COLUMBIA - The opening salvo came early, and the war continued all day long.

Minutes into Tuesday morning's budget negotiations, Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, turned to the House's chief negotiator, Rep. Dan Cooper, R-Piedmont.

"Chairman Cooper, do you object to anything?" Mr. Leatherman asked.

Silence.

"I don't think I hear anything," Mr. Leatherman said.

The reason? For the second day in a row, House conferees boycotted budget negotiations Tuesday, citing other committees' lack of progress on the Department of Transportation and workers' compensation reform.

Senators responded by enlarging pictures of Mr. Cooper and the other conferees and taping the photos to the House members' chairs.

The audience, and senators, enjoyed the joke. But Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, noted: "Mr. Chairman, this is serious business."

At stake are new school buses, 100 more state troopers, sales and income tax cuts and a nurse in every elementary school. Those are among the items in jeopardy if lawmakers cannot agree on the $7.4 billion budget proposed for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

One of the most contentious days of the legislative session concluded Tuesday with some progress on the budget - after House members met with senators later in the day - but with the House pledging not to sign off on a new budget until DOT and workers' compensation agreements are reached.

DOT negotiations ended Tuesday night without a resolution.

Government isn't in danger of shutting down, though. Lawmakers already have passed a resolution to keep state government funded at current levels if a budget agreement isn't reached.

"It's not a hard sell for our caucus (House Republicans) to say, 'We're going to stay at last year's numbers,'" said House Majority Leader Jim Merrill, R-Daniel Island.

The House also gave key approval Tuesday to a resolution approving more funding for per-pupil spending, 3 percent pay raises for state employees, increases in the per-student spending sent to school districts, children's health insurance and a port access road in North Charleston.

That proposal hasn't passed the Senate, though, and the session is set to end Thursday.

Gov. Mark Sanford stood with House Speaker Bobby Harrell and other House Republicans at a news conference in the afternoon, asking the Senate to approve the House's income-tax cut proposal.

Uninvited, senators showed up and asked to speak.

Mr. Peeler accused Mr. Sanford of "trying to build a wall."

Said the governor: "If we want to tear down the wall, we've got to begin with action."