arguments are presented , the panel will determine if Sanford broke any state laws . The ethics case involves civil charges that are punishable by fines , and Sanford can appeal decisions up to the state Supreme Court . Only the state attorney general , Henry McMaster , can decide to pursue criminal charges against the governor . McMaster is reviewing the allegations to determine if any laws were broken . The new charges compound Sanford 's political problems , which have been simmering for months as investigators scrutinized his finances . State legislators already have filed an impeachment resolution against the governor for leaving the state this summer to visit his Argentine mistress without installing a proper chain of command or informing his staff . A special House subcommittee will meet in Columbia on Tuesday to formally consider the resolution for the first time . State Rep. Greg Delleney , a Republican and one of the sponsors of the impeachment resolution , said he expects the subcommittee to look over the ethics commission results during the Thanksgiving holiday and decide whether to adjust the measure to include material from the ethics complaint . Delleney said he thinks Monday 's
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The South Carolina Ethics Commission has charged Gov. Mark Sanford with 37 counts of violating state ethics laws , according to a complaint released by the commission on Monday . The complaint follows a three-month investigation into Sanford 's use of taxpayer money . Sanford is accused of using tax money to buy business-class airfare on domestic and international flights , flying on a state-owned aircraft to political gatherings or events `` which involved no official business , '' and spending campaign funds for personal use such as buying a ticket to attend President Obama 's inauguration in January . South Carolina law requires state officials to buy the lowest fares available for flights , and bars the use of state aircraft for personal use . Sanford 's office did not respond to requests for comment about the charges . The governor , once a rising star in the Republican Party before he revealed an extramarital affair in June , faces a hearing along with his legal team before a three-member ethics panel . Cathy Hazelwood , general counsel to the state Ethics Commission , said no date has been set for the hearing . After