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Subcommittee adopts CHE cleanup bill and amendment clarifying Children’s Education Endowment allocations
Summary
The Higher Education Subcommittee unanimously adopted a 39‑page cleanup bill for the Commission on Higher Education and an amendment clarifying how a $12 million allocation from the Children’s Education Endowment is treated for tuition grants projections; both the amendment and the bill were reported favorably, 8‑0.
Chair Tim McGinnis described the CHE cleanup bill as an exercise to remove obsolete statutory language and improve clarity about the agency’s mission. Jeff Perez, president of the Commission on Higher Education (CHE), said the agency compiled a 39‑page list of archaic references and obsolete chapters across the code and that the bill deletes statutes that have been superseded or programs discontinued decades ago.
The committee then considered an amendment focused on the tuition grants calculation. Zachary Christian, deputy director of the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission, testified that ambiguous statutory cross‑references caused the Commission on Higher Education to inflate projections for funds that should pass through the Children’s Education Endowment to the Tuition Grants Commission. Christian said the amendment (adjusting sections 59‑1‑43‑10 and 59‑1‑43‑30) clarifies that the calculation should base the independent college share on a $12,000,000 pass‑through from the Children’s Education Endowment, which will improve the Tuition Grants Commission’s projections and reduce unsustainable carry‑forwards.
Members confirmed the clarification had been discussed in Ways and Means. The subcommittee adopted the amendment by roll call (8‑0) and then voted to report the cleanup bill as amended, also by an 8‑0 vote. Perez said the cleanup helps CHE define its statutory duties and improves accountability; Christian said the amendment gives his agency clearer guidance for budgeting and when to request additional funds.
The subcommittee advanced the amended cleanup bill to the full committee for further consideration.
