Wilkins blasts confrontation

COLUMBIA -- House Speaker David Wilkins said Wednesday that a House member had "contaminated" the Legislature after a heated exchange with another representative last week nearly came to blows.

Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, went to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Harrison's office after a bill didn't get out of a subcommittee. Govan, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, was pushing a bill intended to help elect more black judges.

Harrison, R-Columbia, has said Govan grabbed him during the exchange and others had to separate them.

After Wilkins addressed the House, Govan said, "I would really rather not comment at this time."

Wilkins said he had questioned eight people about the incident and was confident that he knew what had happened. He never mentioned Govan by name, but referred to an "offending member" whose actions "contaminated the entire membership."

"Never, never, is there any excuse for a member of this body to mistreat, abuse or physically accost another member. Period," Wilkins said.

"I have asked the offending member a number of times to make a statement of apology and regret," Wilkins said. "If there had been any remorse or regret expressed for the negative publicity inflicted upon all of you in this body, I wouldn't be before you today."

"Unfortunately, he has refused. In doing so, he has left me with few options."

Wilkins told House members he will decide by today whether to remove Govan from the Judiciary Committee. He also wants the House to give the speaker's office more authority to handle similar incidents in the future.

The speaker also considered having the House Ethics Committee investigate. But that "would only prolong this matter and it wouldn't heal any wounds." Harrison had also asked him not to pursue that, Wilkins said.

Wilkins asked representatives to work together and resolve their differences so the House would not "have to endure such an incident" again. "It's absolutely imperative that we never, never have a repeat performance of last Thursday's incident," Wilkins said.

It was the second time in less than a year that tempers have flared publicly in the House.

Last May, Rep. Leon Howard, a black Columbia Democrat, charged Rep. John Graham Altman's desk, calling the white Charleston Republican a "racist bastard" after Altman scuttled a bill Howard was pushing. A crowd formed and Howard challenged Altman to "step outside" before Sergeant-at-Arms Mitch Dorman stepped in.

Wilkins criticized those actions last year, but took no steps for formal sanctions against the members.

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