Harrell criticizes Sanford

COLUMBIA — While South Carolina is on its way to piling up $1 billion in IOUs to pay unemployment checks, Gov. Mark Sanford and the state's top legislators continue to place blame on one another.

In the latest joust, House Speaker Bobby Harrell sent Sanford a response letter Monday that blasts the governor for not doing more to put people to work.

"There must be a reduction in the number of South Carolinians relying upon unemployment compensation benefits and a focus on helping them to find jobs in businesses and industries in our state," Harrell wrote. "The power to reduce this number lies almost exclusively in your hands."

Harrell, R-Charleston, said that Sanford has control over the state's chief economic engines, the Commerce Department, the Revenue Department and the State Ports Authority.

Sanford's press secretary, Joel Sawyer, said Harrell does not have his facts straight.

"The Supreme Court made clear last week that the Legislature runs things in South Carolina, not the governor," Sawyer said. "The governor has proposed a number of different initiatives and, unfortunately, they've found little support in the Legislature."

The biggest feud between Sanford and legislative leaders this year was over $700 million in federal stimulus funds, but the state's high court decided last week to force Sanford to draw down the cash.

On the issue of jobless benefits, Sanford began the exchange in May when he wrote Harrell and Senate leader Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, to ask if he should continue requesting federal loans to cover the unemployment checks.

The account to cover the benefits is broke, and the state is projected to borrow $1 billion by the end of the year. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, has been ticking upward and hit 11.5 percent in April.

Harrell argues that the increase in the unemployment rate is the reason the account is broke. He balked at Sanford's suggestion that unless the Legislature acts quickly to reform the unemployment agency, the Employment Security Commission, that a tax increase on businesses is inevitable.

Sawyer said Sanford has been pushing hard for the agency reform, only to watch it die in the House, under Harrell's watch. Sawyer also defended the governor's job creation record.