Legislative Update

March 21, 2003

Budget:

On Tuesday, by a vote of 69-46, the House gave the 2003-04 Appropriations Bill third reading and sent it to the Senate. The Senate Finance Committee has tentatively scheduled the next three weeks for holding budget subcommittee meetings. As of this date, budget hearings for Clemson have not been scheduled.

Hot Bills:

H. 3448 � At-Will Employee bill �This bill was recommitted to the Senate Labor Commerce and Industry Committee and will hold its place on the Senate Calendar. It was recommitted to consider further amendments and attempt to work out compromise language.

H. 3187 � Use of Public Funds to Employ Lobbyists � the Constitutional Laws Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee adjourned debate on the bill.

Bills of Interest:

H. 3047 - Scholarships, loans, grants/Non �US Citizens- The Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education and Public Works Committee adjourned debate on the bill.

H. 3082 � Affirmative Approval of Regulations � received a favorable report with amendments in the House Judiciary Committee and is currently on the contested Calendar of the House.

H. 3206 � Campaign Finance and Ethics Reform � passed the House and was sent to the Senate where it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

H. 3208 � FOIA- Economic Development Disclosure � reported favorable by the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee and is on the Senate Calendar for second reading with objections by Senators Ryberg and Knotts.

H. 3229 � Allows an object containing the words of the Ten Commandments to be displayed on real property owned by the State along with other documents of historical significance that have formed and influenced the United States legal or governmental system- passed by the House and sent to the Senate.

H. 3244- Faculty Workloads- requires full-time undergraduate faculty of public institutions of higher learning to teach a required number of credit hours each semester.  The Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education and Public Works Committee adjourned debate on the bill.

S. 29 � Compliance/Federal Military Selective Service � received a third reading in the Senate and was sent to the House.

S. 34 � FOIA- Economic Development Disclosure � reported favorable by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on the Senate Calendar for second reading with an objection by Senator Ryberg.

S.130 � Campaign Finance and Ethics Reform � referred to a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.

S.197 � LIFE Scholarship Qualification/Tax Refunds- amended in the Senate and sent to the House Ways and Means Committee. Clemson has concerns about the amendment and will address those with the Committee.

S. 382 � Repeal TERI � Repeals the section in the SC Code of Laws that establishes the TERI program.  It would not affect those who have retired under the TERI program before the effective date of the act if the bill became law. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Five regulations updating procedures for HOPE, LIFE, and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship programs, Need-based Grants, and Lottery Tuition Assistance programs will be considered by a Senate Education Subcommittee in the next few weeks.

To view the bills that Clemson is tracking go to: www.ciclt.com/clemson. Point cursor to Legislation at the top of the page and click on Overview Page. Then select either House or Senate bills.  To review individual bills, click on the bill number.

FYI:

Last Friday, Governor Sanford said he would support raising the tax on cigarettes by up to 53 cents per pack to cover Medicaid costs in exchange for a rollback of the state income tax over time. A 53-cent increase in the per-pack tax would raise about $150 million a year. If spent on Medicaid, the federal government would match $3 for every $1 the state spends.

On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a bill on Medicaid reform that includes a plan to refinance the state�s tobacco settlement bonds and would generate $45 million for Medicaid programs next year and $36 million a year afterward. The bill did not contain measures to raise cigarette taxes by 22 cents a pack to fund Medicaid.

On Wednesday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Hugh Leatherman stated during a press conference that he supports raising the cigarette tax by as much as 53 cents to pay for Medicaid.

On Thursday, after dispensing with over 800 amendments, the full House passed H.3768, the SC Health and Human Services Reorganization and Accountability Act of 2003.  This bill, commonly referred to as the �Medicaid Reform Bill�, was given final approval with NO cigarette tax increase included.  After a routine third reading on Tuesday, the bill will be sent to the Senate.