THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA This week marks the General Assembly's May 1 crossover deadline for legislation to be sent to the opposite chamber from which it was introduced.
S.391 (In-State Tuition for Non-Resident Veterans) was passed out of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education Committee and is now on the House calendar. If enacted, the legislation would enable SC colleges and universities to be in compliance with the Federal Veterans Choice Act of 2014.
The State Budget Process The South Carolina Senate Finance Committee completed their work on the state budget on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The budget now goes to the full Senate. The Senate is scheduled to begin debate on the budget on May 4.
The Senate Finance version of the budget contains the following specifically for Clemson University:
Clemson E&G - $1.7 million in recurring funding for Clemson's partnership with the Greenwood Genetic Center (House funded $1.5 million) - $750,000 in recurring funding for the Deep Orange project at CU-ICAR (House funded $750,000) - $3.47 million in nonrecurring funding for Critical Maintenance Needs (House funded $0)
Clemson PSA - $500,000 in recurring funding for Agribusiness and Emerging Farmers (House funded $500,000) - $750,000 in recurring funding for Vegetable and Fruit Production (House funded $500,000) - $500,000 in recurring funding for 4-H Youth Leadership Programs (House funded $500,000) - $1.5 million in nonrecurring funding for Ag & Natural Resources Field Facilities (House funded $0)
The Committee also adopted a Bond Bill for capital projects and funded the following projects specific to Clemson:
- $16.85 million in one-time funding for a new Business and Behavioral Sciences Building - $3.15 million in one-time funding for the Garrison Arena Education and Instruction Facility Also included in the Senate Finance version of the budget is a provision for the state to cover an increase in the cost of health insurance for state employees
The budget now goes to the full South Carolina Senate for consideration. The Senate is scheduled to take up the budget the week of May 4.
Detailed information on Clemson's 2015 state legislative and budget priorities for FY 2015-16 may be found at these links:
BILLS OF INTEREST The Clemson University Governmental Affairs office is monitoring several bills that have potential impact on Clemson. A complete listing of these bills may be found here. Click on the bill number for a description of the legislation, along with the bill's current status.
CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 On April 22, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a day-long markup and ultimately approved the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R.1806). The legislation passed on a party line vote of 19 to 16. It is possible this legislation will come to the floor of the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. During the markup, the Committee considered and debated nearly 30 amendments out of 34 amendments offered.
H.R. 1806 would reauthorize for FY16 and FY17 programs in the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy Office of Science, ARPA-E, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as STEM education programs.
The Senate has yet to begin work on its version of the reauthorization legislation. However, following the morning session, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Senator John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, issued a joint statement expressing their intention to work together in reauthorizing COMPETES this year.
This Week's Hearings: - Wednesday, April 29: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education will hold a hearing at 8:30 a.m. featuring public and outside witnesses to testify on the FY 2016 appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. - Thursday, April 30: The House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training will hold a hearing at 10:00 a.m. titled "Improving College Access and Completion for Low-Income and First-Generation Students."
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