As jobless funds run out, S.C. asks federal help

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford agreed yesterday to request a $146 million federal loan that will allow South Carolina residents to continue receiving unemployment checks through March.

Otherwise, the fund that makes weekly payments of $14 million to 77,000 residents would have run dry by the end of the day.

"Everybody was real scared this morning," said Herbert Curtis, 51, who has collected unemployment since being laid off by a linen service a year ago. "My boat was sinking, and he threw me a life preserver. And he didn't only throw it to me, he threw it to a lot of people."

Sanford had refused to sign the loan request because of a long-running dispute with the state agency that handles unemployment.

Sanford said yesterday he agreed to request the aid because he got his way when several lawmakers said they would ask for an audit of the Employment Security Commission. He also found a legal provision that he says allows him to force the commission to turn over more information about how it calculates unemployment rates.

"We will not punish the unemployed for this agency's incompetence," Sanford said during a news conference.

The governor routinely questions the accuracy of the agency's calculation of how many people in South Carolina are out of work. He has said he wants detailed reports on people filing claims and an explanation of how the jobless rate is calculated.

Commission Executive Director Ted Halley said collecting additional data would require him to retool his system, something he does not have the resources to do.