Greenville Greenville legislators are pushing a bill that would force counties, such as their own, to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday.

The legislation cleared a subcommittee and should be taken up within two weeks in the House Judiciary Committee, says Rep. Fletcher Smith, D-Greenville.

Greenville County officials have faced repeated protests and threats of a boycott over their refusal to adopt a paid holiday for employees to commemorate the birthday of the civil rights leader who was slain 35 years ago.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights activist and Greenville native, has called for an economic boycott of the county by actively discouraging businesses from investing in Clemson University's proposed automotive research park.

Smith's bill calls for all counties to recognize the holiday, but he says he'll amend it so all counties are required to observe the 12 state holidays, including King Day and Confederate Memorial Day.

Counties that don't adopt the holiday would lose state aid. Greenville County received $17.3 million in state aid this fiscal year.

House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, supports the concept. "We're going to seriously look at it," he said.

However, the cost for counties needs to be evaluated, Wilkins said. "One of the things that concerns me is the cost and whether we're passing on unfunded mandates," he said.

Forty-three of the state's 46 counties officially observe the King holiday.

Greenville County Council voted 7-5 Tuesday to let county workers decide on five holidays they would take each year in addition to five fixed holidays. Lexington's council has scheduled a vote this spring on the issue. York County keeps offices open, but allows employees to take off either King Day or their birthday.

Greenville County Councilman Mark Kingsbury called Smith's plan "another unfunded mandate" that would cost the county more than $250,000 to add two paid holidays in a time of declining revenue and a weak economy.

"That takes away home rule," said Councilman Dozier Brooks.

"Are they going to pay for them?" Vice Chairman Scott Case said, adding that 12 paid holidays would be financially excessive. "If the state's decision results in (county) budget cuts, there will be more holidays and fewer employees."

The King holiday fight concerns legislators who recall the negative attention the state received over the Confederate flag flying on the Capitol dome.

"We're all concerned about how Greenville is going to be perceived in the national spotlight, and not just Greenville, but South Carolina, too," said Rep. Harry Cato, R-Greenville. "There's a snowball effect; it just keeps getting bigger and bigger."