Latest news with #StateTreasurer'sOffice
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
S.C. senator attempt to stop state lawmaker pay increase
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – A legal battle is underway over state lawmakers giving themselves more money. One senator said the way it was done is unconstitutional, but the lawmaker who pushed for the increase the state's new budget, lawmakers voted to more than double their in-district compensation, increasing it from around $1,000 a month to $2,500 a month. The move was led by Republican Senator Matt Leber (R – Charleston), who said it's not a pay raise but a reimbursement to help public servants cover travel and district costs. Leber sponsored a bill that had the same language and said he will try to pass the bill in January. He said lawmakers have not gotten a raise in in-district expense since 1994, and they need to adjust for inflation. Therefore, he said it's not a salary raise. 'If we don't make this at least affordable for the everyday person to run for office, then we're not going to get the everyday person to run for office,' Leber said. 'It's just going to be elites up there running everything, and they love this argument. ' Not everyone agrees on the decision. '$1,000 a month arrives in legislators bank accounts via direct deposit. There are no receipts required to submit for reimbursement. It's just $1,000 deposit into the account. Legislators are free to expend those funds however they deem appropriate,' said Senator Wes Climer (R – York). The increase was passed as an amendment to the budget and Climer said it wasn't the right way to do it. 'Regardless of how you feel about a legislative pay raise, this is the wrong way to do it. Violate the principle that the legislature cannot take the people's money and appropriate it to themselves in real time,' Climer added.'The proviso method is there for us to use more difficult for the current crop of legislators to continue to work. I felt like it was right to go for it now. ' Climer is now suing the State Treasurer's Office, and said the South Carolina Constitution bans lawmakers from increasing their own compensation before an election. He and retired Senator, Dick Harpootlian, have asked the South Carolina Supreme Court to step in, arguing the vote violates the state constitution. 'We are standing here and have filed the suit in order to protect or to defend the constitutional safeguards against the general assembly,' Climer added. Governor Henry McMaster chimed in on the issue last week. 'They are the ones that are trying to pay those expenses. In good faith, if they use that money for the in-district expenses as they're supposed to, then if that amount is legitimate, then that's a proper law,' McMaster said. The South Carolina Supreme Court has issued a scheduling order requiring the state to respond to the injunction request by next Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Waxhaw college student murdered after Columbia home break-in
COLUMBIA, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Authorities say a college student from Waxhaw was murdered after a suspect allegedly broke into a Columbia home she was visiting early Sunday morning. At a press conference Monday, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said 22-year-old Logan Federico was found dead at a home on Cypress Street around 11:15 a.m. Sunday after a report of a stolen vehicle. The autopsy report concluded she was shot in the chest, and there were no other signs of physical trauma. Elderly person found dead after fire at Union County home; one person escapes through window: Sheriff's Office Holbrook said Federico was visiting friends who lived in the home, and she was 'not the intended target.' during the crime that occurred at 3 a.m. On Sunday afternoon, authorities from several jurisdictions arrested 30-year-old Alexander Dickey at a home in Lexington County. After allegedly committing the murder in Columbia, the suspect then fled in a stolen vehicle, and made a string of purchases using stolen credit cards. The Lexington County sheriff reported that law enforcement tracked him to a home in the Gaston community, south of Columbia. He says Dickey broke into the house, and when authorities began giving him commands, it was set on fire. After the arrest, Dickey was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. Dickey was charged with: Murder First-degree burglary, Possession of a weapon by felon, Grand larceny, Grand larceny of motor vehicle, Financial card theft Holbrook called Dickey a career criminal. 'He's a true convict; he deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life,' he said. Dickey was denied bond for the burglary and arson charges out of Lexington County. Federico's father Stephen said she was in school to become a teacher, and was working two jobs. He said that he was her hero. Thousands of South Carolinians could receive a check from the State Treasurer's Office this month. Here's why 'That day, I could not be her hero,' he said, fighting back tears. 'My daughter, I cherished. She was a strong, fun-loving individual she did what she wanted to do, and was spicy.' Holbrook says there's still work to be done on this case, emphasizing there were 10 total victims, between the murder, thefts and fraud allegations. 'I cannot say how proud I am of this time of the team that's worked this case. No question, had they not pursued this with such vigor, we would not be standing here today. A truly remarkable effort.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of South Carolinians could recieve a check from the State Treasurer's Office this month. Here's why
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — More than 3,800 checks will be mailed out to people in South Carolina in the coming weeks as the State Treasurer's Office works to return hundreds of thousands of dollars in unclaimed property. The office has launched a new initiative called 'Palmetto Payback,' which matches qualified unclaimed property to its owner and automatically generates checks without needing to file a claim. The first wave of payments, totaling more than $600,000, is expected to hit mailboxes in the coming days, according to the treasurer's office. 'We want to make it easier for South Carolinians to get their forgotten funds back, putting money directly into their hands,' said Treasurer Curtis Loftis. 'This is about efficiency, accuracy, and ultimately, about serving the people of our state.' The Treasurer's Office, which acts as custodian of the funds until the rightful owners come forward, estimates that one in seven people in South Carolina have unclaimed property, averaging about $500. The office currently has over $950 million available to claim. The Treasurer's Office, which acts as custodian of the funds until the rightful owners come forward, currently has over $950 million available to claim. Student loan default collections resume: What you need to know Businesses transfer millions of dollars to the unclaimed property program each year when the owner of the funds cannot be located. The funds can come from dormant bank accounts, stock certificates, uncashed checks, unclaimed insurance proceeds, and forgotten utility deposits, for example. 'While we are excited to automatically return funds to thousands of South Carolinians, not all unclaimed property can be validated through this special initiative,' Loftis said. All South Carolinians — including those who receive automatic checks — are encouraged to check the treasurer's website to see if missing money might be waiting for them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers look to pass funding for first responders in final days of regular session
DENVER (KDVR) — The clock is ticking at the Colorado Capitol as state lawmakers look to close loose ends before the regular session ends on Wednesday. Before they leave, they are trying to make sure first responders get some funding. State lawmakers are moving forward with two measures they have been working to fund since the start of the session. DOJ sues Colorado, Denver for so-called 'sanctuary laws' 'While I'm really happy about this piece, and I'm excited to be sponsoring this bill, I know there is still a lot of work to do,' said State Senator Lisa Cutter, relieved lawmakers were able to reach a compromise on a bill that initially was slated to help boost the state's wildfire workforce amid uncertainty surrounding cuts from the federal government and a loss of revenue for districts following property tax reform at the state level last year. 'When we knew this other bill wasn't going to make it, we were able to pivot and include this. We wanted to do some other things, quite frankly, this year to address the funding. An enterprise and some other things were kicked around, and it just didn't come to fruition. We didn't have enough time to really fully build those out. So this was a great solution so again, I'm really grateful we were able to do this, and we'll bring more,' Cutter said. The compromise will ultimately allow fire districts to apply for a revolving, interest-free loan fund from the State Treasurer's Office. $50 million worth of funding will be available for districts that apply for it. Lawmakers also had to find some funding for law enforcement. 'Proposition 130 was on last year's ballot and it passed. Basically, it set aside $350 million for recruitment, training, retention for local law enforcement officers was part of it. Another part of it was a million-dollar death benefit if someone is killed in the line fo duty, which we thought was a big part of passing it,' said Michael Fields of Advance Colorado. Lawmakers will not be allocating that $350 million all at once. Instead, the state will phase it in at around $35 million per year over 10 years through a bill that implements the passed proposition. Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV 'This implementation bill does take too long. It can take 10 years for this money to get out. But voters did vote for it, legislators are coming in and implementing policy to make sure that it does get out the door. I know there's complaints about not only this year's budget, but future budgets coming up. But it's important when people vote for something, when they expect something to happen- that it happens,' Fields said. Both of these bills still need to complete the legislative process by next Wednesday in order to make it to the governor's desk. Lawmakers will be working long and odd hours to get it all done. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Treasurer Pack brings unclaimed property check to Bridgeport Police Department
BRIDGEPORT, (WBOY) — West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack stopped in Harrison County on Thursday, where he delivered an unclaimed property check to the Bridgeport Police Department worth $10,812. According to Pack, one of the sections of unclaimed property includes gun auctions that are held by the State Treasurer's Office to help local police departments. 'Basically, get rid of the guns that they have. Sell the guns at auction, so they can get the money back to be able to use for their budget,' said Pack. 'So we go through a real long process with the local police departments after the crime's been adjudicated, after all the case and everything is done.' Pack stated that this process includes checking serial numbers, as well as ensuring that the guns work and that no modifications have been made. There are two on-site auctions that are held each year in Charleston, where federal gun dealers are able to come in and purchase the firearms. According to Pack, the State Treasurer's Office recently began implementing online auctions to expand its reach. 'With the advantage of online auctions is the gun dealers are from a larger part of the country,' he added. 'They don't have to have the [expenses] to come in, so it's all about returning money back to local police departments.' WVDOT website updated with maintenance project info Pack told 12 News that this year, his office is returning about $500,000 to police departments all across the state. The money that was presented to the Bridgeport Police Department on Thursday is from a state auction held on March 27. The March gun auction raised more than $132,000, which was divided up among 18 law enforcement agencies across the state. 'They need the money, their budgets our always stretched,' Pack added. 'So it's a really good thing that we can help them with and we're blessed to be able to do it, and anything we can do to help our local police departments is a good day.' Packed also said that the State Treasurer's Office currently has about $400 million in unclaimed property for the state of West Virginia. This unclaimed property includes funds that belong to businesses, non-profits, and individuals. 'It may be an old savings account you forgot about,' said Pack. 'It's also coupons, it's gift cards, it's insurance policies, it's refunds from hospitals. The money comes to us from a lot of different ways–our job is to find the rightful owners.' This year, Pack stated that his office has already returned about $40 million to West Virginians around the state. He said that even if you think you don't have any, it's important to check the State Treasurer's Office Unclaimed Property website, because he and his wife recently received about $300 from various places due to being CPAs (Certified Public Accountants). Once you go to the website, Pack stated that you can enter your name and home address. After doing that, the State Treasurer's Office will review your form and send something back to you via mail to let you know whether or not you have unclaimed property in the state of West Virginia. 'Just a lot of different ways money can come to you. We wanna get it back to the rightful owners,' Pack added. 'It's a program we worked really really hard on and love to be able to get more folks to do it.' There's no statute of limitation on unclaimed property, according to Pack, so the money just remains in the State Treasurer's Office if it never gets claimed. 'If there's something out there 100 years ago that your great-grandma had…if you can prove ownership, we'll give it to you,' he added. 'It's always good to be in Harrison County, it's great to be able to help Bridgeport Police Department,' Pack said. He also encouraged people to check the WV Treasurer's website for any additional information and resources. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
