There is created the Research Centers of Excellence Review Board. The review board shall consist of eleven members. Of the eleven members, three must be appointed by the Governor, three must be appointed by the President of the Senate, three must be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and one by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The terms of members are three years and members are eligible to be appointed for no more than two additional terms. Of the members initially appointed by the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, one shall be appointed for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, and one for a term of three years, the initial term of each member to be designated by the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House when making the appointments. The Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House shall appoint persons with substantial experience in business, law, accounting, technology, manufacturing, engineering, or other professions and experience which provide an understanding of the purposes of this chapter. The review board shall be responsible for providing annually to the Commission on Higher Education a schedule by which applications for funding are received and awarded on a competitive basis, the awarding of matching funds as provided in Section 2-75-60, and for oversight and operation of the fund created by Section 2-75-30. Members of the review board shall serve without compensation and must provide an annual report by November thirtieth of each calendar year to the General Assembly as well as the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, and Executive Budget Office, which shall include an audit performed by an independent auditor. This annual report must include, but not be limited to, a complete accounting for total state appropriations to the endowment and total proposals awarded up to the previous fiscal year.

HISTORY: 2002 Act No. 356, Section 3C; 2008 Act No. 355, Section 2, eff June 25, 2008; 2010 Act No. 290, Section 31, eff January 1, 2011; 2019 Act No. 1 (S.2), Section 27, eff January 31, 2019.

Code Commissioner's Note

At the direction of the Code Commissioner, references in this section to the offices of the former State Budget and Control Board, Office of the Governor, or other agencies, were changed to reflect the transfer of them to the Department of Administration or other entities, pursuant to the directive of the South Carolina Restructuring Act, 2014 Act No. 121, Section 5(D)(1), effective July 1, 2015.

Effect of Amendment

The 2008 amendment in the first and second sentences substituted "eleven" for "nine" members, in the third sentence added ", one by the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and one by the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee", in the eighth sentence added the requirements that the members serve without compensation and that they provide the annual report by October 1 of each calendar year to the General Assembly as well as the State Budget and Control Board, and added the ninth sentence relating to the contents of the annual report.

The 2010 amendment substituted "November thirtieth" for "October 1".

2019 Act No. 1, Section 27, in the third sentence, substituted "President of the Senate" for "President Pro Tempore of the Senate"; in the fifth sentence, substituted "President of the Senate" for "President Pro Tempore" in two places; and, in the sixth sentence, substituted "President of the Senate" for "President Pro Tempore".