state budget

The $100 million deadlock in South Carolina's $13 billion budget erupted into public view Wednesday as the highest ranking House Democrat accused the Senate's budget leader of "putting pets over people." House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford directed the line at Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler for insisting on money for the state's first veterinary school at Clemson University. Peeler says House members have refused to meet with senators and are threatening pay raises for state employees, teachers and state law enforcement officers over the small, petty dispute. The state won't close without a budget on July 1, but no new money could be spent without passing the new spending plan.

The South Carolina House and Senate are showing no sign of getting closer to a deal on the state's $13 billion spending plan set to start July 1. The two main budget lawmakers in each chamber insisted they weren't at an impasse at Monday's meeting. The first conference committee meeting in 18 days lasted less than three minutes. Things like raises for state employees that lawmakers have already agreed to spend with an extra $1 billion can't start if the budget isn't passed before July 1. Both chambers did pass a resolution last month allowing government to remain open without a budget.

Flush with extra money to spend, South Carolina's House and Senate still haven't reached a deal on the state's $13 billion spending plan set to start July 1. While no one is talking publicly about what is causing the delay, an obvious sign of problems came Wednesday, when House Speaker Murrell Smith presided over a nearly empty House chamber. Members were supposed to meet for a session to approve the compromise.

South Carolina has a new top accountant after a 20-year officeholder resigned amid pressure over a $3.5 billion reporting error. Brian Gaines is now the state comptroller general and will oversee an office that has received mounting scrutiny from lawmakers who want to dismantle its responsibilities. The shakeup comes after former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom revealed the state's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report had exaggerated cash balances by double counting the money sent to colleges and universities.

The South Carolina Senate has unanimously approved its version of the state's $13 billion spending plan in an unusually short debate lacking the typical back-and-forth the upper chamber usually has over the budget. The plan raises the salary of nearly every state employee and will build South Carolina's first veterinary school at Clemson University. It will build a state juvenile jail, freeze in-state tuition at colleges and universities and help rural districts build schools.

March 18, 2023 — A recap of this week's sometimes contentious debates in the state House of Representatives regarding their state budget proposal and an incentive package for Scout Motors.

The debate in the South Carolina House over the state's $13.8 billion spending plan for next fiscal year didn't go as smoothly as previous years. But the conflict wasn't over how much of a raise to give state employees or teachers or how much to spend on roads and bridges. Instead, this week's fight on the 2023-24 budget is between groups of Republicans over social issues more tangential to the budget. On one side are a group of anywhere from 12 to 20 of the chamber's most conservative Republicans who call themselves the Freedom Caucus. They are taking on mainstream Republicans.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to increase 2022's record amount of capital investment and offset shortages across workforces like education and law enforcement. That's according to the governor's budget request released Friday. The proposal is just a first step. Lawmakers will now begin writing and approving a spending plan when the General Assembly reconvenes next week.

The South Carolina General Assembly has overturned many of Gov. Henry McMasters budget vetoes. But they did agree with the biggest one, taking $25 million out of the $13.8 billion spending plan to try to help bring a super computer to Columbia. The money was set aside for what supporters called a quantum computing operation and set up a nonprofit to rent time on the machine to researchers and others. Both the House and Senate continued Tuesday afternoon to consider the 73 vetoes issued by the governor, taking about $53 million from from the nearly $14 billion budget set to start July 1.

State lawmakers finalized next year’s record setting state budget this week. The spending plan now goes to the Governor.