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 Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) released bill text for its fiscal year 2024 appropriations and reported the bill to the Full Appropriations Committee favorably on a voice vote. You can find the bill text here, a summary of the bill released by House Republicans here and a press release issued by House Democrats here.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education announced that 804,000 borrowers will receive $39 billion in automatic loan forgiveness following the implementation of the Biden Administration’s changes to Income-Driven Repayment Plans.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant Program: Early-Phase Grant Summary
Application Deadline: August 1, 2023

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]

Biden’s Backup for Student Loan Relief Likely to Take a Year [Inside Higher Ed]

Biden student loan repayment changes could cost around $475B: economic model [The Hill]

Supreme Court, Republicans to blame for lack of debt forgiveness, students say in poll [The Hill]

Prisoners now have access to Pell Grant educations — but face a tough road to get them [The Hill]

PROOF POINTS: American confidence in higher education hits a new low, yet most still see value in a college degree [The Hechinger Report]
Gallup Report: “Americans’ Confidence in Higher Education Down Sharply”

NLRB: Duke University doctoral students can vote to unionize [Higher Ed Dive]

Labor Department approves registered principal apprenticeships [K-12 Dive]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Press Release: Chair Foxx Supports Bill to Put Students, Taxpayers Above Biden’s Failed Open Border Policies

Press Release: Foxx on Education Department Celebrating Illegal, Unilateral Student Loan Action

Statements and Webcast from Yesterday’s Subcommittee Hearing on Exposing the Dangers of the Influence of Foreign Adversaries on College Campuses

Press Release: Education and the Workforce Committee Passes Landmark Health Care Package

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Committee Approves FY24 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill

Statements and Webcast from Yesterday’s Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2024 Legislative Branch, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Acts

Senate Majority Leader
Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Today’s CPI Report Showing That Inflation Continues To Decline

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Press Release: New Analysis: Biden’s Newest Student Loan Scheme to Cost Taxpayers $559 Billion

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy Demands Transparency from HHS on Return to In-Person Operations

Senate Committee on Appropriations
July 13: Business Meeting: Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2024 Legislative Branch, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Acts

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: Statement from President Joe Biden on New Student Debt Relief Actions

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Releases State-By-State Data on $39 Billion in Loan Forgiveness for 804,000 Borrowers as a Result of Fixes to Income-Driven Repayment Plans

IES Blog: New Standards to Advance Equity in Education Research

Legislative Movement in Congress:
H.R.4571 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the employer-provided child care credit and the dependent care assistance exclusion.
Sponsor: Carbajal, Salud O. [Rep.-D-CA-24] (Introduced 07/12/2023)
Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Ways and Means
Latest Action: House – 07/12/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.4594 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove all adverse credit history related to a loan from the credit history of a borrower who has rehabilitated the loan.
Sponsor: Williams, Nikema [Rep.-D-GA-5] (Introduced 07/12/2023)
Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: House – 07/12/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

H.Res.589 — Calling on the Secretary of Education to work with stakeholders to immediately eliminate race-based Native logos, mascots, and names from State educational institutions, and calling on State educational institutions and national sports franchises to cease the unsanctioned use of such logos, mascots, and names.
Sponsor: Pallone, Frank, Jr. [Rep.-D-NJ-6] (Introduced 07/13/2023) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: House – 07/13/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Press Release: Pallone Introduces Resolution Calling for End of Derogatory Native American Mascots and Images in Schools and Sports Teams

S.2266 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide greater access to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate educational barriers for participation in a public service career, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Cardin, Benjamin L. [Sen.-D-MD] (Introduced 07/12/2023)
Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/12/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Grant: Activities for Underserved Populations. Applications due on or before July 21, 2023.

ED Grant: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (State Grants). Applications due on or before July 31, 2023.

ED Comment Request: Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program Obligation To Repay Grant Regulations. Comments due on or before August 21.

ED Comment Request: Loan Discharge Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins). Comments due on or before September 8, 2023.CONGRESS
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) released bill text for its fiscal year 2024 appropriations and reported the bill to the Full Appropriations Committee favorably on a voice vote. You can find the bill text here, a summary of the bill released by House Republicans here and a press release issued by House Democrats here.