Clemson mourns the passing of Representative Joe Neal who died last week. Representative Neal was a strong supporter of Clemson University and Clemson PSA. We are grateful for his leadership and service. Representative Neal was a dear friend to Clemson and we join his family and the entire state in grieving this tremendous loss.
THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA The House Ways and Means Committee approved H.3726 (Retirement System Funding and Administration Act) which requires state employees to pay 9 percent of their paychecks into the state pension plan. This number is up from 8.7 percent this year. Under the current version of this bill, state agencies, including Clemson University, would contribute 13.6 percent of each employee's pay toward their retirement costs starting on July 1. That rate is now 11.6 percent and if the measure passes, it would increase to 18.6 percent over the next six years.
The House Education Committee gave approval to H.3583 (Palmetto Fellows Scholarship), a bill that would allow students eligible for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship to elect to defer enrollment in an eligible four-year institution for two academic years after graduation, without declining the award.
Representative Ralph Norman (R-York) resigned from the South Carolina House of Representatives to run for the US House of Representatives seat vacated by Congressman Mick Mulvaney, who was confirmed last week as director of the White House budget office. The special election for the 5th District Congressional Seat is set for June 20.
BUDGET The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to deliberate the state budget tomorrow.
From a state budgeting standpoint, Clemson is considered two separate state agencies: a research university that receives an educational and general (E&G) state appropriation for teaching and student support, and a land-grant Public Service and Agriculture (PSA) division that receives a state appropriation to support agriculture, forestry and natural resource Extension, research and regulatory programs.
The university also has auxiliary operations, such as athletics, student housing and dining services, which receive no state funding and must generate all of their own revenue.
Detailed information on Clemson's 2017 state legislative and budget priorities for FY 2017-18 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.
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