South Carolina Legislature Overrides Life Sciences Bill Veto

Columbia -- A bill that supporters said could bring thousand of new jobs to the Upstate is now law.

The South Carolina state Senate voted 39 to 4 in favor of overriding Gov. Mark Sanford's veto. The state House of Representatives rejected the veto by an 81 to 24 margin.

The Life Sciences Act will provide financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to locate in the state.

Sanford said he vetoed the bill to protect taxpayers "from politically-driven, pork barrel spending."

The governor pointed to nearly a dozen amendments added to the proposal. Among the additions, making the University of the South Carolina Sumter a four year college and investing $7 million in a new convention center for Myrtle Beach.

But supporters said the benefits of the bill outweigh any disadvantages.

"What we're going to be faced with is whether to vote for something that 80 percent of the bill is good and meritorious or whether we're going to kill it because we disagree with 20 percent." said Senator John Courson R-Richland Co., before the Senate vote.

Sources told WYFF's Beth Brotherton that the passage of the act will be key to securing a commitment from a major drug company to build a manufacturing facility in Greenville County. The plant could employ 400 or more people.