SC lawmakers fight to the end for their own pay raise

By Rick Brundrett | The Nerve

You won’t find it in the official South Carolina Senate Journal, but there initially were more “yes” than “no” votes cast by senators this week for a big pay hike for the 170-member General Assembly.

The journal shows that the Senate’s final tally on Wednesday to override Gov. Nikki Haley’s veto of the $12,000 yearly pay raise failed by 10 “yes” votes to 32 “no” votes. A two-thirds vote was needed to override the veto.

But when Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, who was the acting Senate president at the time, initially called for the vote just before 10 p.m., there were 22 “yes” votes for the pay raise to 18 “no” votes, with two senators not voting, The Nerve’s tally showed.

at The Nerve.