McMaster reveals 21 vetoes to $13B 2024-25 state budget

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Gov. Henry McMaster announced Wednesday he will make 21 line-item vetoes to South Carolina’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 state budget.

Before listing the vetoes, he praised his collaboration and “successful partnership” with state lawmakers who this year included a historic 292 proposals from McMaster’s executive budget totaling $2.4 billion, an increase over the 126 items included two years ago.

“Everywhere we look, South Carolina is growing. More and more people are visiting our state – with many deciding to stay for good. Employers are creating new jobs, entrepreneurs are opening new businesses, and companies are deciding to relocate here,” he said. “Through collaboration, cooperation, and communication, our successful partnership has produced resounding win after win for the people and prosperity of South Carolina.”

McMaster also praised the state’s economy, which he said is “booming” and created a record budget surplus of more than $2.8 billion in unexpected revenue.

Click here to read the governor’s full veto message.

Some of his vetoes were more procedural. For example, the first he listed struck down a proviso designed to authorize school districts to implement competency-based education. But a new law providing that authorization went into effect in May of this year and the proviso was no longer necessary.

He struck down four earmarks because he said the entities or organizations designed to receive the earmarked funds have not registered as charities with the Secretary of State, has an expired charity status or has not submitted an accurate annual financial report.

But he said other vetoes, however, were necessary because they were not appropriate. One such veto involved a proviso authorizing school districts to provide activity school buses to community nonprofit organizations for non-educational purposes, something he said was was “not an appropriate use of school district resources” and could raise “legal, ethical or liability issues.”

State lawmakers approved the budget late last month that includes money to speed up cuts to the state’s highest income tax rate and to raise teachers’ starting salaries to a minimum of $47,000.

Budget writers also said they’re fully funding two major university projects: South Carolina’s first veterinary school at Clemson and the new medical school campus at the University of South Carolina.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are also set to be spent on bridge repairs, rural water and sewer improvements and local road maintenance.

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