Interested in following the SC House budget debate? Here’s how to watch, who to watch for
South Carolina House members are set to start debating a spending plan for the 2022-23 budget year Monday. It was during this same budgeting process last year that the state wound up adopting a controversial measure to prevent face mask mandates in schools. What will happen during this year’s budget debates?
If you’re planning on watching, here are some tips to follow along.
How big is the spending plan?
House budget writers have proposed a $13.9 billion spending plan, which includes a 3% raise for state employees and an increase to state starting pay for teachers to $40,000 from $36,000.
The spending plan also would distribute the $4.6 billion in new revenue the state has to spend and the $525 million from the Savannah River Site settlement. Budget writers already took more than $600 million off of the revenue figures to account for a proposed income tax cut.
Who to watch
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, has led the budget writing process in committee.
Speaker Jay Lucas and Speaker Pro Tempore Tommy Pope will have to rule on objections when members propose amendments and whether they are relevant to the budget.
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg is the first vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee. She is a long-time advocate of giving raises and bonuses to state employees.
What’s a proviso?
Lawmakers can propose one-year provisions to attach to the budget. Sometimes, this is how programs get started, such as the state’s 4-year-old kindergarten program.
It’s also how state Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, added two provisions attempting to ban mask mandates in public schools and colleges last year, when most thought the COVID-19 pandemic was coming to an end.
Both of those provisions eventually were thrown out by a court, allowing school districts to mandate masks if they wanted.
Provisos in the budget have to be related to state spending.
What to watch for
Some lawmakers have been calling for a suspension in the state gas tax to help motorists cope with high gas prices. So lawmakers may want to push a proviso in an effort for relief at the gas pump.
How to watch
The budget debate begins at 1 p.m. Monday and will be streamed on the legislative website: www.scstatehouse.gov.
