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

November 23, 2020

HOUSE and SENATE 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as well as the other top House Democratic and Republican leadership team members, were re-elected to their roles for the 117th Congress.

On Friday, the House passed H.R.8294, National Apprenticeship Act by a 246 to 140 vote.

ADMINISTRATION 
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) opened an investigation last week into the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana’s handling of allegedly anti-Semitic events on campus.

ED’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released its 2020 Fiscal Year report, which acknowledged that it would be a “heavy burden” on FSA and Federal contractors the office employs to restart student loan payments, interest accrual and collections after the current moratorium ends in December 2020.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a report on Public High School Students’ Career and Technical Education Course-taking from 1992 to 2013.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed guidance in favor of reopening schools.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Op-Ed: 4 ways the 2021 Congress should improve college grant programs for low-income students [The Hill]

College students hit the road after an eerie pandemic semester. Will the virus go home with them? [The Washington Post]

Op-Ed: Community colleges are helping students more than ever in the pandemic [The Hechinger Report]

Major Tensions Flare Over Education Secretary Before Joe Biden Even Picks One [Education Week]

Calls for Biden to cancel student debt grow, alongside tensions surrounding the policy [The Washington Post]

Faculty pandemic stress is now chronic  [Inside Higher Ed]

Public health programs see surge in students amid pandemic  [Associated Press]

With Cases Surging, Colleges Turn To Students For Help [ NPR]

Judge rules acting homeland security secretary appointment unlawful, which could have implications for DACA [The Washington Post]

Biden’s plan for higher ed is good—but it could be better [ Brookings]

Plummeting Community-College Enrollments: Inside the Numbers  [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Cutting the In-Person Semester Short  [Inside Higher Ed]

Progress in getting underrepresented people into college and skilled jobs may be stalling because of the pandemic  [The Hechinger Report]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
Speaker of the House 
Press Release: Pelosi, Schumer Demand Sen. McConnell Finally Come to Negotiating Table This Week to Produce Bipartisan, Bicameral Comprehensive COVID-19 Relief Agreement That Meets the Needs of Country

Senate Majority Leader  
Press Release: Operation Warp Speed Provides More Good News For COVID-19 Vaccine

House Committee on Rules 
Documents and webcast from today’s committee hearing on “Business Meeting: H.R. 8294 National Apprenticeship Act of 2020”

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration :
ED Press Release: Readout of the Department of Education’s Office for Career Technical and Adult Education ‘Rethink Work Based Learning’ Event with U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia

IES WWC: Summary of the Research on Single Stop USA’s Community College Initiative

IES Report: College Enrollment and Completion among Texas High School Graduates with a Disability

Legislative Movement in Congress:
H.R.8762 — To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a determination on whether to approve an occupation as an apprenticeable occupation in a timely manner, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Kim, Andy [D-NJ-3] (Introduced 11/17/2020) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 11/17/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.8765 — To codify the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs of the Department of Labor.
Sponsor: Rep. Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R-MO-3] (Introduced 11/17/2020) Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 11/17/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.8766 — To direct the Secretary of Labor to provide for data collection and dissemination of information regarding programs under the national apprenticeship system, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (Introduced 11/17/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 11/17/2020 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

S.4903 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to encourage entrepreneurship by providing loan deferment and loan cancellation for founders and employees of small business startups, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (Introduced 11/17/2020) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Finance
Latest Action:  Senate – 11/17/2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education. Comments due on or before December 21, 2020.

NSF Meeting Notice: STEM Education Advisory Panel. The Meeting will be held on December 11, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. If you wish to attend the virtual meeting in listen-in only mode, send your request to stemedadvisory@nsf.gov no later than close of business December 9, 2020.