S.C. Code § 8-11-960
After the General Assembly appropriates amounts for base pay increases, performance pay, and bonus payments, the board shall determine the maximum amount available to each agency and the rules which apply if the merit increases proposed by the agency do not fit the norm.
The board's Division of Human Resource Management shall perform sample or detailed audits, or both, as necessary, to insure agency compliance with the General Assembly's intent for a fair and equitable distribution of performance pay and bonus pay. The Director of Human Resource Management shall submit to the board and the General Assembly an analysis of the audits, together with the analysis of prevailing state and private sector salaries, wages, and benefits required pursuant to Section 8-11-930.
S.C. Code § 8-11-960