Budget Also Contains Off-Shore Oil Prohibition
The S.C. General Assembly passes hundreds of bills and resolutions each year, but the most important measure enacted by the legislature is the annual State Appropriations Bill. That’s the state’s operating budget for the next fiscal year which begins on July 1. Not only does the budget provide the funding for state government to operate, it also identifies the priority needs of the state.
This week the State Senate advanced the $9 Billion budget package which contains spending increases for teachers, colleges, state workers, Medicaid services, and a new statewide voting system.
The proposed budget includes $159 Million for teacher pay raises as part of the state’s efforts to keep and hire teachers in order to improve the public school system. All teachers would receive 4 percent pay raises, some more than that, and the starting salary for a new teacher would rise to $35,000 a year.