Your SC politics briefing
Good morning, and welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.
State employees who currently work for the Department of Health and Environmental Control are slated to be on the move away from their Bull Street locations.
A panel of state lawmakers, who sit on the House and Senate budget writing committees, gave the go ahead for the state to lease office space away from downtown Columbia.
Under the move, the newly formed Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, the Department Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services would move to 400 Otarre Parkway in Cayce, as the state would create one campus for all of its health-related agencies.
Developer Bill Stern, and active Republican donor, has a contract to purchase 400 Otarre Parkway and is expected to complete the transaction by the end of 2023, he told the State earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the newly formed S.C. Department of Environmental Services would establish its own campus at 1200 Colonial Life Blvd. in Columbia.
Moving away from Bull Street and leasing the two locations would cost the state $495 million over 20 years. Staying put would have cost $161 million over 20 years.
State Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, who serves as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the additional $334 million is worth the investment.
“If you believe staying in the dilapidated buildings that we have today is appropriate, you can get by with less than the optimal number of employees and put those people who are willing to work for the state in deplorable conditions, then yeah, sure, you could do that,” Bannister said. “But I believe that to recruit the kind of people we want servicing the people in the state of South Carolina, you’ve got to offer some space that’s not that way.”
(Photo by The State’s Sammy Fretwell)
Smaller surpluses for budget writers
The state’s economy continues to do well, but the growth South Carolina has seen has slowed.
State economists estimates budget writers will have about $1.57 billion of additional available revenue to allocate when putting together a spending plan in the spring.
However, only $673 million of that is money can be expected every year — so called recurring dollars that can be used for ongoing expenses such as salaries or services.
Economists were expecting a possible recession, but that has not occurred, but the growth in the economy has slowed.
“The economy is performing well, it’s performing better than expected,” said Frank Rainwater, the executive director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.
“We think there will be a slowing in consumer behavior, but nothing drastic,” Rainwater added.
However, the multi-billion surpluses of the last few years aren’t expected to be available for budget writers. So that $673 million could get eaten up rather rapidly.
Because state agency budget requests for the upcoming budget process have not been released, we’ll use numbers from the last budget process to illustrate how the new annual money could be allocated quickly.
In the spring, lawmakers approved $261 million for additional state aid to classrooms, which pays for teacher salaries and allowed for a $2,500 pay raise to every cell in the state’s minimum teacher salary schedule.
Lawmakers also approved $155 million on state employee raises, which included a $2,500 pay raise, or 5% increase, whichever was higher.
State employee health insurance costs went up $121 million to state ensure employees didn’t see a premium increase.
About $196 million more was spent on for Medicaid and Medicare “maintenance of effort” costs used to pay for increased premiums and reimbursement rates.
2024 Bites
▪ The Associated Press: Nikki Haley will launch a $10M ad campaign to try to overtake Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary
▪ Des Moines Register: With Tim Scott out of the GOP race, which candidate benefits in the Iowa Caucuses?
▪ Politico: ‘I’ve seen better run city council campaigns’: Tim Scott’s allies fume after exit
▪ Washington Post: Haley walks back declaration that all social media users must be verified
▪ New York Times: Sweeping Raids, Giant Camps and Mass Deportations: Inside Trump’s 2025 Immigration Plans
▪ The State: A new name debuts in latest SC GOP presidential power rankings, as Scott drops out of race
Buzz Bites
▪ House Speaker Murrell Smith announced Monday he formed a new standing committee to study artificial intelligence (A.I.), cybercrime, and cybersecurity in South Carolina. The committee was formed “in recognition of the increasing significance of A.I. technology and the need to ensure the protection and welfare of South Carolina citizens in an evolving technological landscape,” according to a news release.
“The rapid growth of A.I. and emerging technologies presents both incredible opportunities and significant challenges,” Committee Chairman Jeff Bradley said in a news release.
▪ Upstate Republican Congressman William Timmons has a primary challenger, and it’s S.C. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Adam Morgan, Politico reports.
▪ You thought two guys in the State House named Joe Bustos was confusing, well the North Charleston City Council has three men named Michael A. Brown, the Post and Courier reports.
▪ The South Carolina High School League adopted a multiplier rule to inflate schools’ student populations, in some cases raise them a level or two in classification for athletics, in high schools who have students from outside of their areas. The rule is meant to help alleviate competitive balance concerns. Now the question remains will this satisfy state lawmakers who have been studying this issue.
(Photo by Sam Wolfe for The State)
Mark your calendar
Nov. 18
S.C. Democratic Party Spratt Issues Conference featuring New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at Wofford College in Spartanburg
South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips speak at Blue Jamboree in Charleston
Nov. 23
Thanksgiving
Nov. 25
Clemson vs. University of South Carolina football game at Williams-Brice Stadium
Nov. 27
Nikki Haley holds town hall in Bluffton
Nov. 27-29
Judicial Merit Selection Commission hearings
Nov. 30
Ad Hoc House Committee on High School Athletics
Dec. 6
Fourth GOP presidential debate in Alabama
Dec. 7-10
First in the South Republican Action Conference in Myrtle Beach
Dec. 14
House Ethics Committee
Jan. 2, 2024
Senate District 19 special election
Jan. 9, 2024
State legislative session begins
Jan. 15, 2024
Iowa GOP Caucus
Jan. 23, 2024
New Hampshire Primary
Feb. 3, 2024
S.C. Democratic Party Presidential Primary
Feb. 6, 2024
Nevada Presidential Primary
Feb. 8, 2024
Nevada GOP Caucus
Feb. 24, 2024
S.C. GOP Presidential Primary
(Photo by The State’s Tracy Glantz)
Before we adjourn
If you were trying to get away from presidential politics Sunday night, you probably know how unsuccessful that effort turned out to be.
South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who entered the presidential race with a $22 million war chest surprised political observers with his bombshell announcement during an interview with Trey Gowdy on Fox News.
Scott dropped out catching most of his campaign staff and Gowdy off guard.
Shortly before Scott’s interview with Gowdy, his campaign even sent out a fundraising email, giving supporters “one last chance” to contribute over the weekend. The email then included links to donate to help keep campaign “momentum going.”
Scott used his war chest to introduce himself to Iowa voters, but he never caught fire in the polls.
“I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘not now Tim,’” Scott said to a clearly surprised Gowdy. “I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no,’ but I do think they’re saying not now. So I’m going to respect the voters and I’m going to hold on and keep working hard and look forward to another opportunity.”
Scott outlasted former Vice President Mike Pence and former Congressman Will Hurd in the race, among others.
Because Scott campaigned as long as he did, he did get an impersonator on Saturday Night Live. We’ll see if Devon Walker will have another opportunity play Scott again.
(Photo by The State’s Joshua Boucher)
Pulling the newsletter together this week was Joseph Bustos, a reporter on The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with him on Twitter and send him tips on Twitter at @JoeBReporter or by email at jbustos@thestate.com.
To stay on top of South Carolina politics and election news, you can chat with us on Facebook, email us tips and follow our stories at scpolitics.com.
This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 3:25 PM.
