August 9, 2016 

Last Week in Congress and the Administration

HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate will be in recess until after the September 5^th Labor Day Holiday.

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) along with 19 Senators sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to express support for the proposed borrower defense rule and to suggest ways to strengthen the rule.

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sent a letter to ED to express his concerns about the proposed borrower defense rule.

ADMINISTRATION

The Department of Veterans Affairs released a notice stating that Veterans and Service members’ requests for refunds of their contributions to the Post-Vietnam Veterans Education Program will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review and comment.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced proposed regulations that revise the rules for reporting qualified tuition and related expenses as well as amends the regulation on education tax credits. There will be a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

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

U.S. receives thousands of comments on proposed student debt forgiveness rules [Article 8 – Inside Higher Ed]

Researchers argue affirmative consent policies out of touch with reality [Article 9 – Inside Higher Ed]

Federal Reserve analysis finds high student loan debt in households with most negative wealth [Article 7 – Inside Higher Ed]

Elected Officials Weigh In on Borrower Defense [Article 8 – Inside Higher Ed]

Report scrutinizes endowment spending on low-income students [Article 7 – Inside Higher Ed]
Education Trust Report: “A Glimpse Inside the Coffers: Endowment Spending at Wealthy Colleges and Universities”

Leaders in both parties want colleges to have more skin in the game for student outcomes [Article 1 – Inside Higher Ed]

Achieving the Dream looks to increase adjunct faculty engagement [Article 3 – Inside Higher Ed]

Law Professors Defend Education Dept. on Burden of Proof [Article 9 – Inside Higher Ed]

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

Department of Labor

• Blog: From Job Corps to the Magic Kingdom

Institute of Education Sciences

• Report: “Undergraduates Who Do Not Apply for Financial Aid”

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

Department of Treasury Comment Request: Reporting for Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses; Education Tax Credits. Comments due October 31, 2016.

ED Comment Request: Experimental Sites Data Collection Instrument.
Comments due September 6, 2016.

ED Comment Request: Generic Clearance for Federal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Focus Groups Master Plan. Comments due September 6, 2016.

ED Notice; Republication: Federal Need Analysis Methodology for the 2017-18 Award Year-Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant and TEACH Grant Programs. This notice is a republication of a May 24, 2016 notice (81 FR 32737) to include information that was missing from the original version.