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

October 15, 2019

HOUSE and SENATE
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced that she will retire at the end of her current term in 2020. Rep. Lowey currently serves as the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

ADMINISTRATION
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos sent a letter to leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) providing an explanation of what mandatory funds HBCUs and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) will receive under Title III of the Higher Education Act (HEA), given that the statutory authority for these funds expired on September 30, 2019, the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.

The President signed an Executive Order requiring Federal agencies to publicly post all of their guidance in a single, searchable database and provide for public notice and comment on “significant” guidance.

A Federal judge is considering sanctions against the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Secretary DeVos for violating a court order to cease collecting on loan payments from former Corinthian Colleges students.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an amicus brief arguing that a Maine law excluding religious schools from the State’s school voucher program violates the First Amendment.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
2020 primary debate guide: Everything you need to know ahead of the October showdown [The Hill]

Will Education Surface in the Fourth Democratic Debate? Here’s What You Need to Know [Education Week]

House Democrats unveil higher education plan to lower college costs [The Washington Post]

Google expands IT certificate program to 100 community colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

Survey finds evidence of widespread sexual violence at 33 universities [The Washington Post]

HBCUs Plan Cuts After Congress Misses Funding Deadline [Inside Higher Ed]

College students with friends with different worldviews are more tolerant, study finds [Inside Higher Ed]

The Digitial Student [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Judges Strike Several Blows to Trump Immigration Policies [The New York Times]

Higher ed shrinks: number of colleges falls to lowest point in two decades [Inside Higher Ed]

$100 million gift to U-Va. dedicated to students whose parents didn’t go to college [The Washington Post]

Employers, governors back federal aid for students in prisons [Inside Higher Ed]

Calif. Power Outage Closes Campuses, Threatens Research [Inside Higher Ed]

U. of Alaska President Acknowledges Contributing to a  ‘Fractured’ System [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Certificates Boost Employment, Earnings for Veterans [Inside Higher Ed]

Report Examines Confusion Over Aid Award Letters [Inside Higher Ed]

Federal judge slams DeVos and Education Department for violating order and weighs sanctions [The Washington Post]

DeVos on Congressional Fight Over HBCU Money [Inside Higher Ed]

Report: Federal policy, not servicers, to blame for many student loan failures [Inside Higher Ed]

Where 4-Year Schools Find a Pool of Applicants: 2-Year Schools [The New York Times]

Dual enrollment helps student success but strains college resources [Inside Higher Ed]

Tech-Skills Boot Camps Are on the March [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Black women bear largest burden in student debt crisis [Detroit Free Press]

Trump to curb use of federal guidance [The Wall Street Journal]

Big new spending on Pell Grants catches on with moderate presidential hopefuls [Inside Higher Ed]

Poll Paints Rosy Picture of How Democrats View Obama on Education [Education Week]

Study Shows Parents’ Concern for Mental Health [Inside Higher Ed]

Biden pitches free community college, expanded loans in higher education plan  [The Hill]

Community College Revenue Growth [Inside Higher Ed]

Students will be able to retake sections of ACT next year — without repeating entire exam [The Washington Post]

New first-time graduate school enrollments are way up for ethnic minorities  [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Education and Labor Committee 
Press Release: Committee Report: Education Department Ignored Early Warnings of Problems in Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions 
Press Release: Senators Murray and Duckworth Call For Secretary DeVos to Start Supporting Student Parents Following Her Rejection of GAO Recommendations and Undermining Child Care Programs

Senate Committee on Appropriations 
Press Release: Appropriations Schedule for the Week of October 14, 2019

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces New Grant Awards to Address School Safety and Improve Access to Mental Health Services

White House Press Release: Executive Order on Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents

DOL Press Release: U.S. Department Of Labor Provides Compliance Assistance Guide For Educational Institutions With Federal Contracts

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.4637 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to provide notice to students receiving work-study assistance about potential eligibility for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4638 — To give middle-class families access to the maximum Federal Pell Grant, to increase college transparency, and State maintenance of efforts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Labor; Ways and Means
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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 committee…

H.R.4639 — To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.
Sponsor: Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Representatives Casten, Lee Introduce Pell Grant Sustainability Act
Press Release: Reps. Susie Lee, Sean Casten Introduce Bill Indexing Pell Grants to Inflation

H.R.4643 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve accessibility to, and completion of, postsecondary education for students, including students with disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-11] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Representatives DeSaulnier, Harder, Huffman, Khanna, Langevin, and Pressley Introduce Legislation to Expand Access to Higher Education for Students with Disabilities

H.R.4645 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow certain payments made by public service employees to qualify for public service repayment, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4647 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to change certain eligibility provisions for loan forgiveness for teachers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4648 — To improve estimates of off-campus room and board for students at institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4653 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prevent conflicts of interest on accreditation boards.
Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4654 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the treatment of certain overpayments made by educational institutions to persons entitled to educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.4658 — To require the Secretary of Education to develop and implement a process that enables certain borrowers to elect to repay certain loans through written, electronic, or verbal notice to the Secretary of Education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Murphy, Stephanie N. [D-FL-7] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4662 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require that institutions of higher education maintain certain adjusted cohort default rates to participate in programs under title IV of such Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-45] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4670 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish an income-based repayment for new loans on and after July 1, 2021, and for borrowers who enter income-based repayment after June 30, 2021, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Wild, Susan [D-PA-7] (Introduced 10/11/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/11/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.4627 — Student Borrower Advocate Act
Sponsor: Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (Introduced 10/08/2019) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 10/08/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
DOL Comment Request: Workforce Information Grants to States (WIGS). Comments due December 9, 2019. 

ED Comment Request: Request for Designation As An Eligible Institution Under Titles III, V, and VII Programs and Waivers of the Non-Federal Cost Share Reimbursement. Comments due November 8, 2019. 

DOL Comment Request: State Apprenticeship Expansion (SAE) Grant Research Study. Comments due November 7, 2019.

VA Comment Request: Application for Refund of Educational Contributions (VA Form 22-5281). Comments due December 9, 2019.