COLUMBIA (WACH)-The state Senate has confirmed Catherine Templeton as the head of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The Senate voted 38-3 on Tuesday to confirm Catherine Templeton's confirmation, following several days of filibuster to block the vote.
Democratic Sen. Phil Leventis of Sumter argues the labor lawyer lacks the proper qualification to run one of the state's largest agencies and that she needs to move to Columbia.
Templeton now runs the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. It has fewer than 400 employees compared to DHEC's more than 3,600.
Templeton told senators at her hearing that DHEC needs a skilled manager, not a health or environmental specialist.
She has said repeatedly that she will nott uproot her children and family from Mount Pleasant but will always be available.
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