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by WES CLIMER
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When the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature violated the state Constitution by attempting to increase its own pay during the current term, it affirmed a bedrock principle of American Constitutional governance: the People, by way of elections, are the check and balance on legislators voting to give themselves more of the People’s money.
The case stemmed from a provision tucked into last year’s state budget – an 80 percent pay raise for members of the General Assembly. Members are currently paid $10,400 in annual salary plus $1,000 per month in in-district expense compensation. The budget proviso would increase the in-district expense amount from $1,000 to $2,500 per month.
The General Assembly passed the budget in May, Governor McMaster signed it into law in June, and the pay raise would have begun in July.
Accordingly, the raise violates Article III, Section 19 of South Carolina’s Constitution, which states, “…no General Assembly shall have the power to increase the per diem of its own members…”
This means that anytime the Legislature votes to give itself more of the People’s money in the form of a pay raise, the raise can only take effect after the next election. The People get to decide whether their legislators deserve that raise or whether they’d rather give it to somebody else who offers to serve.
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I challenged the raise in court because I believe that how we govern matters every bit as much as what we enact. Our Founders designed a system of government that has served us extraordinarily well. Honoring and defending it is the right decision.
The Court agreed.
In a unanimous decision, the justices struck down the pay raise and reaffirmed limitations on the General Assembly’s power to appropriate the People’s money. The opinion stated plainly what should have been obvious from the beginning: that legislative compensation “shall not be increased during the term for which [a member] is elected.” That language is not ambiguous, and it does not leave room for workaround.
It is worth pausing to reflect on why this matters beyond the dollars and cents. The integrity of public institutions depends on restraint – on elected officials choosing to follow the rules, even when they have the votes to bypass the rules. When that restraint breaks down, public trust erodes. And without trust, the system cannot function.
The Supreme Court’s ruling was a victory not just for the taxpayers, but for transparency and good governance. I hope it marks a turning point – one where we reaffirm that public service is not about personal benefit, but about stewardship, humility, and fidelity to the oath we swore to “… preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States. So Help me God.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Wes Climer represents the citizens of Senate District 15 in the S.C. General Assembly. He resides in Rock Hill with his wife and five children.
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2 comments
Good work Wes! Now can we get Legislative staffers added to the protection of the state’s whistleblower statute? Seems REALLY ODD that they are excluded from its scope….. if I didn’t know any better I would say it almost seems like the Legislature wanted to be able to maintain its ability to professionally blackmail and ruin someone serving in their branch of government (and maybe even drive them to suicide???) if they wanted to expose corruption by a legislative member or committee.
One more step but there still is no trust by most of us. Quite frankly giving away billions of dollars every year isn’t helping our trust either. We are not the legislative ATM