Legislature to Return to Work on Budget

South Carolina's regular legislative session is ending, but the Legislature will return later this month to finish work on the state budget.

The session that began Jan. 10 officially ends at 5 p.m. Thursday.

But legislators have yet to agree to a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. A six-member panel of House and Senate members will return next week to work on a compromise between the chambers' roughly $8 billion spending proposals.

The Legislature has set May 23-25 as a special session to take up the budget and potential compromises on other bills passed by both chambers, but with differences.

Beyond the budget, other bills already sent to legislative panels for negotiation include those restricting mopeds and putting crime victim services in the attorney general's office.