No vaccine lottery prizes in SC budget, state employee’s salaries to raise

Columbia, South Carolina – Teachers to get $1,000 bump in pay and 3% salary raise for state employees, these two things are part of the spending plan now headed to the South Carolina House floor next week.

Nearly $11 billion state budget was approved for the next fiscal year starting July 1^st on Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many projects from this year’s budget were on hold as lawmakers feared more serious economic and health scenario in South Carolina. Now the funds for those projects are included in the new budget for next fiscal year.

The proposal to offer a $1 million lottery prize to people who get a COVID-19 vaccine is the only issue the committee decided should be taken up next week by the whole House.

The vaccine lottery was not accepted by the governor last month.