| THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA |
| The House and Senate met in perfunctory session on Tuesday, January 27. Governor Henry McMaster delivered his final State of the State address on Wednesday evening, January 28. The prepared text of the Governor’s remarks may be found here. The House Education Higher Education Subcommittee heard testimony on H.4739 (Institutions of Higher Learning Campus Safety) on Thursday and reported the bill favorably to the full House Education Committee. Clemson University Associate Vice President for Public Safety Kimberly Spears-McNatt testified before the subcommittee. |
| THE STATE BUDGET PROCESS |
| The House Ways and Means Committee (where the appropriations bill originates) continued agency budget subcommittee hearings last week and will continue this process through January. On Tuesday, January 27, President Jones, along with Dr. Matt Holt, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (CAFLS) presented the budget requests for Clemson PSA to the Economic Development and Natural Resources Subcommittee. House Ways and Means Subcommittees that will hear Clemson’s budget requests: Higher Education Subcommittee: Chairman Nathan Ballentine (R-Lexington) Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg) Representative Bill Taylor (R-Aiken) Economic Development and Natural Resources Subcommittee: Chairman Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston) Representative David Weeks (D-Sumter) Representative Kevin Hardee (R-Horry) 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 direct state funding and are considered self-supporting divisions of the University. Clemson’s state legislative and budget priorities for FY 2026-27: Education & General (Recurring/Nonrecurring) Tuition Mitigation – $24.5M Clemson University National Security Institute – $20M Clemson University Energy Center – $5M Public Safety – $2M Public Safety – $1.7M NextGen Computing Complex – $60M Maintenance, Replacement and Renewal Projects – $25M Science Lab Building Construction – $35M Clemson Center for Human Genetics – $20M Public Service Activities (Recurring/Nonrecurring) Natural Resource Utilization and Planning Institute (NRUPI) – $3M Protecting South Carolina’s Food Sources and Bolstering Agricultural Services – $2.6M PSA Critical Infrastructure Needs – $4M Strengthening Statewide Cooperative Extension Programming – $800K Critical Infrastructure and Enhanced Biosecurity and Safety Upgrades – $18M |
| BILLS OF INTEREST |
| The Clemson University Governmental Affairs office is monitoring several bills that have a potential impact on Clemson. A complete listing of these bills may be found here: VIEW BILLS. |
| NEWS & FYI |
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