Legislative Update - January 14, 2011
Story Date: 1/14/2011

Legislative Update

January 14, 2011

 

THIS WEEK

Nikki Haley, a 1994 graduate of Clemson University, was inaugurated as South Carolina’s 117th governor on Wednesday. Also sworn into office were Lt. Governor Ken Ard and the state’s constitutional officers.

 

Governor Haley has made several cabinet appointments, two of which two were confirmed by the Senate this week. Those confirmed this week were Bobby Hitt as  Secretary of Commerce and Catherine Templeton as the Director of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

 

The first session of the 119th General Assembly convened on Tuesday, January 11th.

This is the first year of a two year session which means those bills introduced during this legislative session will carry over until next year as well.  Each legislative session is held from the second Tuesday in January until the first Thursday in June.

 

BUDGET

Prior to leaving office, Governor Sanford released his final Executive Budget.  The Executive budget recommends more reductions for Clemson University for FY11-12.  These cuts reduce Clemson’s education and general base budget from approximately $63 million to $54 million and Clemson’s base Public Service Activities budget from approximately $28 million to $10 million.  In addition to these monetary reductions, Governor Sanford’s budget also makes the following recommendations that would affect Clemson University:

 

Education and General:

  • Maintains funding for state scholarships
  • Recommends limiting tuition increases to the South Atlantic Higher Education Price Index inflation rate
  • Calls for a Board of Regents
  • Includes no Endowed Chairs funding

 

Public Service Activities:

  • Recommends moving forestry programs to the Forestry Commission
  • Recommends moving meat inspection to DHEC

 

Other Elements:

  • Calls for a 5% reduction in pay for state employees with salaries greater than $35,000
  • Does not fund any state employee insurance premium increase

 

 

The Budget Process

The House Ways and Means Committee (where the appropriations bill originates) will begin agency budget subcommittee hearings next week and will continue this process through January.

 

The full Ways and Means Committee met on Thursday to hear presentations by several state agencies including the SC Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education. Dr. Garry Walters, Executive Director of CHE gave an overview of higher education and stressed the need for more funding for public colleges and universities.

 

President Barker is scheduled to give his budget presentation to the Ways and Means Higher Education Subcommittee at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 19th.  The PSA budget hearing is set for February 2nd.

 

House Ways and Means Subcommittees that will hear Clemson’s budget requests

 

Higher Education Subcommittee:

Representative Chip Limehouse, Chairman

Representative B.R. Skelton

Representative Joe Neal

 

Economic Development and Natural Resources Subcommittee:

Representative Tracy Edge, Chairman

Representative Jim Battle

Representative Denny Neilson

Representative Chip Huggins

 

 

BILLS OF INTEREST

The House and Senate pre-filed bills for the 2011 Session. Several bills were introduced that would have an impact on Clemson and are listed below:

 

H.3025 – Representative Murrell Smith – A bill to establish a SC College and University Board of Regents – referred to the House Education and Public Works Committee.

 

H.3036 – Representative Boyd Brown - A bill to establish a SC College and University Board of Regents – referred to the House Education and Public Works Committee.

 

H.3051 – Representative Shannon Erickson – A Joint Resolution to provide that no state agency by regulation may increase or implement a fee for performing a service without the approval of the General Assembly and to provide exceptions– referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

 

H.3066 – Representative Garry Smith – A bill to restructure state government by creating a Department of Administration – referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

 

H.3125 – Representative Mike Pitts – a bill to move the State Veterinarian from Clemson University to the Department of Agriculture – referred to the Agriculture, Natural Resource and Environmental Affairs Committee.

 

H.3185 – Representative Harrell and others – A bill to enact the SC Higher Education Transparency Act – to require each public institution of higher education to post online a detailed transaction register of all expenditures – referred to the House Education and Public Works Committee.

 

H. 3204 – Representative Brady and Spires – A Joint Resolution to create the SC Summer Camp Study Committee to study the summer camps in the state – referred to the House Education and Public Works Committee.

 

S.14 – Senators McConnell and Davis – A bill to provide that a state agency must not increase or implement a fine or fee by regulation or administrative action and to provide exceptions – referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

S.90 – Senator Ryberg and others – A bill to close the TERI Program – referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

S.100 – Senator Grooms – A bill to enact the SC Truth in Spending  Act – referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

S.117 – Senator Bryant – A bill to requiring all institutions of higher education to maintain a detailed transaction register of all expenditures- referred to the Senate Education Committee.

 

S.134 – Senator Campsen – A bill to restructure state government – referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

S.153 – Senator Shoopman – A bill to enact the SC Truth in Spending Act – referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

S.172 – Senator Rose - A bill to requiring all institutions of higher education to maintain a detailed transaction register of all expenditures- referred to the Senate Education Committee.

 

S.205 – Senators Davis and others – A bill to provide that state agencies must have approval by the General Assembly to increase fees or fines and to provide exceptions – referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

S.238 – Senators Larry Martin and Peeler - A bill to restructure SC state government – referred to the Senate Education Committee.

 

S.252 – Senator Bright – A bill to move Clemson PSA to the SC Department of Agriculture – referred to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

 

FYI

Earlier this week, Clemson University launched a “spending transparency” website on which every expense paid by Clemson University from July 1, 2010, through the end of November - roughly 85,000 transactions - will now be available for public view.  The website — http://transpend.clemson.edu/ — also includes information about sources of funding and explanations of cost categories. The site will be updated as books for each month are closed.   

 

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 Services Activities (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. Clemson has numerous sources of revenue – some unrestricted and some legally or internally designated for specific purposes. The website includes expenses for all funding sources, not just state appropriations.

 

For a complete list of bills being tracked by the Clemson Governmental Affairs team, please visit our website (www.clemson.edu/governmentalaffairs). The Clemson Advocates website (www.ciclt.net/clemson) and our Clemson Advocates Facebook page are constantly updated with news and information for you. 

 

GO TIGERS!