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 and SENATE

The House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a committee hearing on the Obama Administration’s overtime rule on Thursday, June 9. Witnesses have yet to be announced.

House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Ranking Member Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) sent a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies urging for any Pell surplus funds to be used to increase the maximum Pell Grant award and to be used within the Pell Grant program generally, not diverted to other programs or agencies.
 
BUDGET

The Senate Appropriations Committee announced both a subcommittee markup on June 7 and a full committee markup on June 9 of the Fiscal Year 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

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

Op Ed: College leaders: The admissions process is failing low-income students [The Washington Post]

Community Colleges, Rural Schools Partner to Boost College Readiness [Education Week]

Michelle Obama Denounces Donald Trump in CUNY Commencement Speech [The New York Times]

Education Department to make final push for state authorization rule [Inside Higher Ed]

Report Slams Accreditor as ‘Incapable’ of Assessing College Quality [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
Center for American Progress Report: “ACICS Must Go”

Paper finds no negative consequences for 4-year to 2-year transfers [Inside Higher Ed]
The Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University Report: “Do Students Benefit From Going Backward? The Academic and Labor Consequences of Four-to Two-Year College Transfer”

ETS plans to encourage graduate departments to de-emphasize GRE [Inside Higher Ed]

Clinton backs limiting foreign, out-of-state students in California colleges [CNN politics]

Congressional fight over changes to for-profits’ access to military bases [Inside Higher Ed]

The Missing Piece in the Debate Over College Costs [The Atlantic]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor

House Education and the Workforce Committee
June 9: Full Committee Hearing: “The Administration’s Overtime Rule and Its Consequences for Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses”
Witnesses: to be announced
10:00 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building or webcast

Press Release: Scott, Hinojosa Urge Appropriations Subcommittees to Protect Pell Grants for Students

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release:  Murray Urges Continued Action to Improve Access to Financial Aid for Unaccompanied Homeless Students

Senate Committee on Appropriations
June 7: Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017
10:30 a.m. in 138, Dirksen Senate Office Building
NOTE: The webcast will be audio-only.

June 9: Full Committee Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017
10:30 a.m. in 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building
NOTE: The webcast will be audio-only.

House Committee on the Budget
June 9: Full Committee Hearing: The Need to Control Automatic Spending and Unauthorized Programs
Witnesses: The Honorable David M. Walker, Former Comptroller General of the United States; Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.; Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution; Lily Batchelder, Professor of Law and Public Policy, NYU School of Law
9:30 a.m. in 210 Cannon House Office Building

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House:

• Blog: Together, We are Stronger
• Press Release: First Lady Michelle Obama to Deliver Final Commencement Address as First Lady

Department of Education:

• Press Release: Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. on Promise Zone Designations
• Blog: Equity is the Theme Every Week, but Especially This Week
• Blog: Youth Formerly in Foster Care Help Create Federal Foster Care Transition Toolkit

Department of Labor:

• Blog: Getting Veterans the Credentials They’ve Earned
• Press Release: US Labor Department Announces $10.4M in Grants to Expand, Expedite Apprenticeships in 51 States and Territories, and District of Columbia
• Blog: #ApprenticeshipWorks in Milwaukee

Legislative Movement in Congress

H.R.5381: College Preparation Tax Credit Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep Israel, Steve [NY-3] (introduced 6/3/2016)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Ways and Means
Latest Major Action: 6/3/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.5382: Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep Israel, Steve [NY-3] (introduced 6/3/2016)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Ways and Means
Latest Major Action: 6/3/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.5383: Middle Class College Tuition Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep Israel, Steve [NY-3] (introduced 6/3/2016) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Ways and Means
Latest Major Action: 6/3/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Annual and Final Performance Report Data Collection for Arts in Education Grantees. Comments due July 5, 2016.

ED Comment Request: Federal Perkins Loan Program Regulations. Comments due July 1, 2016.

ED Notice: Computer matching program between the Department of Education (ED) (recipient agency) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)