Rep. Herb Kirsh, D-York, said he's sponsoring the bill set to go before the state House of Representatives because Jasper County is "getting the shaft" in its plans to build a $450 million port on the Savannah River.
"The State Ports Authority is trying to take advantage of (Jasper), and I say get rid of them, sell them," he said Tuesday.
Kirsh's proposal comes as state and local officials wait for the Supreme Court to decide whether the Ports Authority has the sole authority to develop a port in South Carolina. State ports officials maintain that a county-operated shipping terminal would put a statewide resource in private pockets.
The Ports Authority runs ports in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, with a 2004 operating revenue of $116 million, according to the authority's financial reports.
The Ports Authority sued Jasper in January when the county and SSA Marine, one of the world's largest private port developers, struck a $450 million development agreement for 1,863 Savannah River acres owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Rep. Thayer Rivers, D-Ridgeland, said The Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs estimated the value of the three state ports and the Ports Authority's land holdings at $1.5 billion.
The agency's land is nontaxable, and if the sites are replaced with taxpaying private enterprise, "it would result in a 10 percent tax cut for all residents of Charleston County," Rivers told the Jasper County Council on Tuesday.
Robert Becker, director of the Strom Thurmond Institute, helped draft the infrastructure bank plan that will accompany Kirsh's legislation, Rivers said.
Becker could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The attempt to privatize state ports is the most drastic action taken since the county announced its intent to build on the Savannah River in January.
On Monday, the Beaufort County Council voted unanimously to support discussions between Jasper and the state and, Sunday, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., came out in favor of the Jasper plan.
"Representative Rivers has been talking about privatization for some time," said state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland. "I don't know if I'm in support of it or not at this point."
The proposed legislative sale comes a month after Gov. Mark Sanford hired a private banking firm to evaluate Santee Cooper, a state-run utility.
"The governor hires a Wall Street firm to see what (Santee Cooper) is worth. Well, OK. I'll see you one and raise you one," Rivers said.
Thursday's bill has little likelihood of getting through the House before the session ends June 2.
Any bill introduced in the House after May 1 requires a two-thirds vote, or supermajority, before it's moved over to the Senate.
"If they take it up, they'd surprise me," Kirsh said of the House. "(State Ports Authority officials) are well connected politically. They have too much salary and too much power."
The York legislator said he's introducing the bill this week to start discussions rather than gain popular support.
County officials and members of the State Ports Authority would not comment on the proposal Tuesday.
"Obviously we think that's the way to go, but it's a big opportunity and would mean a lot of work for many, many companies," said Jake Coakley, SSA Marine's regional vice president in Savannah. "I've heard (about privatization) before so let's wait and see what happens."