Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, June 25, Governor Nikki Haley issued vetoes for the Appropriations Bill and the Capital Reserve Fund Bill. Five of these vetoes will impact Clemson University and Clemson PSA (Public Service Activities) if sustained by the South Carolina General Assembly. Please call your House member and your Senator and ask them to vote to override budget vetoes 15, 16, 17, 69 and veto 10 in the Capital Reserve Fund Bill. Detailed information and talking points on the impact of these vetoes may be found below. The House will begin work on vetoes today, Wednesday, June 26 at 1:00 pm. The Senate will take up vetoes on Thursday, June 27 at 11:00 am. H.3710 – General Appropriations Bill Vetoes Vetoes 15, 16 and 17 – $400,000 - Positions associated with the Advanced Plant Technology Program at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, SC Please vote to override Vetoes 15, 16 and 17, which eliminate funding for critical research and extension scientist positions associated with Clemson PSA’s Advanced Plant Technology program, which will have a statewide economic impact on the agriculture sector of South Carolina. This program will improve crop yield and quality through breeding as well as field trials to select superior varieties for SC growers will drive agriculture’s impact on economic development. Farmers rely heavily on improved varieties; ones that are disease resistant and drought tolerant, to make more profits per acre. Developing these varieties and testing them in South Carolina are key factors to moving the agriculture sector forward. Veto #69 – $10,509,883 - Facilities Funding for SC’s Public Colleges and Universities Please vote to override Veto #69 which is a one-time appropriation for Deferred Maintenance needs at South Carolina’s public colleges and universities. Clemson’s share of this appropriation is estimated to be $380,000. H.3711 – Capital Reserve Fund Veto Veto #10 – $3 million - Clemson PSA Advanced Plant Technology Lab (Capital Reserve Fund Bill) Please vote to override Veto #10, which eliminates $3 million in one-time funding for laboratory improvements at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, SC. These dollars are critical as technological advancements in the agribusiness industry are vitally important to our state’s economy. Increased crop yields and drought-resistant crop varieties will increase production which, in turn, will create more jobs for the rural farming communities of the Pee Dee and Coastal regions. | 
