Gov. McMaster Delivered State of the State Address

On Wednesday night, Governor Henry McMaster presented his annual State of the State address in Columbia. He began by honoring law enforcement and first responders who have fallen in the line of duty, including Easley Police Officer Matthew Hare.

He expressed condolences to their families and gratitude for their service. He praised South Carolina’s economic and population growth, attributing it to record tourism and a surplus in the state budget.

He highlighted business investments and job growth in the Upstate, including the expansion of Laurens County’s ZF Transmissions and Spartanburg County’s Milo’s Tea Company. He expressed concern about the potential threat labor unions pose to the state’s future prosperity and announced his intention to increase the starting salary for teachers to $50,000 by 2026.

In his executive budget, he proposed additional funding for school resource officers statewide and allocated funds for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to hire more agents.