The South Carolina Senate on Wednesday approved a pension reform plan that puts most of the changes on new employees.

Sen. Greg Ryberg said the bill shores up the state retirement system, ensuring workers receive checks decades from now, in a way that honors promises to current employees, thereby avoiding a lawsuit. Advocates for public workers have praised the Senate's plan.

"I feel confident from a legal standpoint, we're on firm ground," said Ryberg, R-Aiken, who led a panel that put together the plan...

South Carolina's current public employees would see fewer changes in their pension benefits under a Senate panel's plan than the House proposed.

A Senate subcommittee voted unanimously Thursday on its proposal for state retirement system fixes...

A legislative panel has initially approved a plan to fix South Carolina's pension system.

A House subcommittee unanimously approved the rough draft Monday. It includes increasing the number of years public employees must work to draw full retirement from 28 years to 30. Employees currently within five years of retirement would be exempt from the longer requirement...

A legislative panel has initially approved a plan to fix South Carolina's pension system.

A House subcommittee unanimously approved the rough draft Monday. It includes increasing the number of years public employees must work to draw full retirement from 28 years to 30.

The proposal would also tie retirement to age. Workers could not draw full retirement until age 62. A reduced benefit would be an option at 60...

South Carolina is joining a group of states grappling with how to handle shortfalls in their state retirement systems. The state currently faces a $17 billion gap between investments and long-term pension promises. In addition to the gap, a proposed new rule would require local municipalities to disclose this shortfall on their balance sheets which may endanger some municipal credit ratings.

Two weeks ago, the House committee tasked with finding recommendations on how to bridge the investment gap canceled its plans to discuss the issue. Republican Rep. Jim Merrill of Daniel Island, the committee chairman said that officials were weeks away from having any kind of plan in place. In the interim the state has started looking for an investment professional to act as a consultant for the $26.2 billion pension fund. The state is expected to post RFP’s online for both this position and a global custodian for the fund within the next few weeks...

Students in the Palmetto Unified School District in South Carolina have no Internet access, no PTA, no Friday night football. Their school is in a prison.

Still, they have performed well enough to earn their school district behind bars an "excellent" rating on the South Carolina Annual School Report Card the past five years.

Prisons across the nation are using education programs to reduce the rate of recidivism and to give inmates hope for their future…

SOUTH CAROLINA - Reducing the number of inmates in the Beaufort County Detention Center by clearing out "career criminals" is a laudable goal and one that Beaufort County Council should back up with money.

Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone has asked for about $187,000from the county to help pay for a special team of experienced attorneys and a victim's advocate. The team would prepare cases for trial to get these people out of the county jail and into a state prison. The total cost is an estimated $264,450 a year. Stone says he plans to go to municipalities for possible contributions. They, too, should kick in.

With a county jail designed for 250 prisoners averaging 350 prisoners a day, something must be done. These prisoners, Stone said, won't plead guilty and he doesn't want to offer themdeals. About half the jail's occupants fit Stone's description of "career criminal…