News and Press Releases for July 2007

Gov. Sanford Issues Statement on GEAR Committee Report

July 12, 2007

Columbia, S.C. – Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the GEAR Committee report released earlier today:

“We’ve said from day one that the antiquated structure of state government here in South Carolina is holding us back, both financially and operationally, as we try to compete in today’s world. It’s telling that South Carolina is the only state in the country with a Budget and Control Board, and that voters can’t hold one elected official accountable for the performance of our state’s central administrative agency. What common sense and numerous reports like the one released today tell us is that this agency needs clear lines of authority, executive accountability, increased transparency, and also needs to consolidate duplicate operations and hand over functions to the private sector where possible – all changes that will save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and go far in making our state more competitive in a global economy. I’d applaud Henry White, Executive Director of the Budget and Control Board, and Chad Walldorf, the GEAR Committee’s Chairman, for their hard work, and I’d also thank all nine committee members for their time and continued efforts on this front.”