COLUMBIA, S.C. - House Speaker David Wilkins has pledged to try to push the governor's legislative priorities through the House by the end of this month.

Wilkins' decision comes after a heated secret meeting held between House Republicans and Gov. Mark Sanford. Following the meeting, Sanford, a Republican, decided to back off threats to sue the GOP-controlled Legislature over a massive economic development bill he vetoed last month.

The closed-door meeting helped clear the air, Wilkins said Friday.

"It went a long way toward letting folks vent their frustration and see that (Sanford's) willing to work with us," said Wilkins, R-Greenville. "We want to work with him."

Wilkins said he appreciated the governor backing off the threats so much he agreed to meet with Sanford's chief of staff, Tom Davis, three times Thursday.

Davis gave Wilkins a wish list of priorities he would like to get through the House by April 30, the deadline for passing legislation to the Senate this session.

The list included restructuring state health care agencies, a statewide charter school authorization program, tuition tax credits for parents with children in private schools and a remedy for tacking unrelated legislation onto bills.

Sanford threatened to sue because an economic development included 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.

Wilkins said none of Sanford's priorities are guaranteed to pass, but he would try.

"More important than any specific bill is, it's an attitude," Wilkins said. "The attitude is, we're going to work together. It's the first time it's happened to this magnitude."

Sanford still retains the option to sue, his spokesman Will Folks said Friday.