COLUMBIA--In an effort to quell the gathering storm of opposition to government restructuring, Gov. Mark Sanford next week will make a rare appearance before the full Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senate President Pro Tem and Judiciary Committee Chairman Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said Sanford will appear Tuesday to share his vision for restructuring and show his commitment to the issue.
McConnell said opposition to restructuring is growing, and the governor is needed.
"I think it is clear we are under assault," McConnell said. "The governor is coming because he has this vision. It is essentially his program. And he wants there to be no questions regarding why he thinks our state needs it."
The governor's spokesman, Will Folks, confirmed Thursday the governor would appear before the committee.
"It is an issue the governor has identified as one of his top priorities," Folks said. "So he is grateful for any opportunity to speak on it."
The restructuring bill, sponsored by McConnell, has been in subcommittee for weeks. It recently moved out into full committee, where it will eventually be voted on by the 18-member board. If passed, it would then go to the Senate for floor debate.
The proposal, which consists of almost 1,900 pages of legislation, deals with both statutory and constitutional changes and mirrors the plan Sanford pitched in his executive budget.
The opposition, as expected, has centered on the proposal to reduce the number of constitutionally elected officers, from nine to three.
Any such measure would have to pass the General Assembly by a two-thirds vote. It would then be placed on a statewide ballot.
In Tuesday's committee meeting, several senators attacked the plan. Some took exception to the inclusion of certain constitutional officers. Others questioned the overall benefit of the measure.
"We even had sponsors of the plan lobbing hand grenades left and right," said Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island. "They were picking it apart. And what we are saying is, let's keep it together and let the public vote on the entire package."
McConnell's plan leaves the attorney general and state treasurer as elected positions. The lieutenant governor would run on the same ticket as the governor. The six other offices would be filled by gubernatorial appointment, with Senate consent.
Some constitutional officers, such as state Treasurer Grady Patterson and Secretary of State Mark Hammond, have voiced opposition to the measure. Others, such as Secretary of Education Inez Tenenbaum and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, have remained open to the proposal.
Committee members Sens. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, Darrell Jackson, D-Hopkins, Bob Waldrep, R-Anderson and John Hawkins, R-Spartanburg, had problems with the bill, McConnell said.
"The governor feels that the people of this state should be able to choose which form their government will take," McConnell said. "And I think he wants to make that clear."
