June 25, 2024
Last week the Budget Conference Committee approved a $3M increase in funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission.
On Friday afternoon, a small committee of State Legislators from both the House and Senate reached an agreement on the 2024-2025 State Budget. Their report includes a $3M dollar increase in Statewide Arts Funding for the implementation of six Regional Arts Hubs throughout the State.
In an exciting win for the Creative Sector, this recommendation fully funds the original request by the South Carolina Arts Commission and is higher than both the original House and Senate versions.
The Committee adopted:
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+ $1 million in recurring funding
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+ $2 million in non-recurring (one-time) funding
As a reminder, the House included:
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+ $600,000 in recurring funding
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+ $2 million in non-recurring (one-time) funding
while the Senate included:
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+ $1 million in recurring funding
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+ $1 in non-recurring (one-time) funding as a placeholder
The following House and Senate members were on the Conference Committee:
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Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville)
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Rep. Phillip Lowe (R-Florence County)
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Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston County)
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Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee/Spartanburg Counties)
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Sen. Sean Bennet (R-Berkeley/Charleston/Dorchester Counties)
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Sen. Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington County)
Now is the time to reach out and thank the conferees for recognizing the value of the arts in South Carolina, especially if they are your legislators.
Read of the full report here>>
*Recurring Funding appears in Part 1A, Section 28: Arts Commission, while non-recurring funding appears in Part 1B, Section 118: Statewide Revenue
What’s Next
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The full Legislature will return tomorrow to approve the Conference Committee report.
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Once the Committee’s report is adopted, it’ll then head to the Governor for his vetoes. The Governor will have 5 business days to sign off on the budget or send it back to the General Assembly with vetoes (though he may do so sooner).
- If the budget is not signed by July 1st, State Government will continue to operate under the provisions of a Continuing Resolution.
Advocates should contact your legislators and ask that they adopt the Conference Committee’s report and maintain the $3 million increase in arts funding!
