COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Gov. Mark Sanford was to discuss common themes of restructuring, government accountability and the economy during his second State of the State address Wednesday evening.
Earlier in the day, the governor said he already laid out many of his priorities when he released his first executive budget this month.
"I think that in fairly painstaking detail, we laid out our priorities - what we wanted to change, what we wanted to add - in our budget," Sanford said.
The speech was to highlight the same five basic themes that were discussed in last year's State of the State: government accountability, economy and the need for wealth creation, government structure, education and quality of life.
The overarching theme that affects all of those issues is government restructuring, Sanford said.
His plans to make government more streamlined and efficient got a major boost last week when Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, introduced restructuring legislation.
"Government restructuring impacts how viable we are in attracting industry. Government restructuring could well impact the structure of how we provide education in South Carolina. Government restructuring impacts the delivery service mechanism we call government," Sanford said.
The governor's speech also will highlight reforms made during his first year in office, including changes in the Department of Motor Vehicles and campaign finance reform.
Last session, Sanford signed a bill moving DMV from the Public Safety Department to a stand-alone agency that answers to his office. Under the new law, drivers can get tag renewal stickers and registrations from county treasurers' offices or private entities that could charge a service fee more than the standard $24 for the transaction.
Drivers' license expiration dates have been extended from five to 10 years for most people. The agency also can contract with public and private entities to administer driving tests.
Sanford also signed legislation last session requiring political parties to disclose soft money contributions, making political action committees unable to transfer money for state campaigns among themselves and giving lobbyists more restrictions on donations.
