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

September 20, 2022

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
Congress renews fight to help people trapped in spousal student loans [The Washington Post]

Waiting for loan forgiveness, borrowers are targets for scammers [NPR]

Students still value career-oriented education over liberal arts experiences, research finds [Higher Ed Dive

The Title IX Comments Are In. Here Are 3 Things to Know. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Many Colleges Fail in Push to Boost Enrollment of Lower-Income Students [The Wall Street Journal]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
Speaker of the House
Press Release: Pelosi Announces New Committee Assignments

House Majority Leader
Press Release: House Democrats Act to Lower Costs for Working Families; Ensure Government Transparency

House Education and Labor Committee
Press Release: Higher Education Leaders Introduce New Bill to Lower Cost of College

September 15: Full Committee Markup: “H.Res. 1295 – Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Education to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the Department of Education’s cost estimates for the Secretary’s waivers related to public service loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment; H.Res. 1296 – Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Education to transmit, respectively, certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the legal authority to forgive Federal student loan debt, and H.Res. 1273 – Of inquiry directing the President to provide certain documents in the President’s possession to the House of Representatives relating to communication between the executive branch and the American Federation of Teachers regarding reopening schools and supporting safe, in-person learning

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
September 21: Executive Session: Nomination of Karla Gilbride to be General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Nomination of Jessica Looman to be Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor; Nomination of Moshe Marvit to be a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; and any additional business for consideration.
Time and Location: TBD

Press Release: Senator Murray Fights Back Against Republicans’ National Abortion Ban

House Small Business Committee
Press Release: Crow Looks to Youth Apprenticeships to Strengthen Small Business Workforce

September 15: Subcommittee Hearing: Back to School, Back to Startups: Supporting Youth Apprenticeship, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development
Witnesses: Mr. Noel Ginsburg, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, CareerWise
Denver, CO; Ms. Deborah Kobes, Senior Director, Jobs for the Future (JFF), Washington, DC; Ms. Shani Watkins, Director, West Sound Technical Skills, Center, Bremerton School District, Bremerton, WA.
10:00 am EST Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building and via Zoom.

Online Events:
September 22: Brookings Institute webinar — “How HBCUs can drive neighborhood growth: Increasing access to financial institutions”
On Thursday, September 22, Brookings Metro will host an event examining the report’s findings, which lay out a roadmap for private, philanthropic, and government institutions to provide capital to HBCUs and maximize community development impact. A panel of leaders will discuss ways that public and private investment will ensure that every HBCU can sustain and transform the neighborhoods and cities that host them and the students they serve, with routine access to investment capital from a range of sources to enable long-term planning for institutional development and expansion.
11:00 – 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Register here.

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Blog: How the Biden-⁠Harris Administration is Continuing to Promote Voting Access

ED Press Release: White House Initiative On Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, And Economic Opportunity Through Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Host 2022 National HBCU Conference

White House Press Release: Remarks by President Biden at a Democratic National Committee Reception

DOL Press Release: U.S. Departments of Labor, Education Announce Joint Proposal to Define Effectiveness of Workforce Programs for Employers

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.Res.1361 — Providing for consideration of the bill (S. 1098) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans; and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Perlmutter, Ed [Rep.-D-CO-7] (Introduced 09/19/2022) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Rules
Committee Report: H. Rept. 117-478
Latest Action: House – 09/19/2022 Placed on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 100.

S.4881 — A bill to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study for small business development centers and women’s business centers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Marshall, Roger [Sen.-R-KS] (Introduced 09/19/2022) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: Senate – Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Latest Action: Senate – 09/19/2022 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Press Release: Sens. Marshall, Coons Introduce the Supporting Small Business Career and Technical Education Act

H.R.8856 — To provide enhanced student loan relief to educators.
Sponsor: Leger Fernandez, Teresa [Rep.-D-NM-3] (Introduced 09/15/2022)
Cosponsors: (9)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 09/15/2022 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

H.R.8872 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to double the Pell Grant award amount, improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and reduce interest rates, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Wilson, Frederica S. [Rep.-D-FL-24] (Introduced 09/15/2022)
Cosponsors: (31)
Committees: House – Education and Labor; Budget
Latest Action: House – 09/15/2022 Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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.

H.R.8822 — To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to support the placement of students and licensed professional social workers in public libraries, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Garcia, Sylvia R. [Rep.-D-TX-29] (Introduced 09/14/2022) Cosponsors: (7)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 09/14/2022 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Annual Performance Report. Comments due on or before November 21, 2022. 

ED Notice: Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) Minimum Data Elements (MDEs). Comments due on or before October 17, 2022.

ED Proposed Rule: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Effectiveness in Serving Employers Performance Indicator. Comments due on or before November 14, 2022.