SC law enforcement, nurses, mental health professionals in line for pay raises in House budget
A year after the state approved pay raises for South Carolina law enforcement officers, local law enforcement agencies responded by hiking their pay, too, forcing House budget writers to look at pay again this year.
Part of the House Ways and Means budget proposal scheduled to be debated Monday is increased pay for state law enforcement officers, as well as for nurses and mental health professionals.
The Department of Administration recommended increasing starting pay for Class 1 law enforcement officers to at least $50,000 a year, starting pay for corrections officers at minimum security prisons to $41,000 and Department of Juvenile Justice officers to $40,500.
“This is the lowest salary point that will allow state agencies to effectively compete for officers,” the Department of Administration said in a law enforcement salary report issued in February.
Some agencies will see even higher starting salaries for their Class 1 officers, who have arrest powers.
▪ South Carolina Law Enforcement Division — $58,000
▪ South Carolina Department or Revenue — $58,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Corrections — $58,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Social Services — $56,000
▪ Criminal Justice Academy — $55,500
▪ South Carolina Department of Public Safety — $55,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — $53,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control — $50,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice — $50,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services — $50,000
▪ South Carolina Department of Mental Health — $49,000 (non-certified); $50,000 (certified)
Current law enforcement officers or corrections officers will either be brought to new minimum or receive a percentage raise, whichever is greater. Law enforcement officers are in line for a 2% raise; corrections officers are in line for a 2.5% raise.
Last year, the state increased law enforcement pay, but other law enforcement agencies around the state have responded with increasing salaries too.
“Several major competitors raised or intend to raise their salaries to match or exceed those recommended in February 2022,” the Department of Administration wrote.
If signed into law, the state will pay about $28.3 million more to law enforcement officers and $19.7 million for corrections and DJJ officers.
“I was very happy to hear that law enforcement said they have made good strides trying to hire new people after the raises from last year, and I think we’re going to be even better after this,” said state Rep. Phillip Lowe, R-Florence, who chairs a Ways and Means panel overseeing law enforcement spending.
Pay bumps also have been proposed for state employees who work in positions the state has struggled to fill: nurses and mental health professionals.
The Department of Administration found that South Carolina doesn’t have a lack of nurses to fill state agency positions.
South Carolina’s average pay for nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing assistants also was lower than the nearby states of Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
So the Department of Administration recommended spending an additional $34 million, or about 5% more, for nurses who work for the Department of Corrections, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Department of Health and Environmental Control, Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Mental Health and the Vocational Rehabilitation Department.
When it comes to mental health professionals, pay is also a major barrier to filling open state positions, according to the Department of Administration. The state on average is paying less than the private sector and nearby states of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. So the Department of Administration recommended spending $17 million more on their pay, which is roughly a 2.5% increase.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 10:45 AM.
