COLUMBIA, S.C. - House Minority Leader James Smith wants more disclosure of campaign contributions by political appointees.

Smith, D-Columbia, was surrounded by fellow Democratic leaders Wednesday as he announced legislation that would require anyone appointed to a state board or commission to reveal political contributions made within the past four years before confirmed to the seat.

"Change needs to be made," Smith said.

Smith said he was responding to an analysis by The (Columbia) State published Sunday that showed almost half of the people Gov. Mark Sanford appointed in his first six months in office were donors to his campaign.

According to the analysis, that's twice as many donor appointments as made by Sanford's predecessor Jim Hodges during the same timeframe in his term.

Sanford said last week that whether someone made a campaign contribution was one factor used in choosing appointees.

"If there is a perception that South Carolina's government is for sale and you have to pay to play, then whether perception or reality, reform is needed," Smith said.

House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, said the public already has access to contributions made to candidates for public office and he doesn't know if Smith's proposal is necessary.

"Questions like that are probably going to be more prevalent now," he said. "I hope this is not just an attempt to politicize appointments by the governor of a different party."

Smith said his proposal is not a partisan attack.

"That is not the point," he said. "I do think the governor provides a shining example of why this needs to be changed."

State law requires candidates to disclose contributions quarterly. The state Ethics Commission reports contributions by officeholder, not donor. Smith's legislation would streamline the process to make the information more accessible to the public by indexing contributions by appointee, he said.

John Crangle, director of the South Carolina chapter of Common Cause, a Washington-based government watchdog group, agreed.

"The public has a right to know, and I don't think it's too much of a burden on these people," Crangle said.

Information from: The State