An update from the State House on the budget

July 29, 2026

The South Carolina General Assembly has not finalized the state budget. While the Conference Committee has reached a preliminary agreement on most budget items, the budget must still be approved by both the House and Senate before it can be sent to the Governor for consideration.

Based on the Conference Committee's current working documents, several fire service priorities remain included in the proposed budget. These include funding and policy provisions related to the PAL 800 radio system, SC FAST, and the firefighter cancer policy. The proposed budget also continues to include a provision recognizing the South Carolina State Firefighters' Association as part of the PAL 800 advisory process.

The remaining work centers on earmarks and capital improvement projects. Legislative leaders have indicated they will convene a committee to review those requests before making final recommendations. Numerous fire departments have submitted request for funding of fire service-related projects. Additionally, the Association has requested funding for the South Carolina Fire Heritage Center. All aforementioned requests remain under consideration, but no final decisions have been made.

The Conference Committee's working spreadsheet contains placeholder amounts for some projects. These placeholders do not represent final funding decisions, and all remaining requests are still subject to negotiation.

Additionally, a proposed budget proviso related to PFAS testing for firefighters was not approved by the Conference Committee and is not included in the current version of the budget.

The Association will continue monitoring the budget process and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.

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