THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA
The House of Representatives was on furlough last week. The House will return in statewide session tomorrow.
Last week, H.4957 (Name, Image and Likeness) was passed 5-0 by a Senate Education Subcommittee. The full Senate Education Committee will take up the bill on Wednesday.
THE STATE BUDGET
The House Ways and Means Committee completed its work on the state budget on Wednesday, February 21. The specific budget recommendations impacting Clemson are as follows:
Clemson E&G
– $10.2 million in recurring funding for in state tuition mitigation
– $3.5 million in nonrecurring funding for Student Experiential Learning
– $22 million in nonrecurring funding for the College of Veterinary Medicine
Clemson PSA
– $525,000 in recurring funding for the Poultry Science Research Facility
– $2.5 million in nonrecurring funding for Statewide Program Support
– $2.5 million in nonrecurring funding for PSA Renovation, Repair and Equipment
The Committee included a base pay increase for state employees ($1,000 for FTEs $66,667 and under; 1.5% increase for FTEs over $66,667). The proviso language that allows flexibility to reward based on merit remains in the bill.
The Committee’s version of the budget includes an increase in the cost of health insurance and an increase in retirement contributions for state employees and employers. The employee portion of both will be paid by the state. The employer portion of both will have to be covered partially by the university.
The Committee also included several items from the Executive Budget of impact to the University:
– $50 million in nonrecurring funding for SC Nexus
– $3 million in nonrecurring funding for a systematic review of higher ed (sustainability, accessibility & affordability) by Education Oversight Committee
– $10 million in recurring lottery dollars for the continuation of the initiative to address the shortage of instructors in nursing schools- $210 million in recurring lottery dollars for LIFE scholarships, $63 million lottery dollars for Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, and $12 million lottery dollars for HOPE scholarships- $80 million in recurring lottery dollars for need based grants (CHE)
The budget now goes to the House of Representatives which is scheduled to debate the bill the week of March 11th.
The Senate Finance Committee continued agency budget subcommittee hearings last week.
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.
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.
NEWS AND FYI
Please follow CU at the Capitol on Twitter. Current news coverage of interest may be found here.