COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – A South Carolina House committee has passed a bill to reinstate some increases for teachers in this year’s budget. The House Forms and Appeals Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to move the bill forward to the entire House. The project would restore the “gradual increase” increases for teachers, which amount to several hundred dollars a year given annually as teachers gain experience. Lawmakers halted increases last spring due to uncertainty about what the pandemic COVID-19 could do to the economy. Council of Manners and Means, Murrell Smith, said lawmakers were honoring commitments made late last year. The committee also moved forward with legislation to increase funding for charter schools.