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

April 20, 2021

HOUSE and SENATE
At a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee, Senator Warren released data she had received from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that estimated the number of borrowers that would have their loans completely paid off if each borrower were provided $50,000 in student loan relief.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held its nomination hearing for James Kvaal to serve as Under Secretary of the ED.

The Senate HELP Committee also announced that it would vote on the Kvaal nomination, the nomination of Cindy Marten to serve as Deputy Education Secretary and the nomination of Julie Su to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor on Wednesday, April 21.

ADMINISTRATION
The Biden Administration announced several nominations for positions in the U.S. Department of Labor.

ED announced new appointments for several offices within the agency.

The Biden Administration announced it will be releasing $39 billion in child care funding approved as part of the in American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Harris says ‘hard work’ ahead to get infrastructure package through Congress [The Hill]

How Biden’s infrastructure plan may fracture the nation’s colleges [POLITICO]

Jill Biden Praises Program for Free Community College [Inside Higher Ed]

Is it ethical to pay students to get vaccinated? [Inside Higher Ed]

Groups push for easier student loan relief for the disabled [The Associated Press]

What other states can learn from Michigan about serving adult students [Higher Ed Dive]

Biden’s pick for top higher ed post outlines priorities in confirmation hearing [Higher Ed Dive]

Sinema, Romney propose bill to tackle student loan debt [The Hill]

$50K of student loan forgiveness would wipe out federal debt for 36M, new data shows [POLITICO]

Colleges cancel, postpone Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointments [The Washington Post]

Students struggling but not seeking campus mental health support [Inside Higher Ed]

A switch to test-optional led to modest gains in underrepresented students: study [Higher Ed Dive]

Opinion: Connecting learners, educators and employers unclogs the workforce development pipeline [The Hechinger Report]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
Speaker of the House
Press Release: Pelosi Statement Following Meeting with Key Committee Chairs on American Jobs Plan

Senate Majority Leader
Press Release: Transcript: Majority Leader Schumer Pushes For Senate Passage Of The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act At Press Conference With Speaker Pelosi, Senator Hirono, And Reps. Meng And Kim

Senate Minority Leader
Remarks: Experts: Democrats’ “Infrastructure” Bill Would Cost More Than $800,000 Per New Job

House Education and Labor Committee
April 20: Business Meeting: Organizational Meeting. Business meeting to approve new subcommittee assignments.
10:15 a.m. via Zoom (This meeting will occur prior to the Full Committee hearing entitled, “For-Profit College Conversions: Examining Ways to Improve Accountability and Prevent Fraud.”)

April 20: Full Committee Hearing: “For-Profit College Conversions: Examining Ways to Improve Accountability and Prevent Fraud”
Witnesses: Ms. Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Boston, MA; Ms. Yan Cao, J.D., Fellow, The Century Foundation, Brooklyn, NY; Andrew Gillen, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Austin, TX; Brian Galle, J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
10:15 a.m. via Zoom

April 22: Full Committee Hearing: Members Day Hearing: Committee on Education and Labor
10:15 a.m. via Zoom

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
April 20: Full Committee Hearing: “COVID-19 Recovery: Supporting Workers and Modernizing the Workforce Through Quality Education, Training, and Employment Opportunities”
Witnesses: Ms. Maria Flynn, President And CEO, Jobs For the Future, Boston, MA; Ms. Deniece Thomas, Deputy Commissioner Of Workforce Learning And Development, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Nashville, TN; Dr. Scott Ralls, President, Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC; Mr. Alejandro Mendoza, Human Resources Director, Optimax Systems Inc., Ontario, NY
10:00 a.m. in 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building or webcast

April 21: Executive Session: Hearing to consider the nominations of Cynthia Marten to serve as Deputy Secretary of Education and James Kvaal to serve as Under Secretary of Education and Julie Su to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor
Time and location to be determined

Press Release: Burr: Cancelling Extraordinary Amounts of Student Loan Debt ‘Wrong Solution’ for Borrowers, Taxpayers

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
Press Release: At Hearing, Warren Delivers Remarks on Student Debt Crisis

House Committee on Appropriations
April 20: Subcommittee Hearing: “The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA”
Witnesses: Ms. Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, FNS, USDA
10:00 a.m. via webcast

April 20: Subcommittee Hearing: “Building Capacity, Building Community: Increasing Investments in Community Colleges”
Witnesses: Dr. William T. Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Gateway Community College; Dr. Walter Bumphus, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges; Ms. Kelli Jordan, Director, IBM Career Skills, and Performance; Dr. Mary Alice McCarthy, Director, Center on Education and Labor, New America
10:00 a.m.

Senate Committee on Appropriations
April 20: Full Committee Hearing: To examine the American Jobs Plan, focusing on infrastructure, climate change, and investing in our nation’s future.
Witnesses: The Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Secretary, Department of Transportation; The Honorable Michael Regan, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; The Honorable Gina Raimondo, Secretary, Department of Commerce; The Honorable Marcia Fudge, Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development
10:30 a.m. in 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building or webcast

House Agriculture Committee 
April 20: Full Committee Hearing: “Rural Broadband – Examining Internet Connectivity Needs and Opportunities in Rural America”
Witnesses: to be announced
10:00 a.m. in 1300 Longworth House Office Building or via Cisco Webex

House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Press Release: Ranking Member Frank Lucas Opening Statement at Full Committee Hearing on America’s Innovation Future

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
Press Release: New GAO Report Confirms President Biden’s Decisions Accelerated Vaccine Distribution

U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee
Webcast from last week’s hearing: “Vaccinations and the Economic Recovery”

Press Release: Vaccine policy is economic policy. Today’s JEC hearing explores why.

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: Remarks by Vice President Harris on the American Jobs Plan

White House Press Release: President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate Eight Key Administration Leaders

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces American Rescue Plan Funding to Rescue the Child Care Industry so the Economy Can Recover

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: The American Jobs Plan Supports Small Businesses

ED Media Advisory: Open Press Roundtable with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Students, Educators, and School Administrative Staff Eligible for the Dream and Promise Act

ED Press Release: Statement by Secretary Cardona on President Biden’s Nomination of Gwen Graham

DOL Press Release: US Department Of Labor Selects Seven States To Participate In Its Initiative To Improve Employment Outcomes For People With Mental Health Conditions

IES Report: “Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Survey Analysis: Descriptive Statistics”

GAO Report: Higher Education: “IRS And Education Could Better Address Risks Associated with For-Profit College Conversions”

GAO Report: “COVID-19: Efforts to Increase Vaccine Availability and Perspectives on Initial Implementation”

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.2661 — To prioritize educating and training for existing and new environmental health professionals.
Sponsor: Rep. Lawrence, Brenda L. [D-MI-14] (Introduced 04/19/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 04/19/2021 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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…

S.1212 — A bill to address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by rapidly evolving technologies.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (Introduced 04/19/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action:  Senate – 04/19/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Durbin, Warnock, Bustos Introduce Bill To Invest In American Workforce

H.R.2610 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to report revenue generated by each sports team, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4] (Introduced 04/16/2021) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 04/16/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Representative Price and Senator Murphy Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Promote Transparency in College Athletics

H.R.2627 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lawrence, Brenda L. [D-MI-14] (Introduced 04/16/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 04/16/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: U.S. Rep. Lawrence Reintroduces Legislation to Boost Financial Aid

S.1153 – A bill to amend the Head Start Act to authorize block grants to States for prekindergarten education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 04/15/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Lee, Colleagues Introduce Head Start Improvement Act

S.1173 – A bill to establish a matched savings program for low-income students.
Sponsor: Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ]
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 04/15/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Sinema, Romney Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Student Loan Debt, Make College More Affordable

H.R.2498 — To provide for the discharge of a private education loan in the case of death or total and permanent disability of a student obligor, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (Introduced 04/14/2021) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Armed Services; Ways and Means
Latest Action:  House – 04/14/2021 Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 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 concerned.
Press Release: Congresswoman Dean introduces Constituent Inspired Bill – the Private Loan Disability Discharge Act

S.1126 — A bill to amend the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 to strengthen research in adult education.
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (Introduced 04/14/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action:  Senate – 04/14/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

H.R.2459 — To require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement as part of an infrastructure investment.
Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (Introduced 04/13/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 04/13/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Bonamici Helps Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Support Training for Skilled Infrastructure Jobs

H.R.2460 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans.
Sponsor: Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4] (Introduced 04/13/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 04/13/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Price, Murphy, and Stevens Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Provide Borrowers Relief from Joint Consolidation Loans

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request Forms. Comments due on or before June 15, 2021.

ED Notice: Annual Updates to the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan Formula for 2021-William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.