South Carolina H 3648: Budget Transparency Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3648 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3648

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE 
"BUDGET TRANSPARENCY ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 11-11-60, SECTION 6-1-2020, AND 
SECTION 30-4-170 SO AS TO REQUIRE CERTAIN PUBLIC BODIES TO MAKE AVAILABLE 
CERTAIN SALARY INFORMATION WITH EITHER THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION OR ON 
ITS OWN WEBSITE.

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

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Budget Transparency Act."

SECTION 2. Article 1, Chapter 11, Title 11 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
11-11-60. When making a budget request to the Senate Finance Committee, the 
House Ways and Means Committee, or for the Governor's executive budget, each 
state agency must include in the request the need and purpose of any 
appropriations that the agency wishes to continue receiving, and the need and 
the purpose of any new appropriations. The state agency must post the full 
request on its website.

SECTION 3. Article 9, Chapter 1, Title 6 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
6-1-2020. (A) The local governing 
body of each county, municipality, and school district in this State shall make 
available on its website:

 (1)(a) contract information for its 
elected officials and executive staff;

 (b) the 
agenda for an upcoming meeting at least three days in advance of the meeting;

 (c) a 
detailed list of public employee compensation as required by Chapter 4, Title 
30;

 (d) all 
budgets, audits, and financial reports;

 (e) a 
detailed list of all taxes and fees imposed by the political subdivision;

 (f) a 
searchable database with the political subdivision's sources of revenue and 
expenditures;

 (2) any 
meeting records from meetings of the local governmental body, such as documents 
that were circulated during the meeting, approved meeting minutes from the 
previous meeting, and the preliminary minutes from the current meeting. Each 
meeting minutes must include the results and record of any votes taken of each 
individual member regardless of whether the vote was only a voice vote.

 (B) Within 
twenty-four hours after the conclusion of a meeting of the local governing body 
of a county, municipality, or school district, any records from the meeting, 
such as documents that were circulated during the meeting, must be made 
available and archived on the local governing body's website.

SECTION 4. Chapter 4, Title 30 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
30-4-170. If a public body employs persons receiving compensation for which a 
public body must disclose the amount but the public body is not required to 
report such to the Department of Administration, the public body must either 
report such salaries to the Department of Administration quarterly, or post 
such salaries to its own website quarterly.

SECTION 5. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 12, 2024 at 04:54 PM