THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA There are nine days remaining in this legislative session. THE STATE BUDGET PROCESS The Senate completed its work on the state budget on Thursday night, April 23. The Senate version is largely unchanged from the Senate Finance Committee’s budget. The specific recommendations impacting Clemson are as follows: Education & General $6 million recurring for SC FIRST/tuition mitigation (House recommended $6 million) (this effectively “locks” in this amount for tuition mitigation) $4 million recurring for Clemson University National Security Institute (House recommended $1 million) $3.4 million recurring for College of Veterinary Medicine operating funds (House did not recommend funding) $500,000 recurring for the Clemson University Energy Center (House did not recommend funding) $1.8 million nonrecurring for Public Safety (House recommended $1.8 million) (this effectively “locks” in this amount) $7.5 million nonrecurring for NextGen Computing Complex (House recommended $10 million) Public Service and Agriculture $750,000 recurring for Protecting South Carolina’s Food Sources and Bolstering Agricultural Services (House did not recommend funding) $2 million recurring for Infrastructure and Safety Upgrades (House did not recommend funding) $5 million nonrecurring for Infrastructure and Safety Upgrades (House recommended $2.5 million nonrecurring) The Senate included several items from the Executive Budget of impact to the University: $3.5 million in recurring lottery dollars for College Transition program scholarships (like ClemsonLIFE) $10 million in recurring lottery dollars for the continuation of the initiative to address the shortage of instructors in nursing schools $18 million in recurring lottery dollars for Meeting Street Scholarships (House recommended $15 million) The Senate included a base pay increase of 2% for state employees. This is the same in the House version so this increase is effectively “locked”. The Senate’s version of the budget includes an increase in the cost of health insurance for state employees. The employee portion will be partially paid by the state. The budget now returns to the House at which time the House will consider the Senate amendments and offer additional amendments. Traditionally, the budget goes to a conference committee where three House Members and three Senators negotiate details of the final budget. 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. 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 Please follow ClemsonGovAff on Twitter. |
State Legislative Updates
April 27, 2026
