Subcommittee advances amendment to remove elected Comptroller General post

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Election Laws voted to advance S 35, a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove the Comptroller General as an elected, constitutional office and allow the General Assembly to reassign the office’s duties.

The proposal would delete references to the Comptroller General from the State Constitution, substitute the governor in a provision that permits a group of statewide officers to notify legislative leaders that the governor cannot serve, and remove the office’s authority to levy an ad valorem tax. The amendment, as explained by staff, would let the General Assembly later determine how the Comptroller General’s duties are distributed and would permit confirmation of an appointee by the legislature.

Supporters told the subcommittee the position is largely technical and demands professional expertise, while critics said keeping the post elected preserves direct accountability to voters. Lynn Teague, vice president for issues and action for the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, said the League supports the change because the job “does require a lot of professional expertise” and that the proposal “does a very good job of sorting out how those functions should be distributed.”

Members debated accountability and the effect of replacing popular election with gubernatorial appointment plus legislative confirmation. The chair noted the office’s current constitutional origins date to an 1895-era framework and referred to a recent fiscal controversy, saying the legislature needs a structure to hold officials to account more effectively. Public commenters gave opposing perspectives: Don McDonough of Mount Pleasant said the office should remain elected to preserve a watchdog role, while Heather Hickman of Berkeley County argued that direct election best preserves “the highest accountability to the people.”

The subcommittee approved the resolution by voice and a show of hands; no numeric roll call was recorded in the transcript. Staff noted that if S 35 proceeds, implementing statutes would be needed to reassign duties and to specify any confirmation process. The chair also reminded members that a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber and a majority of voters in a subsequent general election before taking effect.

Next steps: the measure will move to the full committee process and, if adopted by the General Assembly, would be placed on the ballot for voter ratification.