By. Rep. Jackie Hayes
The House of Representatives approved and sent the Senate H. 5150, the General Appropriation Bill, and H. 5151, the joint resolution making appropriations from the Capital Reserve Fund, which together comprise the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 State Government Budget. The $14 billion budget includes $10.3 billion in state general funds. The budget’s $3.4 billion in nonrecurring funds includes $1.9 billion in surplus funds estimated for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, $1 billion in the Contingency Reserve Fund, and $184 million in Capital Reserve Funds.
$619 million is devoted to the income tax relief initiative approved by the House in H. 4880.
$73 million in recurring funds is provided for a 3 percent state employee salary increase.
$46 million in nonrecurring funds is used for paying each state employee a one-time bonus of $1,500.
In K-12 public education, the budget provides $4,834 average per pupil in State Aid to Classrooms.
The budget provides for a $4,000 teacher pay increase across all salary levels. This allows the state’s starting salary for teachers to increase from $36,000 to $40,000.
Full funding is provided in Education Lottery funds for the LIFE, HOPE, and Palmetto Fellows higher education scholarship programs.
The Higher Education Tuition Grant Commission is allocated $20 million in lottery funds.
CHE receives $4.1 million in lottery funds for college transition program scholarships for students with disabilities.
The Tech Board is afforded $7 million in lottery funds for high demand job skill training equipment.
$2 million in capital reserve funds is allocated to the Ready SC Program which provides worker training at the state’s technical colleges that is customized to the needs of new and expanding business and industry.
$400,000 is used to create the SC Institute on the Prevention of Sexual Violence on College Campuses.
The Capital Reserve Fund is devoted to capital needs at the state’s colleges, universities, and technical schools with most of the $184 million in these nonrecurring funds allocated among the institutions for repairs, renovations, and maintenance of various facilities.
The Rural Infrastructure Authority is afforded $1.5 million in recurring funds for planning and technical assistance for small and rural utilities.
The State Ports Authority receives $127 million in nonrecurring state funds and $223 million in nonrecurring Savannah River Site settlement funds for a naval base intermodal facility and inner harbor container barge infrastructure that allows for more efficient movement of rail cargo to and from port facilities.
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism receives $15 million in nonrecurring funds for destination specific tourism marketing grants, $4 million in nonrecurring funds for regional tourism advertising, $1.7 million for SC Association of Tourism Regions, and $19 million in nonrecurring funds for state park enhancements.
The Department of Natural Resources is afforded $68.3 million in nonrecurring funds for land conservation.
SC State PSA receives $2 million for expansion of emerging agribusiness programs and $2 million in nonrecurring funds for the SC Limnology Research Center.
$61.5 million in nonrecurring funds is allocated to DHHS for a comprehensive behavioral health capacity enhancement initiative.
The Department of Mental Health is afforded $34.9 million for veterans nursing homes and $1.4 million in recurring funds for the sexually violent predator treatment program.
$20 million is provided for a facility to care for juveniles with severe mental health conditions.
The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is afforded $22 million to replace all equipment for the state and regional Emergency Search and Rescue Task Force teams and the Urban Search and Rescue Division. $850,000 in Emergency Medical Technician tuition assistance to allow two years of free tuition for 850 new EMTs.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is afforded $10.2 million for veteran transition homes and $10 million in nonrecurring funds for the Military Enhancement Fund to better position the state’s military bases under federal base-reduction initiatives.
The Election Commission receives $2.8 million in recurring funds for the election integrity and compliance auditor program and $1.3 million in recurring funds for election security funding.
$12.5 million in recurring funds is included for full funding of the Local Government Fund that is consistent with the revised approach for sending revenue to political subdivisions established in Act 84 of 2019. $2 million is provided for a rural stabilization fund to aid those local governments that will be negatively impacted, due to the 2020 Census, under the local government funding formula.
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If you have a comment or opinion concerning the issues discussed in this report, or if I may be of assistance to you at any time, please feel free to call your legislative office in Columbia (803-734-3099); Bus. (843-841-3679).
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the House of Representatives.