Legislative Expense Allowance

2025-2026 Bill 779: Legislative Expense Allowance

South Carolina General Assembly

126th Session, 2025-2026

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This Bill
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R99, S779

STATUS INFORMATION

Joint Resolution

Sponsors: Senators Massey, Hutto, Zell, Devine and Adams

Document Path: SR-0466KM26.docx

Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026

Introduced in the House on January 28, 2026

Currently residing in the House

Summary: Legislative Expense Allowance

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/13/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 50
)

1/13/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 50
)

1/21/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 17
)

1/21/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

1/21/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

1/22/2026

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 4
)

1/28/2026

House

Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
without reference (
House Journal-page 403
)

1/29/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 23
)

1/29/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 24
)

1/29/2026

House

Unanimous consent for third reading on next
legislative day (
House Journal-page 26
)

1/30/2026

House

Read third time and enrolled (
House Journal-page 1
)

2/3/2026

Ratified R 99

2/5/2026

Signed By Governor

2/9/2026

Effective date 02/05/26

View the latest
legislative information
at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

01/13/2026
01/21/2026
01/28/2026

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(R99, S779)

A JOINT RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL RECEIVE A MONTHLY LEGISLATIVE EXPENSE ALLOWANCE OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ALLOCATION OF LEGISLATIVE EXPENSE ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS BETWEEN MEMBERS WHOSE SEATS WERE VACATED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 AND THE MEMBERS ELECTED TO FILL THE VACANCY; AND TO PROVIDE THAT MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHOSE SEATS WERE VACATED DUE TO THE MEMBER BEING CONVICTED OF OR PLEADING GUILTY OR NOLO CONTENDERE TO A FELONY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A LEGISLATIVE EXPENSE ALLOWANCE PAYMENT PURSUANT TO THIS JOINT RESOLUTION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Legislative expense allowance

SECTION 1. All members of the 126th South Carolina General Assembly shall receive a legislative expense allowance of one thousand dollars per month. The provisions of this section are retroactive to July 1, 2025.

Eligibility

SECTION 2. If a member of the General Assembly vacates or vacated his seat during Fiscal Year 2025-2026, then the member is entitled to receive a legislative expense allowance pursuant to SECTION 1 for only the months that the member served. A member elected in a special election to fill a vacancy is entitled to receive a legislative expense allowance for only those months during Fiscal Year 2025-2026 after he took the oath of office, including a prorated amount for the month in which he took the oath of office. A member who was convicted of, plead guilty, or plead nolo contendere to a felony during the fiscal year and prior to the effective date of this act is not entitled to receive a legislative expense allowance.

Severability

SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

Time effective

SECTION 4. This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor and is repealed on July 1, 2026.

Ratified the 3rd day of February, 2026.

Approved the 5th day of February, 2026. -- T.

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This web page was last updated on
February 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM