COLUMBIA - In his second State of the State address, Gov. Mark Sanford said South Carolina needs better education, better economic opportunities and better quality of life.

The speech highlighted the same five basic themes he discussed last year: government accountability, the economy and the need for wealth creation, government structure, education and quality of life.

Restructuring the government was an overarching theme.

"My hope is that we make an impact on people's attitudes, in and outside of government, and that this leads to an environment more conducive to changing a whole lot of things necessary to raising income levels in South Carolina," Sanford said.

Sanford's 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.

Sanford on Wednesday also introduced a new proposal making it mandatory for most inmates to participate in education programs.

About 63 percent of the state's 24,000 inmates don't have a high school education or equivalency, he said. Currently, inmates don't have to receive an education behind bars, but Sanford said under the new policy inmates won't get privileges if they refuse.

"Despite these budget times, I think it's worth committing $2.5 million to this program because I think it's crazy to continue to send folks out of a criminal justice system with no better educational leg to stand on and expect good things to happen," he said.

More reforms are needed in education, Sanford said.

Public school funding has increased more than 130 percent in the past 30 years, yet the state's college entrance exam scores rank near the bottom, he said. Data from the Commission on Higher Education also show that the state ranks last in the nation in graduation rates, he said.

State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum said she was disappointed the governor's speech focused on the negative views of education. The state has made unprecedented gains in education and was ranked first in the nation in improved college entrance exam scores, she said.

Democrats said they were concerned about what Sanford omitted, like increasing base student costs to improve education.

The governor called on legislators to tighten up a law passed last year that lowered the legal blood-alcohol level to 0.08 percent. He said it's been difficult for police to administer the new law.

He also asked lawmakers to change the state's minibottle law. South Carolina is the only state that requires bars to use the 1.7-ounce bottles of liquor.