(Columbia-AP) May 20, 2004 - The state's highest court has agreed to decide a lawsuit brought by a government watchdog challenging the Legislature on an economic development bill.

Edward D. Sloan Junior's lawsuit claims items tacked on to the original bill violate a state constitutional requirement that limits legislation to one subject. Sloan's suit says the Life Sciences Act violates the section of the state Constitution that says every bill should deal with just one subject.

Governor Mark Sanford also threatened to sue lawmakers himself but later backed off. Sanford vetoed the bill, but lawmakers overrode it.

The economic development legislation was intended to extend incentives to pharmaceutical companies for locating or expanding in the state, but lawmakers attached several amendments, including provisions to expand the University of South Carolina-Sumter to a four-year school and to create a four-year cooking program at Trident Technical College.

Sloan is best known for unsuccessfully suing Sanford over whether the governor could keep his US Air Force Reserve commission while serving as governor. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in February that Sanford could continue to serve. Read High Court's Decision here>>

Sloan, a 74-year-old retired Greenville construction company, says he's filed about 30 lawsuits in the past six years, mostly against local governments he says have failed to seek bids before procuring construction projects as required under state law. Many of Sloan's lawsuits are on appeal or pending.

updated 8:52am by BrettWitt