The elections for seven seats have been delayed since 2002 as the Senate pushed for higher standards for commissioners and for barring legislators' family members from seeking the well paying jobs.
House Speaker David Wilkins said the bill came out of "perhaps the longest standing conference committee in the history of the state" before the House voted 107-1 to adopt it. The Senate adopted the compromise with a voice vote.
The legislation requires commissioners to have college degrees and a background applicable to PSC work. However, candidates already screened for those jobs won't have to meet those standards in the March 3 elections.
The compromise also creates a regulatory staff that operates separately from the commissioners. That regulatory staff would be run by an executive director that a legislative screening committee recommends to the governor.
"The public is ensured of a better decision-making process," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said. The overhaul helps remove politics from regulating businesses, he said.
The legislation now heads to Gov. Mark Sanford, who did not have an immediate comment on the bill.
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On the Net:
PSC Overhaul: http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess115-2003-2004/bills/208.htm1