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

December 3, 2019

HOUSE and SENATE
The House and Senate were in recess last week and will return this week.

House and Senate appropriators have reportedly reached an agreement on the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 302(b) appropriations allocations. However, the funding levels agreed upon have not yet been made public.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) resumed its processing of automatic student loan discharges for veterans who are totally and permanently disabled.

ED and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were sued for allegedly failing to properly oversee Federal student loan servicers.

ED issued a notice that it will begin to notify institutions of higher education named in filed Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) applications under the Obama-era BDR regulations. The notice also describes the process and timeline for a school to respond to any claims in an application.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Professors, colleges and companies struggle to make digital courseware accessible [Inside Higher Ed]

College leaders grapple with the best way to reopen a closed campus [Inside Higher Ed]

Some 250 People Arrested in ICE’s ‘U. of Farmington’ Sting Operation  [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

‘A drop in the bucket’: Parents in college need child care, but federal dollars fall short [The Washington Post]

That Recruitment Letter From Harvard Probably Doesn’t Mean Much [The New York Times]

Op-Ed: The odds are still stacked against low-income college students; here are some ways to expand the possibilities [The Hechinger Report]

Wealthy Donor Promises College Tuition To Help Spur Growth In Hometown [National Public Radio]

‘We Wanted Our Patrons Back’ — Public Libraries Scrap Late Fines To Alleviate Inequity [National Public Radio]

Buttigieg pushes back on criticism of his views on minority students [Politico]

University Reverses Its Decision to Stop Accepting Medicaid [The New York Times]

As diagnoses rise more colleges add services for students with autism [The Hechinger Report]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
The House and Senate were in recess due to the Thanksgiving holiday. 

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
ED Press Release: Secretary DeVos Announces Grant Priority to Support Students in Economically Distressed Communities

DOL Press Release: U.S. Secretary Of Labor Scalia And Michigan Congressman Walberg Discuss Workforce Development And Career Education

IES Data: A Look at Graduation Rates and Other Postsecondary Data

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
No education-related action.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: Borrower Defenses Regulations. Comments due on or before January 2, 2020. 

ED Grant Notice: Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP)-Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants). Date of pre-application webinar: December 5, 2019.Applications due January 10, 2020.

HHS Comment Request: Head Start Program. Comments due on or before December 26, 2019.