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

February 11, 2020

HOUSE and SENATE
House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos threatening to subpoena the Secretary to testify before the Committee on a number of issues, including Federal student loans, Title IX-related issues and protections for students at for-profit institutions of higher education.

The House passed a $4.7 billion Puerto Rico disaster relief bill (H.R.5687), which includes $101 million to support education-related relief, by a 237 to 161 vote.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to share complaint information from student borrowers, among other things. Additionally, CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger said, at a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday, that she’s working with ED on a plan that would allow for “joint” oversight of Federal student loans.

A Federal judge upheld a provision in the Obama-era Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) rule that prevents institutions of higher education from using mandatory arbitration agreements.

LendEDU settled with the Federal Trade Commission to pay $350,000 for allegedly misleading customers.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
‘Fire’ Betsy DeVos? Democrats Turn Cabinet Turnover Into Campaign Attack [Education Week]

How much influence will University of California faculty panel have on whether colleges go test optional? [Inside Higher Ed]

Pa. Higher Ed Assistance Agency Not a “Debt Collector” Under Law, Court Rules [Inside Higher Ed]

Rural Minnesota community colleges plan to merge [Inside Higher Ed]

Choices, choices: For college students, a buffet of options causes heartburn [The Washington Post]

On America’s college campuses, the coronavirus delivers a chill [The Washington Post]

Democrats blast consumer bureau over student loan oversight agreement with DeVos [The Hill]

Feds to give former Art Institute students a new opportunity for loan forgiveness [The Washington Post]

Colleges worry about implications of religious freedom rule [Inside Higher Ed]

Report: Lenders Use Educational Data to Discriminate [Inside Higher Ed]

New Data on Veterans’ Education Benefits [Inside Higher Ed]

Poaching Enrolled Students: Once Taboo, Now OK [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Grant prepares doctoral students for 21st-century community college careers [Inside Higher Ed]

Where you attend college could be costing you more to borrow and refinance education loans, report says [The Washington Post]

Graduates Of Historically Black Colleges May Be Paying More For Loans: Watchdog Group [National Public Radio]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Education and Labor Committee 
February 11: Subcommittee Hearing: “Balancing Work, Health, and Family: The Case for Expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act.”
Witnesses: Mrs. Sydney Batch, J.D., M.S.W., Representative, North Carolina House of Representatives, Raleigh, NC; Mr. Anthony Sandkamp, Owner, Sandkamp Woodworks LLC, Jersey City , NJ; Ms. Rachel Greszler, Research Fellow in Economics, Budgets, and Entitlements, The Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Ms. Elisabeth Jacobs, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.
2:00 p.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building or webcast

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions  
Press Release: Alexander on Impeachment: “Let the People Decide”

House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
February 11: Subcommittee Hearing: “More Hires, Fewer Hacks: Developing The U.S. Cybersecurity Workforce”
Witnesses: Mr. Rodney Petersen, Director, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Dr. Ambareen Siraj, Professor, Computer Science; Director, Cybersecurity Education Research and Outreach Center, Tennessee Tech University; Mr. Joseph Sawasky, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merit Network, Inc.; Ms. Sonya Miller, HR Director, IBM Security and Enterprise & Technology Security
10:00 a.m. in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building or webcast

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
February 11: Full Committee Hearing: “Name, Image, and Likeness: The State of Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation”
Witnesses: Mr. Bob Bowlsby, Commissioner, Big 12 Conference; Mr. Mark Emmert, President, National Collegiate Athletic Association; Dr. Douglas Girod, Chancellor, University of Kansas; Mr. Ramogi Huma, Executive Director, National College Players Association; Mr. Kendall Spencer, Chair, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, National Collegiate Athletic Association
10:00 a.m. in 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building or webcast

House Committee on Appropriations 
Press Release: House Passes Puerto Rico Earthquake Supplemental

House Committee on the Budget
February 12: Full Committee Hearing: “The President’s 2021 Budget”
Witness: The Hon. Russell Vought, Acting Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
10:00 a.m. in 210 Cannon House Office Building or webcast

House Committee on Small Business 
February 11: Full Committee Hearing: “The Innovation Pipeline: From Universities to Small Businesses”
Witnesses: Dr. John Younger, Vice President of Science and Technology, University City Science Center, Philadelphia, PA; Ms. Sheila Martin, Vice President of Economic Development and Community Engagement, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Washington, DC; Mr. Ethan Mann, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Sharklet Technologies, Inc., Aurora, CO; Dr. Gregory P. Crawford, President, Miami University, Oxford, OH
10:00 a.m. in 2360 Rayburn House Office Building or webcast

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Speech: Remarks by President Trump in State of the Union Address

ED Press Release: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Releases Statement on State of the Union

DOL Press Release: Statement By U.S. Secretary Of Labor Scalia On President Trump’s State Of The Union Address

IES Report: “Veterans’ Education Benefits: A Profile of Military Students Who Received Federal Veterans’ Education Benefits in 2015–16”

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.5810 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the American History for Freedom grant program.
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (Introduced 02/07/2020) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 02/07/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.1494 — Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Homeland Security Partnerships Act
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (Introduced 03/05/2019) Cosponsors: (20)
Committees: House – Homeland Security; Small Business
Latest Action:  House – 02/06/2020 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 316.

H.R.5768 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to protect students and taxpayers by modernizing evaluation and increasing transparency in the accreditation system, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (Introduced 02/06/2020) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 02/06/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Representatives Trahan, Dean, and Hayes Introduce the Accreditation Reform Act

H.R.5759 — To establish a career pathway grant program.
Sponsor: Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (Introduced 02/05/2020) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 02/05/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Adams Introduces Gateway to Careers Act

H.R.5766 — To amend the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 to expand eligibility for high technology programs of education and the class of providers who may enter into contracts with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide such programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. McCarthy, Kevin [R-CA-23] (Introduced 02/05/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
Latest Action:  House – 02/05/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Press Release: McCarthy, Khanna Introduce Bill to Expand VET-TEC Pilot Program

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosures. Comments due on or before March 11, 2020. 

ED Comment Request: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2021. Comments due on or before March 11, 2020. 

DOL Comment Request: Job Corps Enrollee Allotment Determination. Comments due on or before April 6, 2020. 

Executive Office of the President Proclamation: Career and Technical Education Month, 2020