Below is an abridged version of RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.

Last Week in Congress and the Administration

HOUSE

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a subcommittee hearing on the U.S Department of Education’s (ED’s) Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget request on Tuesday, March 22. Secretary John King testified.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a subcommittee hearing on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) FY2017 budget request on Tuesday, March 22. NSF Director France Cordova and National Science Board Vice Chair Kelvin Droegemeier testified.
 
SENATE

Dr. John King was confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Secretary of Education by a vote of 49–40.

The Senate is in recess and will return on Monday, April 4.
 
BUDGET

The House Budget Committee passed its FY2017 budget proposal by a vote of 20–16. The budget resolution upholds the non-defense discretionary spending caps for FY2017, but calls for reductions in mandatory and discretionary spending for the FY2018–FY2026 period. The proposed budget also includes reconciliation instructions for the Education and Workforce Committee to produce legislation that cuts $1 billion from the Committee’s jurisdiction over the FY2017–FY2026 period. Finally, the proposed budget calls for Congress to limit the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,815 (the FY2016 level) for the next ten years.
 
ADMINISTRATION 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) requested that a federal district court enter a final judgment that would ban Student Loan Processing.US and its owner, James Krause, from any future involvement in debt relief and student loan services. CFPB asserts that the company and Krause charged borrowers millions of dollars in illegal upfront fees for federal student loan services.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]

Talks Over Federal Debt Relief Rules End in Stalemate [Inside Higher Ed]

The surprising list of colleges whose financial management has the government worried [The Washington Post]

Report on How Federal Aid Policies Affect Tuition [Inside Higher Ed]
American Council on Education (ACE) Report: “Federal Financial Aid Policy and College Behavior”

Data on the nation’s community colleges is not encouraging [The Washington Post]

California’s 2-Year Colleges Explore a New Accreditation Model [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

State authorization reciprocity effort faces opposition from for-profit critics  [Inside Higher Ed]

Video: Getting Traction in Closing the Inequality Gap [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Study suggests student affairs officials not influenced by race [Inside Higher Ed]

New job site in Colorado brings together powerful players in experiment worth watching [Inside Higher Ed]

Arne Duncan to Focus on Disconnected Youth at the Emerson Collective  [Education Week]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor

House Education and the Workforce Committee
Press Release: Scott Statement on House Republicans’ Budget for FY 2017

Documents and webcast of last week’s Full Committee Hearing: “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor”

Press Release: Foxx Questions Secretary Perez on Repeated Delays in Implementing Vital Workforce Development Reforms

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Press Release: Alexander: Obama Labor Rule Will Increase Tuition on One Tenn. Campus $1,000 Per Student

Press Release: Senate Approves John King to Lead Dept. of Education

Press Release: Alexander: New Education Secretary Now Confirmed by and Accountable to Congress

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Documents and webcast of last week’s Subcommittee Hearing: “Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Labor”

Press Release: Blunt Tackles FY2017 Labor Dept. Budget Request

House Committee on the Budget
Document of last week’s Markup of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2017

Press Release: Price Statement on Committee Passage of Balanced Budget

Press Release: House Budget Committee Introduces Fiscal Year 2017 Budget

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House:

• Blog: Weekly Address: President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination
• Blog: Merrick Garland, Tutor
• Blog: Here Are 55 Editorials Calling for a Hearing on President Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee

Department of Education:

• Press Release: Fact Sheet: Increasing College Access by Making Loans Easier to Pay
• Press Release: New Student Loan Report Reveals Promising Repayment Trends
• Press Release: Fact Sheet: College Completion Drives Student Success

Department of Labor:

• Blog: Big Ideas to Help #WomenSucceed
• Press Release: $30M In Grants Available For Organizations To Help Young Adults With Juvenile Or Adult Records Gain Job Skills, Start New Careers
• Blog: What I Told Members of Congress

Legislative Movement in Congress

H.R.4803: To increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and industry.
Sponsor: Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-12] (introduced 3/17/2016) Cosponsors (25)
Committees: House Science, Space, and Technology
Latest Major Action: 3/17/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

H.R.4808: To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require students who do not complete a program of study to repay Federal Pell Grants.
Sponsor: Rep Salmon, Matt [AZ-5] (introduced 3/17/2016) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 3/17/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Press Release: Rep. Salmon Introduces Pell for Performance Act

S.2710: A bill to increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and industry.
Sponsor: Sen Hirono, Mazie K. [HI] (introduced 3/17/2016) Cosponsors (7)
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Major Action: 3/17/2016 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Hirono, Maloney Mark Women’s History Month By Increasing Opportunity For Women & Minorities in STEM

S.2677: A bill to make college more affordable, reduce student debt, and provide greater access to higher education for all students of the United States.
Sponsor: Sen Baldwin, Tammy [WI] (introduced 3/15/2016) Cosponsors (28)
Committees: Senate Finance
Latest Major Action: 3/15/2016 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Press Release: U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Introduces Major Reform Legislation on College Affordability

S.2685: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental and behavioral health services on campuses of institutions of higher education.
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 3/15/2016) Cosponsors (2)
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Major Action: 3/15/2016 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Improve Mental Health Services On College Campuses

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Foreign Graduate Medical School Consumer Information Reporting Form. Comments due May 16, 2016.

ED Notice: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

DOL Comment Request: Registered Apprenticeship-College Consortium. Comments due May 16, 2016.