(AP) -- COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina legislators are expected to give final approval to a $5 billion state spending plan.
A third reading on Wednesday would send the spending bill for the fiscal year beginning July 1 to the Senate.
The measure won key approval Tuesday as the House rejected Governor Nikki Haley's proposals to stop taxpayers from paying for the 2012 presidential primary and operations at the state Arts Commission.
But they went along with plans to stop taxpayers from paying $1 million for lobbyists at state agencies and nixed a $5 million University of South Carolina aviation and research program.
The spending plan preserves overall public school spending while expanding public charter schools. It calls for $125 million in Medicaid payment rate cuts for doctors and hospitals.
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