I hope you’re doing well.
Last week, the General Assembly passed the 2026–27 state budget and sent it to Gov. McMaster.
Getting to this point was not easy. The House and Senate had real disagreements over portions of the budget. But rather than allow those disagreements to hold up tax relief, teacher pay raises, road funding, public safety investments and other important priorities, we stayed at the table, worked through our differences and found a responsible path forward.
Most importantly, this budget provides $422 million in new tax relief, that includes:
$325 million in income tax relief, reducing the top state income tax rate from 6% to 5.21%, as part of a responsible, phased approach that continues moving South Carolina toward ultimately eliminating the state income tax over time
$81 million for the Homestead Exemption, increasing the amount of a home’s value that eligible seniors can exempt from property taxes to $75,000, helping lower their property tax bills.
$16 million in additional tax credits and exemptions
The budget raises South Carolina’s minimum starting teacher salary to $50,500 and adds another $2,000 to the teacher minimum salary schedule, helping our state recruit strong educators and keep experienced teachers in the classroom, it also provides:
$75 million for rural and charter school capital needs
$38.3 million for K–12 instructional materials
$30 million for school buses
$20 million for school safety grants
$23.2 million for the Education Scholarship Trust Fund program
The budget provides $344 million for roads and bridges through SCDOT and County Transportation Committees.
This funding will help repair pavement, improve bridges, address congestion and move needed projects forward across the state.
The budget fully funds state law enforcement step pay increases, helping agencies recruit and retain experienced officers.
It also provides $24.5 million to expand the Palmetto 800 statewide first responder communications system, strengthening the network law enforcement, firefighters and emergency personnel rely on to communicate during emergencies.
The budget supports essential health and human services and includes:
$207 million for Health and Human Services funding requirements
$46 million for Home and Community-Based Services
$50.7 million to improve mental health and developmental disability services
$34 million for DSS to meet new federal SNAP matching requirements
I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish and will continue working to make sure South Carolina remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and build a future.
Have a good week. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Rep. Lee Hewitt