News and Press Releases for February 2006

Back to February 2006 Releases

02/16/2006

Gov. Sanford Praises Passage of Priority Investment Act

Governor Thanks House for Passage of Bill, Asks Senate to Approve Proposal

Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford today commended the S.C. House's passage of H3881, the Priority Investment Act sponsored by Rep. Ben Hagood. Originally issued as a recommendation by the governor's Quality of Life Task Force in 2003 and advocated by the governor in his Executive Budget and previous State of the State addresses, the bill would require that local governments communicate with one another when investing in infrastructure like roads, water lines and sewer lines. Gov. Sanford said the bill could be an effective tool in reducing sprawl and better using tax dollars on infrastructure investments.

"Passing this bill would be a win for anyone who cares about improving quality of life in our state and for every taxpayer," Gov. Sanford said. "This is something we've been pushing for from day one as a step toward preserving the way we look and feel as a state. I'd applaud the House for its job in passing this bill, and I'd urge the Senate to do the same."

The bill amends the Local Government Planning Act to add two planning elements to municipal and county governments' comprehensive plans - a transportation element and a priority investment element. The priority investment element analyzes funds available for public infrastructure projects and makes recommendations based on available funds, and also provides for coordination between local governments on those recommendations. The bill also amends the housing element of the Local Planning Act to analyze unnecessary housing regulatory requirements that add to the cost of developing affordable housing, and provides for an analysis of market-based incentives that may be made available to encourage development of affordable housing.