THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA There are 3 legislative days left in the session. By law, the General Assembly must adjourn on the first Thursday in June, sine die. The Sine Die Resolution (H.4274) was adopted in the Senate and returned to the House. This resolution enables the General Assembly to return after sine die adjournment on June 4 to work on the state budget, conference committee reports, and other items agreed on by both bodies. The dates for the General Assembly's return are June 16-18.
Since this is the first year of a two year session, bills that did not pass this session will retain their current status and be carried over to the 2016 legislative session.
The Higher Education Governance Ad Hoc Committee held an organizational meeting last week. The Committee will continue their work in the fall.
S.261 (Tuition for Persons Sixty and Over) has been passed by the House and Senate and is now enrolled for ratification. This legislation amends 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 The House of Representatives amended the state budget (H.3701) and returned it to the Senate which voted to non-concur in the House amendments. A Conference Committee will be appointed to negotiate the differences in the two versions.
The House Ways and Means Committee will meet this afternoon to take up H.4230, the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which deals with the appropriation of the additional funds recently certified by the Board of Economic Advisors.
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 month, 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 Congress Returns Both the House and Senate will be in session this week after last week's Memorial Day recess.
Senator Graham's Big Announcement Senator Lindsey Graham announced this morning in downtown Central, SC that he is seeking the 2016 GOP nomination for President of the United States.
Patent Reform The Senate Judiciary Committee will markup the PATENT Act (S.1137) this Thursday. The House Judiciary Committee has not yet announced further action on the Innovation Act (H.R. 9). The Higher Education community has been working together on this issue and following both bills closely.
This Week's Higher Education Hearings: - Tuesday, June 2: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Justice Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "First Amendment Protections On Public College And University Campuses." - Wednesday, June 3: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Ensuring College Affordability."
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