South Carolina lawmakers haven't been paid after one of their own sued over raise

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- South Carolina legislators have not been getting paid for months since a state senator sued over the first raise in the General Assembly's compensation in three decades. The issue involves what lawmakers call “in-district compensation” which is money set aside for legislative duties but has few limits on how it can be spent. A line in the budget, passed by both chambers, increased that compensation from $1,000 a month to $2,500 a month for all 46 senators and 124 House members starting July 1. Republican state Sen. Wes Climer sued the state in June, saying the South Carolina constitution bans legislators from immediately increasing their pay. Instead, any raise has to wait until the next election. As it sorts through the lawsuit, the South Carolina Supreme Court handed d