South Carolina state employees would receive a 2% across-the-board pay raise under a budget proposal from the House Ways and Means Committee.
The roughly $15 billion spending plan cleared the committee Wednesday and now heads to the full House, where debate is scheduled to begin March 9.
The proposed raise would cost about $67 million annually. In recent years, lawmakers approved lump-sum raises for lower-paid workers while employees higher on the pay scale received percentage-based increases.
The proposal also includes an additional $33 million each year to support the state health insurance plan. Lawmakers say the funding would prevent premium increases for members of the plan for the 13th consecutive year.
