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

July 17, 2018

HOUSE and SENATE
The House Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill by a vote of 30 to 22. The Manager’s Amendment to the bill increased funding to match the FY2018 funding levels for School Safety Nation Activities and Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), and slightly increased funding for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBU) Capital Financing Program over the FY2018 level. The bill also reduced the increase provided in the Subcommittee passed bill for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) by $57 million and moved $200 million in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Grants to States funding that would have been available on July 1, 2019 to now be available October 1, 2019, thereby increasing the advanced funding amount for this program.

On Monday, July 16, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Scott Stump to be the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

ADMINISTRATION
ED announced the approval of California and Utah’s consolidated State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Florida remains as the only State to not yet have its plan approved by ED.

ED announced that it has suspended its plan to cancel debt collection solicitations and reassign them to other debt collection firms.

The Federal Commission on School Safety held a hearing to “focus on the integration of behavioral health in America’s schools.”

Diane Jones, who had been serving as a senior advisor at ED, has been named the acting Under Secretary of Education at ED and has also been delegated the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

The U.S. Secret Service released a guide on preventing targeted school violence.

President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
What Would a Merged Education and Labor Department Look Like? [Education Week]

Report on State Spending and GOP Tax Policies [Inside Higher Ed]
American Federation of Teachers Report: “A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession”

As more college drop SAT writing test, all eyes are on California [Inside Higher Ed]

Trump Team May Change Rules on Jobs for Students With Disabilities [Education Week]

Iowa Agrees To Change Special Education Practices; Advocates Wonder If It’s Enough [Iowa Public Radio]

GI Bill Scheme Defrauded 2,500 Student Veterans [Inside Higher Ed]

One-Quarter of College Students Worry About Completing [Inside Higher Ed]
Civitas Learning Survey: “Community Insights: National Student Survey Findings”

Perspective | Value matters in choosing a college. But not just the price kind. [The Washington Post]

Cal State allows students to take online courses from other system institutions [Inside Higher Ed]

Minibus spending conference committee abruptly canceled [The Hill]

Counseling, Mental Health Access Dominate Federal School Safety Meeting [Education Week]

Jim Shelton to Step Down as Head of Chan Zuckerberg’s Education Initiative [Education Week]

Report: States Support Free College in Poor Economies [Inside Higher Ed]
The Century Foundation Report: “Free College:” Here to Stay?

The Status of Low-Income Students at Selective Colleges [Inside Higher Ed]
American Enterprise Institute Report: “Low-Income Students at Selective Colleges: Disappearing or Holding Steady?”

For second year, leaders of HBCUs gather to discuss LGBT inclusion [The Washington Post]

ECOT Fallout: Missing Students, Returned Donations, Criminal Accusations [Education Week]

Pencils down: Major colleges stop requiring essay test for admission [The Washington Post]

Emotional support from families makes a difference for low-income students [Inside Higher Ed]

The New Toll of Student Debt in 3 Charts [The New York Times]

Yet Another Way Student Debt Keeps People from Buying Homes [The Atlantic]

Op-Ed: Why the Senate needs to get it done on CTE [The Hill]

UC opens doors to record number of Californians, led by growth in transfer students [The Los Angeles Times]

Who is Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee? [The Associated Press]

Study Shows How Working Community College Students Fared [Inside Higher Ed]

Video: Apps Can Help Advise First-Generation Students. But It Takes a Human to Say, ‘I Believe in You.’ [The Chronicle of Higher Education

U.S. Degree? Check. U.S. Work Visa? Still A Challenge [National Public Radio]

Op-Ed: Industry, Education Needed to Bridge STEM Skills Gap | STEM Solutions [US News]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Education and the Workforce Committee
Press Release: Does President Trump’s Next VA Secretary Oppose the House GOP Higher Education Proposal?

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Murray Joins Workers, Teachers, and Unions to Fight Back Against Special Interest Attacks; Stresses Importance of Speaking Out in Light of President Trump’s Anti-Worker Supreme Court Nominee

House Committee on the Budget
Press Release: Status of FY 2019 Appropriations Bills

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Appropriations Committee Approves the Fiscal Year 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Funding Bill

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation 
Press Release: Committee Leaders Seek Information on Google’s Data Privacy Policies

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
ED Media Advisory: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to Observe Community Partnerships at Work to Support Students

DOL Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Announces Award of $47,600,000 In Training Grants to Help Homeless Veterans Re-Enter The Workforce

IES Notice: IES Posts FY 2019 Research Funding Webinars

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.6373 — To make supplemental appropriations to provide additional funds to Americorps for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018.
Sponsor: Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (Introduced 07/13/2018) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Appropriations
Latest Action:  House – 07/13/2018 Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations.

H.R.6349 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the income limit of the simplified needs test.
Sponsor: Rep. Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL-16] (Introduced 07/12/2018) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action:  House – 07/12/2018 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Press Release: Rep. Kinzinger Introduces Bipartisan FAFSA Legislation

H.R.6352 — Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act of 2018
Sponsor: Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2] (Introduced 07/12/2018) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce, Financial Services
Latest Action:  House – 07/12/2018 Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the…
Press Release: CU and CSU experts praise Polis’s Know Before You Owe bill to protect students from predatory lenders

S.3205 — A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain creditors to obtain certifications from institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (Introduced 07/12/2018) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action:  Senate – 07/12/2018 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Durbin, Smith, Reed, & Senators Introduce Bill To Prevent Unnecessary Private Student Loan Debt And Improve Transparency

H.Res.988 — Recognizing the importance of diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, acknowledging a necessity to increase diversity and representation within physics, and expressing support for the American Physical Society Bridge Program for its work toward increasing the number of underrepresented minorities earning physics doctoral degrees.
Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (Introduced 07/11/2018) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Science, Space, and Technology, Education and the Workforce
Latest Action:  House – 07/11/2018 Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the…
Press Release: Castro, Comstock Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing the Importance of Diversity in STEM

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Grant Notice: Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Model Demonstration Projects to Improve Academic Outcomes of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Elementary and Middle School. Applications due August 13, 2018.