 is to develop an online training and certificate program to prevent child sexual abuse.
• $350,000 to the Army Corp of Engineers for general construction at Folly Beach.
• $275,000 to the Advanced Technology Institute for a demonstration program of diabetes diagnostic and care services through tele-health technology.
• $250,000 to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) for study of the ‘Charleston Bump’
• $250,000 for Charleston CPW for wastewater tunnel replacement.
• $250,000 for the American College of the Building Arts for curriculum development, educational facility, and equipment.
• $250,000 to Charleston Southern University for facilities and equipment.
• $250,000 to Trident Technical College to equip the hospitality, tourism, and culinary arts program.
• $225,000 to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance of the Folly River.
• $100,000 for restoration and preservation of the C.S.S. Hunley.

Colleton County:

• $50,000 to the Colleton County Memorial Library for books and library materials.

Dillon County:

• $1 million to the Dillon County Airport for land acquisition and runway construction

Florence County:

• $1.5 million for the I-95/SC 327 interchange.
• $500,000 for law enforcement technologies.
• $50,000 to USDA ARS Florence for funding to continue animal waste treatment efforts.

Georgetown County:

• $3.48 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance at Georgetown Harbor.
• $1 million to the Georgetown County Airport for various improvements.
• $145,000 to Five Rivers Community Development Corporation for land acquisition.
• $28,000 to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance at Murrells Inlet.

Horry County:

• $500,000 to Horry County Airport to conduct an airport study.

Jasper County:

• $200,000 to the Town of Ridgeland for the Wagon Branch Water Project.

Lee County:

• $1.5 million for Bishopville Bypass construction.
• $97,000 to the Lee County Public Library for facilities expansion and relocation.

Mt. Pleasant:

• $750,000 for the US 17 and Bowman Road interchange improvements.
• $150,000 to Mt. Pleasant Waterworks for the Rural Roads Gravity Wastewater Extension Project.

Myrtle Beach:

• $4 million for I-73.
• $500,000 to the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation for a new storm water drainage system.
• $125,000 for expansion of the Myrtle Beach International Convention Center.

Walterboro:

• $1.6 million to the Lowcountry Regional Airport for the installation of an Instrument Landing System on Runway 23.

Williamsburg County:

• $39.47 million for prison opening.
• $50,000 to the Williamsburg County Library in Kingstree for books, library materials, and computers.

Other Projects of Note:

• $3 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for general construction at Lakes Moultrie and Marion.
• $2.5 million to the Army Corp of Engineers for operations and maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
• $1.25 million to South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) for land acquisition within the Waccamaw Wildlife Refuge.
• $850,000 for Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
• $900,000 for the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Discovery Sites.
• $500,000 to South Carolina Department of Natural Resources southeastern regional taxonomic center for marine and estuarine organisms.
• $500,000 to National Oceanic and Atmospheric for a geodetic survey in South Carolina.
• $200,000 to NOAA for debris removal.

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Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- Social Security modernization proponents have received a boost from an unlikely source – the very agency charged with administering the program -- after the agency completed an analysis of legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). Graham met today and discussed the analysis with leaders of the Alliance for Worker Retirement Security (AWRS), a business group supporting Social Security modernization, in his Senate office. On this day one year ago, Graham introduced legislation (S.1878) which combines the best of traditional Social Security system with the opportunity for younger workers at all income levels to build a retirement nest egg through personal accounts. Personal accounts would provide safe investment options similar to those now available to federal employees and improve on a system that will provide low growth rates for younger workers. They also provide stronger anti-poverty protections than are present in today’s system, a fact confirmed by the Social Security analysis. Under the plan, current retirees, workers 55 and older, and persons with disabilities would remain in today’s system with no changes to benefits, taxes, or annual cost of living adjustments. The plan gives workers 54 and younger the choice to join a modernized system that provides future retirees an inflation-indexed traditional benefit from Social Security that is at least as high as the benefits received by retirees today plus a personal retirement account. Workers would have the opportunity to set aside 4 percentage points of their Social Security taxes (up to $1,300 annually) in a personal retirement account that they would own and control. Workers could invest their contributions in low-cost, diversified stock and bond index funds. These investments would build value over time. At retirement, workers could draw on their account assets to help pay their monthly Social Security benefits or pass their account onto their heirs. Time is of the essence. The current Social Security system will pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2018 and becomes insolvent by 2042. Among the findings from the Social Security Administration’s analysis of Graham’s bill:

• Restores Social Security surpluses rather than produce ever increasing deficits. Under the current system there will be a $588 billion (in $2003) deficit in 2061. Under the Graham plan there will be a $100 billion surplus.
• Make the system solvent by placing Social Security on solid financial footing permanently at a cost that is substantially less than maintaining the current system. To maintain the current system permanently, it will take $10 trillion dollars, while implementing the Graham plan will cost less than $1.7 trillion.
• Strengthens the social safety net by making benefits more progressive and provides higher benefits to low-income workers.
• Lifts roughly 688,000 seniors out of poverty by 2061. The projected elderly poverty rate would be reduced from 2.7 percent under the benefits the current system can pay to 1.1 percent.
• Improves return on worker investment. By 2061 average expected benefits would be over 25 percent higher than the benefits today’s system can afford at current tax rates.
• Because workers would own their personal retirement accounts, the plan creates an average bequest at death of nearly $5,000 (in 2004 dollars) for workers retiring in 2022 and over $52,000 for workers retiring in 2061.

“Sustained solvency of Social Security is the greatest challenge we face,” said Graham. “This report shows that balanced reform plans – including plans put forth by the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security -- can protect our most vulnerable retirees, while ensuring that younger workers and future generations are not buried under a mountain of debt. To do nothing is political malpractice.” ####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the Bamberg Fire Department will receive a $31,041 firefighting grant. “Firefighters risk their lives to protect others, and they deserve the best equipment and training available,” said Graham. “Firefighters are some of the heroes in our midst.” The Assistance to Firefighters Grant will help the fire departments improve their training, wellness and fitness programs; purchase new firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment; and, make modifications to fire stations and facilities. The Assistance to Firefighters grant program awards one-year grants directly to local fire departments, enhancing their ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards in the community. The program supports departments by providing them the tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and their firefighting personnel. Grantees share in the cost of the funded project at a percentage based on the population of their respective jurisdiction. Grantees that serve jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer residents are required to provide a non-Federal cost-share of 10 percent while grantees that serve jurisdictions of over 50,000 provide a 30 percent cost-share. The match must be in cash without the use of in-kind contributions. In addition, the maximum amount of federal funds that an applicant can be awarded is $750,000 during any fiscal year. The grants are made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement on the resignations of Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans: “Attorney General Ashcroft presided over the Justice Department during one of the most difficult periods in American history. He has done a marvelous job aggressively fighting terrorism and making us safer by strongly supporting the PATRIOT Act. He leaves a legacy that will stand the test of time. He has served our President and nation well.” “Secretary Evans provided steady leadership during troubling economic times. He aggressively pursued open markets for American products and was one of the President’s strongest advocates for tax relief and reform. Our nation is better off for his service, and he will be missed.” ####