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

CONGRESS
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 734, the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” on a party-line vote of 219-203.

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy unveiled the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, Republicans’ initial proposal to raise the U.S. Federal debt ceiling, establish 10-year discretionary spending caps and prohibit the Administration’s loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment proposals from taking effect.

A group of sixteen House Democrats wrote a letter to members of House leadership urging them to include for-profit institutions as it pursues short-term Pell Grant policies.

ADMINISTRATION
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on “Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a statement on Speaker McCarthy’s debt ceiling proposal.

Secretary Cardona wrote a letter to Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in response to his March 30 letter on the increase in gun violence at schools.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education Amy Loyd published a blog post titled “Celebrating our Nation’s Community Colleges.”

THE COURTS
Texas District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman granted the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to transfer a case pertaining to the Biden Administration’s borrower defense to repayment rule to the Austin Division of Texas’ Western District.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Penn Hill Group provides a list of grant opportunities and summaries for select grants. Please visit our website for more information.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]

Graduate student stipends in the Midwest are falling behind the rest of the country [Higher Ed Dive]

Council for School Safety Leadership launches to help schools, colleges recover from tragedy [Higher Ed Dive]

Most Va. voters see equal opportunities in public schools, poll finds [The Washington Post]

White women dominate the college admissions field [Higher Ed Dive]

Education Department struggles to fulfill its duties without a significant bump in funding [Higher Ed Dive]

Use open educational resources to hit DEI goals, AAC&U says [Higher Ed Dive]

Advocates push Biden admin to open up TRIO to undocumented students [Inside Higher Ed]

At many HBCUs, just 1 in 3 students are men. Here’s why that matters. [The Washington Post]

Will the University of Arkansas buy University of Phoenix? Some are worried [The Washington Post]

Biden Announces 2024 Re-Election Bid [The New York Times]

College Board Will Change Its AP African American Studies Course [The New York Times]

Best practices for queer inclusivity in science research [Inside Higher Ed]

‘We’re Not Slowing Down,’ Student Workers Say [Inside Higher Ed]

College Board to make more changes in African American Studies course [Higher Ed Dive]

Top Education Department officials slam budget cuts in Republican debt ceiling proposal [Higher Ed Dive]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:

Speaker of the House
Press Release: House GOP Leadership Statement on the House GOP Plan to Address the Debt Ceiling

Press Release: Even Democrats Call on President Biden to Negotiate

House Majority Leader 
Press Release: Scalise: House Republicans Just Voted to Protect Women’s Sports

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy, Scott, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers, Support Small Businesses

Statements and testimony from Full Committee Hearing on “Nomination of Julie Su to serve as Secretary of Labor.”

House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Press Release: Kiley: “The livelihoods of millions of Americans are at risk”

Press Release: Foxx: “Female Athletes are Being Erased”

Blog: Hearing Recap: Independent Contractors Edition

Press Release: What People Are *Actually* Saying About H.R. 734, the “Politics Over Participation Act”

Press Release: ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Leads Opposition to Politics Over Participation Act

House Committee on the Budget
Press Release: Congress Can Use the Debt Ceiling to Get America Back to Work

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Members of Congress And Organizations Rally Around Julie Su’s Nomination

White House Press Release: Remarks by President Biden in Meeting with Tennessee State Representatives

White House Press Release: A Proclamation on the 70th Anniversary of the Lavender Scare

ED Press Release: Statement from U.S. Education Secretary on Appointment of Distinguished Black Americans to Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans

ED Blog: Updated College Scorecard Will Help Students Find High Value Postsecondary Programs

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.734 – Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023
Sponsor: Gregory Steube [R-FL-17] (Introduced 02/01/2023) Cosponsors: (93)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: 04/20/2023 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Press Release: U.S. House Passes Steube Legislation to Save Women’s Sports

H.R.2825 — To establish a program to make grants for the establishment of prison libraries.
Sponsor: Cleaver, Emanuel [Rep.-D-MO-5] (Introduced 04/25/2023)
Cosponsors: (27)
Committees: House – Judiciary
Latest Action: House – 04/25/2023 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Press Release: Reps. Cleaver, Jackson Lee, and Brown Introduce Bill to Advance Reintegration Efforts, Reduce Recidivism, and Increase Educational Opportunities for Incarcerated Individuals

H.R.2851 — To amend the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly referred to as the “National Apprenticeship Act”) to expand the national apprenticeship system to include apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships registered under such Act and to promote the furtherance of labor standards necessary to safeguard the welfare of apprentices, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Scott, Robert C. “Bobby” [Rep.-D-VA-3] (Introduced 04/25/2023) Cosponsors: (34)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce; Judiciary
Latest Action: House – 04/25/2023 Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction.
Press Release: Labor Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Apprenticeships

S.1222 – A bill to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to encourage entrepreneurship training in after school programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Catherine Cortez Masto [D-NV] (Introduced 04/20/2023) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: Senate – Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Latest Action: 04/20/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Press Release: Cortez Masto Pushes Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Professional Development for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: National Evaluation of Career and Technical Education Under Perkins V. Comments due on or before May 22, 2023. 

ED Notice: Annual Updates to the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan Formula for 2023-William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

ETA Comment Request: Program Year (PY) 2023 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Allotments; PY 2023 Wagner-Peyser Act Allotments and PY 2023 Workforce Information Grants. Comments due on or before May 22, 2023.