FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2023

SENATE FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE CONCLUDES INVESTIGATION OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, the South Carolina Senate Finance Constitutional Subcommittee investigating the Comptroller General, Richard Eckstrom, issued a final report on the findings of the investigation. The Subcommittee, consisting of Senators Grooms (Ch.), McElveen, Fanning, Goldfinch, and Young, unanimously adopted the report on Tuesday.

The report details the extensive investigation and concludes:

It is the collective opinion of the Subcommittee that:

1. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom has repeatedly demonstrated his inability to perform statutory duties of the office to which he was elected;
2. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom should be relieved of his duties to his office;
3. The General Assembly begin proceedings to remove Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom from office “for willful neglect of duty or other reasonable cause, which shall not be sufficient ground of impeachment” pursuant to Title XV Section 3 of the Constitution of the State of South Carolina;
4. The responsibilities of the Office of the Comptroller General be transferred to other appropriate offices of the State;
5. The Senate Finance Committee recommend which offices of the State receive those responsibilities;
6. The General Assembly advance an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, to remove the Comptroller General as an elected office.*

Subcommittee Chairman Larry Grooms added, “When it comes to reporting the State’s finances, the buck stops with the Comptroller General. Today, this investigative subcommittee delivered the accountability that the people of South Carolina deserve. I ask the Comptroller General to resign.”

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