Washington Wrap Up — June 14, 2016
Below is an abridged version of RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.
HOUSE
House Republicans released a new set of proposals focused on poverty, opportunity and upward mobility, the first piece of their policy agenda, A Better Way. This included recommendations for strengthening early childhood development, supporting at-risk youth, improving career and technical education, strengthening America’s higher education system and improving nutrition for students and working families.
BUDGET
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed their Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 29 to 1. The bill provides $12.04 billion for the U.S. Department of Labor, cutting the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State formula programs by $74 million; $76.9 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health; and $ 67.8 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (ED), a $220 million decrease compared to FY2016. The ED portion of the bill restored a version of the Summer Pell program and rescinded $1.2 billion in unobligated Pell Grant funding from the current near $8 billion projected surplus.
ADMINISTRATION
ED’s Office of Civil Rights released new data from the 2013–2014 school year that indicates continued gaps in educational equity and opportunity for students, including disparities around incidents of discipline, restraint and seclusion, access to courses and programs that lead to college and career readiness, teacher equity, rates of retention and access to early learning.
The White House will host the United State of Women Summit on Tuesday, June 14. The summit will focus on economic empowerment, health and wellness, educational opportunity, violence against women, entrepreneurship and innovation and leadership and civic engagement.
Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Week ahead: Feds poised to issue rule on students’ right to sue [The Hill]
Are the days numbered for this college accreditor? Elizabeth Warren says yes. [The Washington Post]
Woes for ITT, a For-Profit School, Bode Worse for Its Students [The New York Times]
Advocates warn against ranking colleges’ handling of sexual assault based on Clery data [Inside Higher Ed]
What first-generation college students want [The Atlantic]
Data on student engagement with an LMS is a key to predicting retention [Inside Higher Ed]
Microsoft Announces Free Trial Version of Minecraft: Education Edition [Inside Higher Ed]
Former Ed. Secretary Arne Duncan Joins Ed-Tech Company Board of Directors [Education Week]
Occidental cleared of most civil rights violations, makes reforms after sex assault complaints [The Los Angeles Times]
A new White House initiative asks colleges to look past criminal records [The Atlantic]
Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor
House Education and the Workforce Committee
Documents and webcast of last week’s Full Committee Hearing: “The Administration’s Overtime Rule and Its Consequences for Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses”
Press Release: Overtime Rule Harms Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Alexander Votes for Bill to Restore Year-Round Pell Grants, Calling it “the Most Important News for College Students from Congress So Far This Year”
Press Release: Alexander: Restoring Year-Round Pell Will Be Biggest News in Higher Education So Far This Year
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Documents and webcast of last week’s Full Committee Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017
NOTE: The webcast will be audio-only.
Press Release: FY2017 Labor, HHS & Education Appropriations Bill Cleared for Senate Consideration
House Committee on the Budget
Documents and webcast of last week’s Full Committee Hearing: The Need to Control Automatic Spending and Unauthorized Programs
Press Release: Republicans Unveil a Better Way to Fight Poverty
U.S. Department of Education and the Administration
White House:
- Press Release: Fact Sheet: White House Launches the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge
- Blog: Meet the Nominated Attendees of the United State of Women Summit
- Blog: Email from First Lady Michelle Obama: Together, We Are Stronger
Department of Education:
- Press Release: Education Department Proposes New Regulations to Protect Students and Taxpayers from Predatory Institutions
- Press Release: Occidental College, U.S. Education Department Reach Agreement to Ensure Prompt, Equitable Responses to Reports of Sexual Harassment, Violence
Department of Labor:
Institute of Education Sciences:
- Press Release: IES Announces Grants to Diversify Education Research Field
Legislative Movement in Congress
H.R.5398: Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep Rice, Tom [SC-7] (introduced 6/7/2016) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Judiciary; House Ways and Means; House Homeland Security; House Foreign Affairs; House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 6/10/2016 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
H.R.2578: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016
Sponsor: Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] (introduced 5/27/2015) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Appropriations; Senate Appropriations
House Reports: 114-130; Senate Reports: 114-66
Latest Major Action: 6/9/2016 Senate floor actions. Status: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure withdrawn in Senate.
S.3025: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit fellowship and stipend compensation to be saved in an individual retirement account.
Sponsor: Sen Warren, Elizabeth [MA] (introduced 6/7/2016) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Finance
Latest Major Action: 6/7/2016 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Press Release: Sens. Warren and Lee Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Graduate Students Build Retirement Savings
S.3040: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017
Sponsor: Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] (introduced 6/9/2016) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: Senate Appropriations
Senate Reports: 114-274
Latest Major Action: 6/9/2016 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 509.
Press Release: Blunt Secures Missouri Priorities in Committee-Passed Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Bill
Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices
ED Comment Request: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Annual Performance Report. Comments due August 12, 2016.
ED Grant Notice: Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Program. Applications due: July 22, 2016.
ED Notice: Annual Notice of Interest Rates of Federal Student Loans Made Under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program on or After July 1, 2013