House appointments
Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives Murrell Smith (R-Sumter) has made his leadership and committee membership appointments. Of particular note for independent higher education:
- Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville) will chair the Ways and Means Committee.
- Rep. Shannon Erickson (R-Beaufort) will chair the Education Committee.
- Speaker Smith appointed the following representatives to the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee:
- Nathan Ballentine, Chair, (R-Richland)
- Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg)
- Bill Taylor (R-Aiken)
Board of Economic Advisors projections
Once again, the S.C. Board of Economic Advisors is predicting billions of additional revenue available to the state for the upcoming fiscal years.
The budget builders in the S.C. House and Senate will have an additional $2.7 billion in non-recurring funding to spend on “one-shot” projects and initiatives. There will also be an additional $750 million that is “recurring,” meaning once it’s allocated it will continue to be received in future years.
Speaker Smith has expressed an interest in reviewing existing state programs and initiatives and making sure they’re sufficiently funded, rather than spending the money on new projects.
