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

HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate will be in recess until after the September 4^th Labor Day Holiday.

The House Rules Committee posted a running list of potential amendments to the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2018 (H.R. 3354), which is the legislative vehicle for the remaining appropriations bills not yet passed by the House.

Ranking Members on the House and Senate Education and Judiciary committees sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and ED Secretary Betsy DeVos requesting information on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent memo expressing interest in investigating race-based admissions policies at colleges and universities.

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that they will hold the first two of a series of hearings related to stabilizing health insurance premiums in the individual markets on September 6 and 7. The first two hearings will cover testimony from State insurance commissioners and Governors.

ADMINISTRATION 

ED published a notice announcing that they will hold a public hearing in Utah on September 26 and in Washington, D.C. on October 4 to solicit input on regulations related to postsecondary education to repeal, replace or modify for ED’s Regulatory Reform Task Force.

In a case involving ten States challenging the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen granted Texas’ request to delay any further proceedings until after September 5, 2017. Those ten States have threatened to sue the Trump Administration if the Administration does not rescind DACA by September 5, 2017.

The White House is planning to hold its annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities conference next month, despite calls to postpone it.

Lambda Legal filed a complaint claiming that ED and DOJ violated the Freedom of Information Act by withholding requested information and documents about the agencies’ decision to rescind guidance related to Title IX protections for transgender students.

Education News Headlines

Education Department Announces College Prep Grants [Associated Press]

Perspective | The hidden cost of college: rising student fees [The Washington Post]

New GI Bill includes $75 million noncollege provider program for veterans [Inside Higher Ed]

Growing number of religious universities offer two-year degrees [Inside Higher Ed]

Career and Technical Education Faces Challenges in Rural America [Education Week]

Study of top public universities finds limited faculty diversity, and yet signs of progress — except for African-Americans in STEM [Inside Higher Ed]

15-Credit Course Loads Increase Odds of Graduation [Inside Higher Ed]

What’s at Stake for Schools in the Debt Ceiling Debate [Education Week]

‘You can do this’: Program gives students advice and funding to get through college [The Washington Post]

Professors See Charlottesville as a Starting Point for Discussions on Race  [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor
House Education and the Workforce Committee
Press Release: Bonamici to DeVos: Stop Putting Interests of For-Profit Colleges Over Interests of Students

Senate Committee on the Appropriations
Press Release: Leahy REAX To Trump Threat To Shut Down Government

U.S. Department of Labor
Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Awards $80M In Pre-Apprenticeship Grants

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities

ED Notice of Public Hearings: Regulatory Reform. The two public hearings will be: September 26, 2017, at Salt Lake Community College—Miller Campus, 9750 South 300 West, Karen Gail Miller Conference Center, Copper Creek Room A&B, Sandy, Utah 84070; and October 4, 2017, at the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., Barnard Auditorium, Washington, DC 20202. The public hearings will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., local time.

ED Comment Request: Loan Discharge Application: Forgery. Comments due September 25, 2017.

ED Comment Request: PLUS Adverse Credit Reconsideration Loan Counseling. Comments due September 25, 2017.