House lawmakers in South Carolina returned to the state budget on Thursday afternoon as the legislative session winds down, advancing a temporary provision that would boost in-district pay from $1,000 to $2,500 a month. The change amounts to an $18,000 raise for lawmakers who already receive a salary, in-district expense money for work back home and travel reimbursement to and from Columbia.
The House is expected to take up separate legislation on Friday that would raise lawmakers’ base salary and in-district expenses, after the Senate already passed similar legislation. Lawmakers are hoping to finish the pay increase before the end of the session, which is expected to wrap up next Thursday.
The budget language matters because it puts the pay question back at the center of the final days of the session. The provision is temporary, but it would give lawmakers an immediate increase in monthly in-district expenses while the broader proposal moves through the process. Supporters have said they have not seen a raise in years and argue that more money could help encourage others to run for office.
That argument has left the chamber with a practical question rather than a political one: whether members are willing to approve a raise for themselves before leaving Columbia for the year. The Senate has already signaled yes twice, first by including similar language in its budget version and then by passing the separate bill. The House now has to decide whether to follow on Friday, with the session clock already running down.
If the House approves the legislation and the budget provision holds, lawmakers will head into next Thursday with a pay increase on the table and the prospect of finishing the session having delivered it. If they do not, the effort to raise legislative pay will wait for another year.