SC Senate weighs pay increase amid debate over timing and fairness

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina lawmakers are considering a pay raise that would more than double their current compensation, reigniting a long-running debate over whether legislators should increase their own pay.

Supporters of the proposal say the increase is long overdue and merely adjusts for inflation after decades without a raise. Critics argue lawmakers should not approve higher pay for themselves, particularly before an election.

Legislative pay in South Carolina is divided into three parts: base salary, monthly in‑district expenses for work conducted at home, and mileage reimbursement for travel to Columbia.

Sen. Shane Martin, R‑Spartanburg, said lawmakers have not received a raise since the 1990s and that rising costs have made public service increasingly difficult for those without independent wealth.

“We know what we make, but expenses have gotten so high,” Martin said. “I was trying to keep everybody whole and also make it so we can have good people running for office that aren’t rich, retired or retained.”

Under current law, legislators earn a $10,400 annual salary plus $1,000 a month for in‑district expenses, totaling $22,400 a year before mileage reimbursements.

The proposed bill would increase the salary to $15,000 annually and raise monthly in‑district expenses to roughly $2,700, bringing total compensation to about $47,500 a year.

Martin said the figure was calculated by adjusting 1995 pay levels for inflation.

“I was only thinking about inflation and what the dollars were in 1995 and adjusting them to now,” Martin said. “That’s how we got to $47,500. It isn’t a number I picked out or pulled out of thin air.”

Lawmakers have attempted to raise their pay before. In the most recent effort, Sen. Wes Climer, R‑York, sued to block the increase. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the raise unconstitutional, finding lawmakers improperly tied it to the state budget and passed it ahead of an election year.

The current proposal is structured differently and would not take effect until January 2027.

Climer still opposes the raise but said if it passes, senators should delay their own increase until after the next election cycle in 2029. While the House faces reelection this year, the Senate does not.

“A more appropriate course of action would be for senators not to raise their own pay before they stand before the people again for re‑election,” Climer said.

The bill could reach the Senate floor as soon as this week, though lawmakers are expected to devote most of their time to negotiations over the state budget. It remains unclear when a vote could take place.

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