Month: June 2016

THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA

State primary elections are tomorrow, June 14 and the General Election is November 1. The entire South Carolina General Assembly is up for re-election this year.

On Thursday, June 9, Governor Nikki Haley Clemson ’94 issued her vetoes for H.5001 (The State Appropriations Bill)and H.5002 (The Capital Reserve Fund).

Only one of these vetoes, Veto 3 in H.5002 (The Capital Reserve Fund), impacts Clemson University.

Veto 3 – Clemson PSA – T. Ed Garrison Arena Education/Conference Center – $1 million
The T. Ed Garrison Arena is an exceptional event venue for livestock and equine events that draw participants and spectators from throughout the Southeast and increases the national reputation of South Carolina’s cattle, equine and other agriculture-based industries. The proposed center and facility improvements will enable Clemson to recruit more regional and national events to the arena and provide an excellent meeting and instructional facility and exhibition space that is not currently available in the upstate. The facility will also allow Clemson to expand its ability to provide educational youth events for 4-H and FFA.  

The House of Representatives is scheduled to return to Columbia to take up gubernatorial budget vetoes on Wednesday, June 15. The Senate will return on Thursday, June 16.

H.4521 (Tucker Hipps Transparency Act) was signed into law by Governor Haley on Thursday, June 9. This legislation requires South Carolina colleges and universities to post online student organization conduct violations by fraternities and sororities involving alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, physical assault or hazing. No students’ names or personal identifying information will be included in the online reports.

S.1258 (Transportation Infrastructure) was signed into law by Governor Haley. The bill includes a 10-year $4.5 billion dollar transportation plan for major highways and bridges along with SCDOT governance changes. These changes allow the governor to appoint all highway commissioners with the advice and consent of the Legislature, allow the board elect a transportation secretary, and limit commissioners to two four-year terms. From a funding perspective, the bill includes new recurring dollars from DMV fees and fines as well as the vehicle sales tax.

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The Clemson Advocates website is constantly updated with news and information.

To view the FEDERAL UPDATE for June 13, 2016 click here.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week
Both Chambers will be in session this week and return today. The Senate will convene at 4:00pm. The House will meet at 12:00pm for morning hour and at 2:00pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Advances in the Senate
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education (LHHS-ED) funding bill by a vote of 29-1.

The bill would fund the National Institutes of Health at $34.084 billion, a $2 billion (6.2%) increase from FY2016 enacted. Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII and Title VIII programs would be funded at $527 million, a $35 million (7.1%) increase from FY2016. The Senate FY17 LHHS-ED appropriations bill funds Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $324 million, a $10 million (-2.9%) cut from FY2016.

Under the bill, the maximum Pell Grant for FY2017 would be $5,935, a $120 increase from FY2016.  In addition, the Senate LHHS-ED bill reinstates year-round Pell Grants. The reinstated year-round Pell program is modeled after the program included in S.1062, the “Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act,“ which does not have a minimum credit requirement or acceleration clause for eligibility.

Reinstating year-round Pell in FY2017 would cost $1.2 billion ($950 million in discretionary funding and $250 million in mandatory funding).  Funding year-round Pell would not require a rescission from the Pell surplus, it simply would increase the cost of the Pell program and deplete the surplus more quickly.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work Study, TRIO, and GEARUP are all level funded.

The LHHS-ED bill language and the report may be found here.

Senate Consideration of FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
On Friday, June 10, the Senate voted to invoke cloture and limit debate on the NDAA. Senators have filed over 500 amendments.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for June 13, 2016.

THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Primaries are set for June 14 and the General Election is November 1. The entire South Carolina General Assembly is up for re-election this year.

In accordance with state law, the South Carolina General Assembly adjourned sine diat 5 o’clock pm on Thursday, June 2.

S.1336 (The Sine Die Resolution) which was adopted by both the House and the Senate enables the General Assembly to return after sine die adjournment 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 15-22.

Since this is the second year of a two year session, bills that did not pass this session will not be carried over to the 2017 legislative session.

H.4521 (Tucker Hipps Transparency Act) was amended by the Senate and returned to the House for concurrence in the Senate amendments.  The legislation passed both the House and Senate unanimously and has been enrolled for ratification. This legislation would require South Carolina colleges and universities to post online student organization conduct violations by fraternities and sororities involving alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, physical assault or hazing. No students’ names or personal identifying information would be included in the online reports.

S.1177 (Licensure of Architects) was signed by the Governor and enacted into law. This legislation amends the architects practice act to allow Clemson University to offer the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure program to students who are interested in an alternative to the traditional path currently required by law. Clemson University is one of 14 universities in the country selected by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards for this inaugural national program.

S.1258 (Transportation Infrastructure) has been sent to the Governor after passage by both houses. The bill includes a 10-year $4.5 billion dollar transportation plan for major highways and bridges along with SCDOT governance changes. These changes would allow the governor to appoint all highway commissioners with the advice and consent of the Legislature, allow the board elect a transportation secretary, and limit commissioners to two four-year terms. From a funding perspective, the bill includes new recurring dollars from DMV fees and fines as well as the vehicle sales tax.

The South Carolina Farm Aid Advisory Board’s
first meeting was held June 2, 2016.

The Farm Aid legislation established an advisory board to advise the South Carolina Department of Agriculture in the administration of grant awards for farmers who suffered significant crop losses as a result of the heavy rains South Carolina experienced during the fall of 2015.

Members of the advisory committee include:
Martin Eubanks (ex-officio) – South Carolina Department of Agriculture
Meredith Cleland – South Carolina Department of Revenue
Dr. Kathy Coleman – Clemson University
Dr. Delbert Foster – South Carolina State University
Neal Baxley – South Carolina Farm Bureau representative
Kelly Wiseman – ArborOne Farm Credit
Matthew Flemming – Midland Agency Insurance
Walter Dantzler – agricultural commodities representative.

The State Budget Process
The budget conference report was adopted by the House and Senate and ratified on June 2. The budget has been sent to the Governor who has until Wednesday, June 8 to issue vetoes. For appropriations bills, the Governor has line item veto power.

The General Assembly will take up any gubernatorial vetoes associated with the budget when they return to Columbia June 15-22.

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.

“Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The Clemson Advocates website is constantly updated with news and information.

To view the FEDERAL UPDATE for June 6, 2016 click here.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

Floor Activities 
The Senate reconvenes today at 2:00 PM and is scheduled to be in session through Friday, June 10. This week the Senate is expected to begin consideration of S.2943-The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.

The House reconvenes tomorrow at 2:00 PM and is expected to consider measures under suspension of the rules. The House is scheduled to be in session through Friday, June 10.

Committee Activities
Tuesday, June 7:
Senate Appropriations
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Markup: Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017

House Veterans’ Affairs
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing: VA and Academic Affiliations: Who Benefits?

Thursday, June 9:
House Education and the Workforce Full Committee Hearing: The Administration’s Overtime Rule and Its Consequences for Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses

Senate Appropriations
Full Committee Markup: Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for June 6, 2016.