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

HOUSE

President Trump signed the fiscal year (FY) 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which the House and Senate passed by a vote of 309-118 and 79-18, respectively. The bill funds the U.S. Department of Education (ED) at $68.24 billion in discretionary funding, approximately $60 million less than the FY2016 level.

House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) released a statement supporting the FY17 Omnibus Appropriations bill and announcing his priorities moving forward.

The House passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), legislation repealing and replacing major portions of the Affordable Care Act, by a vote of 217-213.

House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released a statement in support of the House’s passage of the AHCA.

Ranking Member Scott issued a statement in opposition to the AHCA.

Ranking Member Scott and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) released a statement in opposition to President Trump’s executive order (EO) “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.”

Members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen and improve career and technical education.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on data breaches connected to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT). Chairwoman Foxx released a statement on the hearing.

SENATE

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) issued a statement supporting the FY17 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

Chairman Alexander and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) released a statement supporting the restoration of Summer Pell Grant awards, which is included in the FY17 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) issued a statement supporting the FY17 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

Chairman Alexander and HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to ED Secretary Betsy DeVos requesting regular briefings from ED on the outage of the IRS DRT and that ED put forth an action plan that addresses security concerns and resources being used to expedite getting the tool back online, among others.

Ranking Member Murray released a statement in opposition to President Trump’s executive order (EO) “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.”

ADMINISTRATION  

Enterprise Recovery Systems and Pioneer Credit Recovery, private collection agencies, accepted ED’s offer of new contracts to collect past-due student loans. However, the agreements have not been finalized because the companies are in the process of taking legal action against ED after the Obama Administration cancelled their contracts in 2015.

Alexander Acosta was sworn in as the 27^th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.

President Trump signed an EO “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” which deals with protections for religious freedom.

Education News Headlines

Study finds former for-profit students go to two-year colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

Letter Urges DeVos to Set Conditions on EDMC Sale [Inside Higher Ed]

Purdue’s Faculty Senate Seeks to Rescind Kaplan Deal [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Purdue’s deal for Kaplan packs low up-front costs, long terms and boundary-pushing details [Inside Higher Ed]

Op-Ed: How we can use apprenticeships to fill jobs and boost the economy [The Hill]

Spending Bill Gives Flexibility to Borrowers Seeking Loan Consolidation [Inside Higher Ed]

DeVos to give commencement speech at historically black university [The Hill]

Report finds growth but volatility in online education market [Inside Higher Ed]

Bipartisan Agreement Reached to Fund Government Through September [The New York Times]

Proposal highlights role of completion in free-college push [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Murray, Democrats Reintroduce Historic, Comprehensive LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Legislation

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration
U.S. Department of Education

• Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees Announced

U.S. Department of Labor

• Blog: Helping Americans Find Good Jobs

Legislative Movement in Congress

H.R.2233 — To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to improve the H-1B visa program, to repeal the diversity visa lottery program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5] (Introduced 04/28/2017) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Judiciary, Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 04/28/2017 Referred to House Education and the Workforce

H.R.2260 — To improve college affordability.
Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (Introduced 05/01/2017) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 05/01/2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Press Release: Rep. Carbajal, Sen. Heinrich Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Access to Higher Education

S.996 — A bill to improve college affordability.
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (Introduced 05/01/2017) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: 05/01/2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Heinrich Aims To Increase Access To Pell Grants, Make College More Affordable

H.R.2300 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the determination of cohort default rates and provide for enhanced civil penalties, to ensure personal liability of owners, officers, and executives of institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] (Introduced 05/02/2017) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 05/02/2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

H.R.2301 — To provide that chapter 1 of title 9 of the United States Code, relating to the enforcement of arbitration agreements, shall not apply to enrollment agreements made between students and certain institutions of higher education; and to prohibit limitations on the ability of students to pursue claims against certain institutions of higher education.
Sponsor: Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] (Introduced 05/02/2017) Cosponsors: (7)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce, Judiciary
Latest Action: 05/02/2017 Referred to House Judiciary

S.1004 — A bill to amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to support innovative approaches to career and technical education and redesign the high school experience for students by providing students with equitable access to rigorous, engaging, and relevant real world education through partnerships with business and industry and higher education that prepare students to graduate from high school and enroll into postsecondary education without the need for remediation and with the ability to use knowledge to solve complex problems, think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate with others, and develop academic mindsets.
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (Introduced 05/02/2017) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: 05/02/2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Kaine Leads Bipartisan Bill to Redesign High School With Greater CTE Focus

H.R.2304 — To establish a grant program to promote the development of career education programs in computer science in secondary and postsecondary education.
Sponsor: Rep. Cardenas, Tony [D-CA-29] (Introduced 05/03/2017) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 05/03/2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

H.R.2377 — To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include individuals participating in pre-apprenticeship programs offered by employers and provide that such employers may be reimbursed under such Act.
Sponsor: Rep. Lipinski, Daniel [D-IL-3] (Introduced 05/04/2017) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 05/04/2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: 2016-17 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B: 16/17) Main Study. Comments due May 31, 2017.

ED Notice: Federal Need Analysis Methodology for the 2018-19 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

ED Comment Request: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, Federal Direct PLUS Loan Request for Supplemental Information. Comments due July 5, 2017.

ED Notice: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Information To Be Verified for the 2018-2019 Award Year