State Budget Heads to Conference Committee
The state budget process is nearing the end – the House and Senate have their own version of the budget and have now appointed a Conference Committee to work out their differences. There is a $2 million difference in arts funding between the two budgets. Now is the time to reach out to legislators, whether they are on this committee or not, but especially if they are, and encourage them to adopt the House version of the budget.
The Conference Committee is:
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Rep. Murrell Smith (R-Sumter County)
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Rep. Gary Simrill (R-York County)
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Rep. Todd Rutherford (R-Richland County)
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Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee/Spartanburg Counties)
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Sen. Thomas Alexander (R-Oconee/Pickens Counties)
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Sen. Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington County)
What’s at Stake: There are two versions of arts funding that the Committee has to work with.
The House included:
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+ $2 million (recurring) for grants
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+ $3 million (one-time) for grants
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+ $500,000 (one-time) for rural pilot programs
The Senate included:
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+ $1 million (recurring) for grants
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+ $1 (yes, one dollar) (one-time) for grants*
* The Senate doing this is actually a good sign – it means they’re willing to work with the House (who put $3m here). -
+ $500,000 (one-time) for rural pilot programs
What’s Next: The Conference Committee will meet this summer and put together a compromise.
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The good news is – the arts will get more money, the question is if funding levels will be the House version ($3.5m total), or Senate version ($1.5m total).
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The Committee will have to choose between the two funding options, or settle in the middle.
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The full Legislature will return June 15-17 to approve the Conference Committee report.
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Once the Committee’s report is adopted, it’ll then head to the Governor for his vetoes. The Legislature will return June 27-30 to vote on those vetoes.
Be on the lookout for another alert as we get closer to the return of the Legislature this summer – we’ll need you to contact your legislators!
