SC law hides hefty pension payments from public

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — More than 170 people get pensions over $100,000 in South Carolina. But a state law prevents citizens from knowing who is living well off taxpayer money in their retirement.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports (http://bit.ly/ABITSs ) that a state law passed in 2008 exempted the information from the state’s Freedom of Information Act.

The information is public in other states, and has helped expose sweetheart deals that boost pensions and workers who are getting paid huge salaries from one agency while getting a big pension from another. In South Carolina, at least 22,000 workers getting a state pension have returned to public jobs.

Supporters of making the information private say they wanted to protect the privacy of retirees and keep those making significant money from getting unwanted solicitations.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com