THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA There are 9 legislative days left in the session. By law, the General Assembly must adjourn on June 4 but may return to finish work on the budget or other items agreed on by both bodies.
S.261 (Tuition for Persons Sixty and Over) was reported out of the House Education Committee. This legislation would amend provisions for free tuition for students who are sixty years old and older by deleting the requirement that eligible persons must not be employed full-time by the institution.
The State Budget Process
Clemson E&G: - $3,467,650 in nonrecurring funding for Critical Maintenance Needs
Clemson PSA: - $1,500,000 in nonrecurring funding for Ag & Natural Resources Field Facilities
As we reported last week, the section of the Capital Reserve fund bill that contained the bond bill was ruled out of order. The Senate Finance Committee subsequently amended S.657 to include the bond bill language and reported it out of committee. Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) placed an objection on the bill.
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 FY 2016 Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) - Education Appropriations In the coming weeks, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education plans to release its FY 2016 appropriations bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. When the draft bill is released, it will mark the first time the subcommittee has done so since FY 2013. In the past, this spending measure has been very controversial, partly due to the policy riders attached to the bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not indicated whether it will release a Labor-HHS-Education bill this year.
College Affordability and Innovation Act Reintroduced Last Friday, Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) reintroduced the College Affordability and Innovation Act. The legislation would tie institutions' federal funding to demonstrated ability to meet affordability and outcomes goals by supplementing or withholding funding to institutions based on new accountability measures. In addition to implementing evaluations on college affordability, the bill also creates 1) a new evidence-based pilot program to encourage innovation and 2) a new commission to recommend minimum accountability standards for all institutions that receive Title IV dollars.
This Week's Hearings: - Wednesday, May 20: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Exploring Institutional Risk-sharing."
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