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

April 10, 2018
 

HOUSE and SENATE
The House and Senate resume session this week. The Senate returns on Monday, April 9, and the House returns on Tuesday, April 10.

Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled, “Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities.”

Press reports that House Congressional GOP leadership and the Trump Administration have discussed using Budget Act procedures to pass rescissions to the recently passed fiscal year (FY) 2018 Omnibus appropriations bill.

The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations announced a date for a public witness hearing on FY2019 appropriations. The hearing will be held on Thursday, April 26. The deadline to submit requests to testify is Friday, April 6. The deadline to submit written testimony is Thursday, April 26.

The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations will accept written testimony from outside witnesses on FY2019 appropriations. The deadline to submit written testimony is Friday, June 1.

ADMINISTRATION
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will take another look at the recognition status of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which the previous Administration terminated, after a Federal judge ruled last month that the previous Administration failed to consider relevant evidence. ACICS’s status as a federally recognized accrediting agency will be restored until ED completes its own review. Secretary DeVos has given ACICS until May 30 to file a written submission to ED providing further information relevant to the petition ACICS filed for continued recognition in January 2016. ED may respond by July 30.

Secretary DeVos hosted two listening sessions on school safety concerns and the current climate in schools nationwide. The discussion focused on the Dear Colleague Letter (DCL or the guidance) regarding racial discrimination in school discipline practices. This guidance was jointly issued by ED and the U.S. Department of Justice on January 8, 2014, with ED also releasing other related materials.

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

Justice Department starts investigation of early-decision admissions [Inside Higher Ed]

College credits where credit’s due: Schools slowly come around to accepting transfer students’ work [The Washington Post]

9-Day Student Protest At Howard University Ends With A Deal [National Public Radio]

Top U.S. Senators for Education Pitch Youth Prevention to Fight Opioid Epidemic [Education Week]

Student loan servicer asks court to settle spat between Education Dept. and Connecticut over licensing dispute [The Washington Post]

Congress puts more focus on student parents with new funding [Inside Higher Ed]

Even With Scholarships, Students Often Need Extra Financial Help [The New York Times]

A Look at Geographic Distribution of Student Debt [Inside Higher Ed]

Urban Institute Web Tool: “Debt in America: An Interactive Map”

Equity Gaps in College Spending [Inside Higher Ed]

Center for American Progress Report: “Gaps in College Spending Shortchange Students of Color”

College Waitlists Often Waste Would-Be Students’ Time [National Public Radio]

‘Hail Mary’ Budget Move Could Throw Federal Education Spending Into Question [Education Week]

DeVos asked if leakers could be prosecuted: report [The Hill]

For the ACT and the SAT, Pencils No Longer Required, but Sometimes Necessary [The New York Times]

KIPP charter school alumni more likely to report ‘sense of belonging’ at HBCUs [Inside Higher Ed]

Middle-Class Families Increasingly Look to Community Colleges [The New York Times]

DeVos Gives Controversial Accreditor a New Chance and More Time [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

States pursue methods to reduce burden on students for online programs [Inside Higher Ed]

Students’ access to food still a problem on college campuses, study shows [Inside Higher Ed]

Digging Deeper Into That $300 Million Increase in Federal Aid for Poor Students [Education Week]

Trump Says DACA Is Dead. Research Shows It Raised Grad Rates for Immigrant Students [Education Week]

Op-Ed: Community colleges deliver the good jobs that Trump keeps promising. So why does he dump on them? [The Los Angeles Times]

New York opens scholarship to for-profit institutions [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Education and the Workforce Committee
Press Release: Bonamici Statement on New Report Establishing That School Discipline Practices Disproportionately Effect Students of Color

Press Release: Scott, Nadler Release New GAO Report that Proves Students of Color Suffer Harsher Discipline for Lesser Offenses

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Committee Leaders Release Discussion Draft of Bipartisan Legislation to Address Urgent Opioid Crisis

House Committee on Ways and Means
Press Release: Chairman Brady and Subcommittee Chairman Smith Announce Hearing Series on “Jobs and Opportunity: Perspectives on the Jobs Gap”

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Senate Appropriations Schedule for the Week of April 9, 2018

Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation 
Press Release: Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees Announce Joint Hearing with Facebook CEO

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: Remarks by President Trump at a Roundtable Discussion on Tax Reform

White House Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts

ED Press Release: Following Court Ruling, DeVos Orders Further Review of 2016 ACICS Petition

ED Press Release: Secretary DeVos Hosts School Safety and Climate Listening Sessions

ED Media Advisory: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to Visit Dallas, Texas

ED Blog: Help Secure Your Future by Discovering Financial Literacy Resources Available to You

DOL Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Announces Investments to Help Americans Successfully Transition From Incarceration Into The Workplace

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.5427 — To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to give a public safety and community policing grant preference for applicants prioritizing the hiring of school resource officers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Marino, Tom [R-PA-10] (Introduced 04/05/2018) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Judiciary
Latest Action:  House – 04/05/2018 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Press Release: Rep. Marino Introduces Legislation Protecting our Students

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Meeting Notice: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The NACIQI meeting will be held on May 22, 23, and 24, 2018, each day from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Double Tree by Hilton Washington DC Crystal City, Washington Ballroom, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA.

ED Comment Request: Application for the Educational Flexibility (Ed-Flex) Program. Comments due June 4, 2018.

ED Comment Request: U.S. Department of Education Pre-Authorized Debit Account Brochure and Application. Comments due June 4, 2018