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

June 9, 2020

COVID-19 Updates 
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) sent an interim final rule regarding the eligibility of students at institutions of higher education for emergency grant aid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L.116-136) to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

ED published guidance regarding the State maintenance-of-effort requirements under the CARES Act.

ED will make the applications it receives for the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund under the CARES Act publicly available.

HOUSE and SENATE
The Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act (H.R.7010) by unanimous consent, and the President subsequently signed the bill into law.

House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced that she intends to hold all Appropriations Subcommittee and full Committee markups during the weeks of July 6 and 13, with the bills being considered by the full House the weeks of July 20 and 27.

ADMINISTRATION
The President vetoed H.J.Res.76, a Congressional Review Act resolution which would have repealed the Administration’s final Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) rule. Anticipating a veto of this resolution by the President, the House of Representatives, through a rule passed related to other legislation, has delayed the consideration of the veto message on the resolution until July 1, 2020.

Eighteen State’s attorneys general sued ED over its final Title IX rule.

The President issued a proclamation revoking or prohibiting certain Chinese graduate and post-graduate students from receiving F or J visas to study or conduct research in the U.S.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Lawmakers Seek Over $300 Billion for Public Schools in Next COVID Relief Bill [Education Week]

Democratic lawmakers push leadership to ensure college students have internet access [The Hill]

Enrollments Could Rise While Tuition Revenue Falls, Moody’s Says [Inside Higher Ed]

Community college systems in Virginia, California to review law enforcement training [Inside Higher Ed]

California Legislature pushes to close embattled Calbright College [EdSource]

Lawyers explain the many legal issues colleges could face whether they reopen or not [Inside Higher Ed]

What Will College Be Like in the Fall? [The New York Times]

Colleges factor flexibility for students into fall reopening plans [Education Dive]

The Equity Argument — and a New Tool — for Skills-Based Hiring [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

“Microcredentials” gain new momentum due to urgency to get back to work [The Hechinger Report]

Op-Ed: The pay-off for a prestigious college degree is smaller than you think [The Hill]

Groups to FTC: Company pushing student income-share agreements deceives customers [The Washington Post]

Federal guidance, formula made disbursing emergency student aid difficult for community colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

Why so few students transferring from community college to university [The Hechinger Report]

Three College Leaders on Hope, Despair, and the Killing of George Floyd [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
Speaker of the House
Press Release: Pelosi Remarks on Press Call with Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Members of Congress and Advocates on Anniversary of House Passing American Dream and Promise Act

Senate Majority Leader 
Press Release:  McConnell: “Our Economic Comeback is Just Beginning”

House Education and Labor Committee 
Press Release: GAO Report: More than Half of School Districts Need Significant Building Repairs; Ventilation Systems Are Major Concern

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions  
Documents and webcast of last week’s Full Committee Hearing: “COVID-19: Going Back to College Safely”

Press Release: Alexander: The Question for Administrators of 6,000 Colleges and Universities is Not Whether to Reopen in August, but How to Reopen Safely

Press Release: Senator Murray Urges Careful Preparation Before Colleges Reopen and Stresses Need to Address Inequities for Students Hit Hardest by the COVID-19 Crisis

House Committee on Appropriations 
Documents and webcast of last week’s Subcommittee Hearing: COVID-19 Response

House Committee on Energy & Commerce
Documents and webcast of last week’s Subcommittee Hearing:  “On the Front Lines: How Governors are Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic”

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: Memorandum on Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery

IES Notice: The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network is now accepting applications for its first Training Institute, to be held August 17–21, 2020. The Training Institute will be virtual.

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.7010 — Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020
Sponsor: Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3] (Introduced 05/26/2020) Cosponsors:(86)
Committees: House – Small Business; Ways and Means
Latest Action:  06/05/2020 Signed by President.

H.R.7114 — To extend and clarify relief to Federal student loan borrowers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Stivers, Steve [R-OH-15] (Introduced 06/04/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor; Ways and Means
Latest Action:  House – 06/04/2020 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.J.Res.76 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Borrower Defense Institutional Accountability”.
Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (Introduced 09/26/2019) Cosponsors: (162)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 06/01/2020 The Chair announced that without objection, further consideration of the veto message and the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 76, would be postponed until the legislative day of July 1, 2020.
Press Release: Rep. Lee Statement on Pres. Trump’s Veto of Her Bipartisan Bill to Overturn DeVos Borrower Defense Rule

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
Executive Office of the President Proclamation: Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers From the People’s Republic of China

ED Comment Request: CARES Act, Recipient’s Funding Certification and Agreement (SIP, MSI, FIPSE). Comments due on or before August 3, 2020. 

ED Notice: Annual Updates to the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan Formula for 2020-William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.