It took longer than normal and longer than it should. Why? “Inside Baseball” between the House and the Senate. Fortunately our state and people weren’t held hostage any longer because of squabbles between the House and Senate.
$396 million in tax relief ($315 million in income tax relief and $81 million for the Homestead Exemption)
Teacher starting salary increase to over $50k
$23.2 million for the ESTF program
$75 million for rural and charter school capital funding
$20 million for school safety grants
$38.3 for K12 instructional materials
$30 million for school bus leases and purchases
Freezes in-state tuition
$250 million for capital projects at public universities and technical colleges
$95 million for SC WINS (SC Technical College System), which is tuition assistance to address workforce shortages
$15 million for readySC (SC Technical College System) for in demand job training
Fully funds state law enforcement step increases
$22 million for water and sewer projects through the Rural Infrastructure Authority and the Department of Environmental Services
$24.5 million to expand the Palmetto 800 statewide first responder communications system
$380 million for roads and bridges (CTC and DOT)
$156 million for HHS to fully fund MOE and Medicaid
$47 million for HHS Home and Community-Based Services
$47.5 million for BHDD to improve services for mental health the developmentally disabled
$34 million for DSS to meet new federal SNAP matching requirements
$80 million for land conservation and the Conservation Bank
Fully funds the major lottery scholarship programs (LIFE, HOPE, Palmetto Fellows, LTAP, Needs-Based Grants, and Tuition Grants)
Creates a pathway to get clarity and accountability from Commerce regarding their cost overruns, while simultaneously creating a path for the state to pay the contractors.