THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA The Budget Process
It is expected that the General Assembly will come back into session the week of July 6 to take up any gubernatorial vetoes. They General Assembly may be called back into session earlier if gubernatorial vetoes require immediate action. We will update you accordingly once vetoes have been issued. Detailed information on Clemson's 2015 state legislative and budget priorities for FY 2015-16 may be found at these links:
Also last week, the General Assembly amended the Sine Die Resolution (H.4274) to allow for a debate on legislation that would move the Confederate flag from the State House grounds. Bills have been introduced in the House (H.4366) and Senate (S.897) to address moving the flag.
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 The United States House and Senate are on recess this week for the July 4 holiday. Both houses reconvene on Tuesday, July 7.
House and Senate LHHS-ED Appropriations Action This week, the House and Senate Appropriations committees passed their respective Fiscal Year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-Ed) appropriations bills. The House and Senate bill would increase funding for NIH by $1.1 billion and $2 billion, respectively. For Pell grants, the House and Senate bills would maintain the $22.5 billion in discretionary spending, and would increase the maximum award to $5,915. However, the bills would take money from the Pell surplus ($370 million in the House and $300 million in the Senate).
Both bills also contain a number of policy riders to block administrative actions of the Department of Education including the development of a college ratings system, implementation of the gainful employment rule, as well as state authorization, credit hour, and teacher preparation regulations.
Department of Education Shifts Plans on College Ratings The Department of Education announced yesterday that it is shifting from plans for a college rating system. Instead, the Department plans to provide data to "compare college costs and outcomes." In a blog post on the Department's website, Deputy Under Secretary and Acting Assistant Secondary for Postsecondary Education, Jamienne Studley, noted broad plans to provide data that have not been published before to help students and families make informed decisions.
House Legislative Action on Patents, H.R. 9, the Innovation Act In anticipation of potential legislative action on the House Floor on H.R. 9, the Innovation Act, the Higher Ed community has joined forces with Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and a number of other organizations released a statement expressing continued opposition to the legislation. The latest reports are that the legislation could be on the House Floor as early as the week of July 13th.
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