The Devastating Cost of SC’s Budget Cuts
Dear friends,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to share the outcome of our recent call to action. Despite the incredible efforts of our agency and our supporters, Governor McMaster has signed a final budget that eliminates all earmarked funding for First Light’s Child Advocacy Center (CAC).
This decision is devastating.
It results in the loss of at least $80,000—and potentially as much as $140,000—depending on decisions by our grantors. This represents 7% to 10% of our total annual budget. These were not abstract funds. They directly supported free counseling for survivors, forensic interviews for child victims, and emergency services for those affected by abuse and violence. This loss comes on top of already unstable federal VOCA and VAWA funding, which together fund more than 60% of our agency’s budget.
As a direct result of these cuts, First Light will be forced to eliminate its counseling services.
The $80,000 withheld by lawmakers could have sustained our counseling program for at least eight months. It could have funded more than 1,000 free, trauma-informed therapy sessions. Instead, the very counseling offered to all 1,622 of our clients last year will no longer be available through our organization. We will continue to refer clients to trusted, trauma-trained professionals in our community—but now, survivors and their families will bear the financial burden of healing from a crime committed against them.
Our decision was not made lightly. Nor was the Legislature’s made in ignorance. Lawmakers were warned — repeatedly —about the consequences. And they chose to eliminate the funding anyway, citing “fiscal responsibility” and “transparency.” Let’s be clear: the $80,000 withheld from child survivors in Anderson and Oconee Counties amounts to 0.002% of the state’s $14 billion budget.
Governor McMaster’s letter celebrating the elimination of earmarks in this year’s budget claims:
“Without sufficient context, description, justification, and other relevant information... the public cannot evaluate an appropriation’s merit... the public has a right to know exactly how their money is being spent.”
I agree. So let’s be honest about how our money is being spent.
Instead of funding services for child abuse victims — which the state mandates — our lawmakers chose to fund themselves. In less than a minute of floor time, Senator Shane Martin proposed increasing “in-district compensation” for each legislator from $1,000 to $2,500. The cost to taxpayers? $3 million.
Compare that to the total ask from the SC Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (SCNCAC) to sustain all CACs statewide at last year’s levels: $1.58 million.
That $3 million is an appropriation without a mandate. Meanwhile, the Child Abuse Response Protocol Act is a mandate without an appropriation. Our lawmakers gave themselves a blank check while stripping funding from the children’s services they mandated.
Even House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister said of the raise:
“The anticipation is you will spend that on your constituents…. If you do not spend the money on your constituents, that’s on you.”
This is especially galling when you consider that each CAC must complete a lengthy report at the end of each grant cycle detailing their spending. SCNCAC then publishes those results in a funding report for the public to see. This is true transparency.
And yet, Governor McMaster plans to issue an executive order controlling discretionary spending by agencies like DSS, potentially cutting off what little flexible funding CACs might still receive. In the name of “transparency,” agencies are being hamstrung—but lawmakers get to enrich themselves unchecked.
Let’s be absolutely clear:
CACs statewide have lost their earmarked funding.
Governmental agencies are losing their discretion to help.
Lawmakers gave themselves raises.
And they may have violated the state constitution doing it.
To their credit, a few lawmakers have rejected the additional funds or plan to distribute them through competitive grants. But that does not undo the damage. Every single legislator knew what was at stake. They received briefings from the SCNCAC and even hosted a CAC Day at the Statehouse, highlighting the importance of our work. They heard directly from local CACs. They heard from you, their constituents, who called, wrote, and pleaded for funding.
They chose to ignore us.
And in the most bitter twist of all, one of South Carolina’s own representatives, RJ May, has now been indicted on charges of distributing child pornography. His alleged victims may well receive services at a CAC. Services that the majority of his colleagues voted to defund.
To say I am disgusted would be a gross understatement.
As a native South Carolinian, a career public servant, and a lifelong advocate for children, this decision offends me deeply. The selfishness and shortsightedness on display make it clear: our lawmakers failed to listen to the people they serve.
Some have suggested that this funding may be available again next year. But those people fail to grasp the cost of this year’s loss. It took decades to build the infrastructure, trust, and capacity of our programs. And it will take years to repair what they have knowingly destroyed in a single budget cycle.
Legislators are meant to serve their communities. They are part-time public servants, not full-time, self-funded bureaucrats. And yet, with their new raise, their total compensation will exceed the minimum salary they set for our teachers in the same budget.
Despite everything, First Light will not abandon the survivors who depend on us.
We are exploring every option — grant reallocation, emergency fundraising, and community partnerships — but we cannot do this alone. If First Light is to continue delivering the legally mandated, accredited care that over 1,600 people depend on each year, we need immediate and sustained community support.
As I said in my last letter, this responsibility should not fall to you. But it does now. Because our lawmakers refused to do their jobs.
So today, I ask you to do what they did not. Prioritize our children.
Here’s how you can help:
Donate! Every contribution helps us bridge the gap.
Advocate! Contact your state and federal legislators. Demand funding for CACs. Fight for VOCA and VAWA support.
Raise awareness! Share this message. Help others understand what our community has lost, what’s still at stake, and how they can help.
To everyone who stood with us: thank you. Your voices matter. Though this battle is lost, the fight is far from over.
We are still here.
We are still fighting.
And we still believe in a future where all survivors are seen, heard, and supported.
With resolve and appreciation,
Chelsey Hucker