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

June 8, 2021

HOUSE and SENATE
The House and Senate were not in session this past week. This week, the House will have a committee work week with no legislative business scheduled on the House floor and the Senate will be in session.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) officially ended Federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Universities (ACICS) as a Federally recognized accreditor of institutions of higher education (IHEs).

Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray recently announced through a blog post that ED would be more forthcoming with supplying other Federal agencies and States with information from Federal student loan servicers for these entities to conduct oversight over Federal student loan servicing activities.

As part of the effort to vaccinate as many Americans as possible against COVID-19, the Biden Administration has invited colleges to join its College Vaccine Challenge and become Vaccine Champion Colleges.

The Institute of Education Sciences released a report on “Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales: Results from the 2019 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments.”

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
CDC: Fully vaccinated campuses can mostly drop coronavirus safety measures [Higher Ed Dive]

Online learning leaders want to prioritize flexibility post-pandemic [Inside Higher Ed]

FAFSA verification: An undue burden for students and public colleges [Brookings Institute]

OPINION: Better outcomes and graduation rates are possible for underrepresented and low-income students if we work together and share what we’ve learned [The Hechinger Report]

Bipartisan bill would authorize millions in federal grant funding for work-based learning programs [Inside Higher Ed]

Local leaders build pressure on Biden to cancel student loans [The Hill]

Community colleges launch new plans for campus housing [Inside Higher Ed]

Infrastructure plan would create plenty of jobs, but who will do them? [The Hechinger Report]

Biden plan to close racial wealth gap should include student loan debt cancellation, experts say [Inside Higher Ed]

Senate adds short-term Pell expansion to Innovation and Competition Act [Higher Ed Dive]

Op-Ed: Doubling Pell Grants will make college a reality for more students [The Hechinger Report]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Education and Labor Committee
Press Release: Foxx, Burr Call on Secretary Cardona to Create Reactivation Plan for Student Loan Payments Following COVID-19 Repayment Freeze

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Burr, Foxx Call on Secretary Cardona to Create Reactivation Plan for Student Loan Payments Following COVID-19 Repayment Freeze

House Committee on Appropriations
June 9: Subcommittee Hearing: “Subcommittees:
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Member Day”
Witnesses: The Honorable David N. Cicilline, Member of Congress; The Honorable Jenniffer González-Colón, Member of Congress; The Honorable Andy Levin, Member of Congress.
10:00 a.m. via Webcast

House Agriculture Committee 
Press Release: ICYMI: Industry Leaders Share Support of Broadband for Rural America Act

Online Events:
June 7 – 11: U.S. Department of Education event— “Title IX Public Hearing”
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announces a virtual public hearing to gather information for the purpose of improving enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
At the hearing, members of the public may comment on steps the Department can take to ensure that schools are providing students with educational environments free from discrimination in the form of sexual harassment, which encompasses sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. Members of the public may also comment on how the Department can continue to ensure that schools have grievance procedures that provide for the fair, prompt, and equitable resolution of reports of sexual harassment and other sex discrimination, cognizant of the sensitive issues that are often involved.  OCR also seeks the public’s comments on the Department’s role in addressing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in educational environments.
Register here.

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
ED Press Release: Biden Administration Launches COVID-19 College Challenge to Get More Young People Vaccinated

ED Press Release: U.S Department of Education Releases COVID-19 Handbook Volume 3: Strategies for Safe Operation and Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Students, Faculty, and Staff

ED Press Release: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese, June 4, 2021

ED Press Release: Statement from the U.S. Department of Education on the Status of Recognition of Nine Accrediting Agencies and Withdrawal of Recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

IES Report: Indiana and Minnesota Students Who Focused on Career and Technical Education in High School: Who Are They, and What Are Their College and Employment Outcomes?

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.3693 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the reimbursement of continuing professional education expenses for health care professionals of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (Introduced 06/04/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
Latest Action: House – 06/04/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Press Release: Brownley, Miller-Meeks Introduce Legislation To Support Va Healthcare Workers

H.R.3704 — To have education funds follow the student.
Sponsor: Rep. Good, Bob [R-VA-5] (Introduced 06/04/2021) Cosponsors: (9)
Committees: House – Ways and Means; Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 06/04/2021 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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…
Press Release: Rep Good Introduces Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act (CHOICE)

H.R.3716 — To require agencies to analyze how certain rules impact children, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12] (Introduced 06/04/2021) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: House – Judiciary; Oversight and Reform
Latest Action: House – 06/04/2021 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, 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.R.3729 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that enables college-bound residents of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa to have greater choices among institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [D-MP-At Large] (Introduced 06/04/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 06/04/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: In-state tuition for NMC grads

H.R.3663 — To support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.
Sponsor: Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-10] (Introduced 06/01/2021) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 06/01/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.3667 — To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to target additional child care funds by allocating to states based on the number of children in poverty, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-3] (Introduced 06/01/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Ways and Means
Latest Action: House – 06/01/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Press Release: Reps. Miller, Walberg Introduce Legislation to Reduce Child Poverty

H.R.3673 — To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to establish the Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team grant program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (Introduced 06/01/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Judiciary
Latest Action: House – 06/01/2021 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Press Release: Shaheen, Pappas Introduce Legislation to Launch Nationwide Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team (ACERT) Programs Piloted in New Hampshire

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
HHS Comment Request: Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES). Comments due on or by July 8, 2021. 

ED Comment Request: High School and Beyond 2022 (HS&B:22) Base-Year Full-Scale Study Data Collection and First Follow-up Field Test Sampling, Tracking, and Recruitment. Comments due on or before July 7, 2021. 

ED Comment Request: Impact Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools.Comments due on or before July 7, 2021. 

ED Grant Notice: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program-Expansion-Phase Grants.Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: June 28, 2021.  Applications due on or before July 7, 2021. 

ED Grant Notice: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program-Mid-Phase Grants. Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: June 28, 2021.  Applications due on or before July 7, 2021. 

HHS Comment Request: Head Start REACH: Strengthening Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Approaches With Families (New Collection). Comments due on or by August 3, 2021.

DOL Comment Request: Research To Support the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship. Comments due on or by August 3, 2021.