THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA There are 6 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.
House Education Committee Chairperson Rita Allison (R-Spartanburg) has established a Higher Education Governance Ad Hoc Committee. Members of the Committee are Representatives Bill Taylor (R-Aiken) (Chairman), Jeff Bradley (R-Beaufort), Robert Brown (D-Charleston), Gary Clary (Clemson '70) (R-Pickens), Raye Felder (R-York), Wayne George (D-Marion), Jeff Johnson (R-Horry), Harold Mitchell (D-Spartanburg), and Don Wells (R-Aiken). The Committee's first meeting, an organizational session, will be held on Wednesday, May 27.
The State Budget Process The South Carolina Senate continued deliberations on the Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) bill (H.3702). The Senate will continue their work on the Capital Reserve Fund bill this week. Currently, the CRF includes the following:
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 Memorial Day Recess The House and Senate are out of session this week due to the Memorial Day recess. They will both return on Monday, June 1st.
Senate HELP Committee Creates Working Groups to Focus on HEA Reauthorization The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced the creation of four working groups for committee members and staff that will address four major sets of issues facing lawmakers as they begin rewriting the Higher Education Act (HEA). The bipartisan working groups will focus on accreditation, accountability, college affordability and financial aid, and campus sexual assault. They plan to start their work soon and wrap up by July.
Patent Reform Legislation Markup Postponed The House and Senate Judiciary Committees have postponed consideration of their respective versions of patent legislation until after the Memorial Day recess. The Higher Education community has been working together on this issue and following both bills closely - the Innovation Act in the House (H.R. 9) and the PATENT Act (S. 1137) in the Senate.
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