Progress Report: General Assembly adopts Budget Committee Report
The General Assembly convened yesterday, August 11, to finalize action on the FY 2026–2027 General Appropriations Bill (H. 5126), bringing weeks of intense budget negotiations full circle.
Despite friction surrounding earmarks, the Senate and House formally adopted the H.5126 Conference Report. Governor Henry McMaster will have five days (excluding Sunday) from the time the bill is presented to his office to issue any line-item vetoes. It remains uncertain whether any local earmarks will be funded this fiscal year, though the General Assembly could theoretically reconvene in special session to consider a Supplemental Budget bill.
SCAA Lobbyist Ben Homeyer reports a total of $90 million in appropriations for airports in South Carolina. In addition to the State Aviation Fund, SC Aeronautics will receive the following funding:
Statewide Airport Infrastructure Improvements
- $60 million non-recurring
Airport Development Program
- $5 million recurring
- $25 million non-recurring
Earmarks (funding for earmarks is unlikely due to required full agreement on all earmarks in a theoretical Supplemental Budget Bill.)
- Greenville Downtown Airport Corporate and Individual Hangar Development Areas
- Sumter County Terminal project
- McCormick County Airport Capital Improvement
Provisos (One-year, temporary law)
- Of the funds appropriated for the Airport Development Program, no less than 75% shall be granted to commercial airports for major runway improvement projects.
- Of the funds appropriated for Statewide Airport Infrastructure Improvements, the Florence Regional Airport shall receive $8,000,000 for statewide airport infrastructure improvements. The remaining funds shall be distributed to primary commercial airports as defined by the FAA which had a minimum of 100,000 enplanements per calendar year 2023 FAA data. Funds will be distributed pro-rata based on 50% enplanements and 50% cargo with a minimum distribution per eligible airport of $2 million.