Proviso Subcommittee adopts packets, approves amendments including $5 million for teacher loan refinancing and grant forgiveness for a senior center

The Proviso Subcommittee met to review and adopt departmental proviso packets and to consider multiple amendments affecting education, health and aging programs.

Representative Whitmire moved to pull two public-education provisos and then led passage of the remainder of the public education packet by voice vote. Members then adopted packets for higher education, health care, criminal justice, transportation and constitutional matters after brief presentations by each panel member.

Several substantive amendments were adopted. Representative Whitmire said the amendment to proviso 1a.0.6 "strikes item 3 under section c" to remove a requirement that the teacher loan program provide audited financial statements because, she said, "the financial statements have been submitted and are no longer required." The committee approved that language.

On interpreter support, Representative Hewitt described the "sign language interpretive incentive act," saying the amendment directs the department to establish "a tiered system of bonuses and salary supplements for interpreters, based on increased scores of the educational interpreter performance assessment." Members approved the measure by voice vote.

Representative Whitmire also moved an amendment restoring language to allow the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation to create two programs aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers and to make "up to $5,000,000" available to assist in refinancing student loan debt to support those efforts; the amendment passed.

In higher education business, Representative Ballantine said certain proviso language was deleted because the Technical College System has already expended the funds the proviso would have governed; the deletions were approved.

Chairman Moss presented amendment HC1 (Department of Aging), a request to forgive a grant or loan originally awarded in 2013 to a senior center in Paclett. Moss outlined the history of the award, stating that the contractor "embezzled the money," was "indicted and found guilty and sent to prison," and that a judge at the time did not order restitution; the committee approved forgiveness by voice vote.

Representative Hewitt introduced HC2 to preserve prenatal region designations by the Department of Public Health after the sunsetting of a referenced authority, arguing that without defined regions "it jeopardizes the safety of women and high risk infants." That amendment passed.

Representative Stavrinakis described two education-related budget adjustments: a contingency to reclaim state Sea Grant funds if federal support materializes, and an amendment to let Clemson use USDA inspection fees for eradication efforts that explicitly adds the yellow-legged hornet to the list of target pests. The committee adopted those changes.

Representative Lowe moved an exception to allow a second funded school resource officer for schools that begin at kindergarten, continue through eighth grade and enroll 1,500 or more students; the amendment passed by voice vote.

Representative Cobb Hunter moved an amendment directing funds from the "JEWL" settlement to the Department of Public Health for youth-focused tobacco prevention programs. The amendment passed and Representative Stavrinakis asked to be recorded as abstaining.

Finally, the committee granted staff authority to make technical conforming changes to proviso language and funding allocations; the meeting was adjourned.

Votes at a glance: most packet adoptions and amendments were approved by voice vote; the record includes at least one recorded abstention on the JEWL settlement allocation. Details about roll-call tallies were not provided in the transcript.

Next steps: pulled amendments (for example HE 3) were noted for further work and will return to full committee.