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. Senate Committee on Appropriations voted to favorably report the fiscal year 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill to the full U.S. Senate by a 26-2 margin.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into Harvard University’s use of legacy and donor preferences in its admissions process.

ED issued new guidance and an accompanying Dear Colleague Letter for States to assist them in complying with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) general supervision provisions.

ED and the U.S. Department of Labor announced efforts to expand teacher preparation and apprenticeships for educators.

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]

An Early Peek at How Admission Applications Are Changing After the Supreme Court Ruling [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

University of Virginia will limit ‘legacy’ factor in admissions [The Washington Post]

How scientists work to correct the record when there is an error in a paper [The Washington Post]

The humanities matter when we make them matter.  [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Regional Public Colleges Are Affordable — but Is That Enough to Draw Students? [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

PROOF POINTS: Surprising patterns in who gets merit and need-based aid from colleges [The Hechinger Report]

House lawmakers volley ideas for taming college costs, boosting transparency [Higher Ed Dive]

Congressional Democrats push to end legacy admissions [The Hill]

A National Summit on a Higher Ed ‘Low Point’ [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
House Majority Leader
Press Release: Scalise: Republicans Stood Up To Fight For The American People

House Minority Leader
Press Release: Leader Jeffries Statement On Extreme MAGA Republicans Failure To Govern

House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Press Release: Chair Owens Leads Hearing on Lowering Costs and Increasing Accountability in Postsecondary Education

Press Release: Kiley, Foxx Bill Ensures Su Cannot Defy Congress By Serving Indefinitely

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: FACT SHEET: House Republican Funding Bill Denies Education and Training Opportunities for Students and Job Seekers at All Stages of Life

Senate Majority Leader
Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Senate Continuing To Move Forward Bipartisan Appropriations Legislation

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy Releases Statement Following Postponement of Second HELP Markup in One Week

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: ICYMI: Murray Leads Senate Appropriations in Passing All 12 Bills Out of Committee in Overwhelming Bipartisan Votes

July 27: Full Committee Business Meeting: “Markup of Fiscal Year 2024 Defense, Interior and Environment, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Homeland Security Appropriations Acts”
10:30 a.m. EST 106 Dirksen and via live video

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: FACT SHEET: Amidst Manufacturing Boom, President Biden Will Sign an Executive Order on Federal Research and Development in Support of Domestic Manufacturing and United States Jobs to Encourage “Invent it Here, Make it Here” in Industries of the Future

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Opens Nearly $100M in Grant Opportunities for HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs and Underserved Students

ED Press Release: Education, Labor Departments Announce New Efforts to Advance Teacher Preparation Programs and Expand Registered Apprenticeships for Educators

IES Blog: the 2023 IES PI Meeting: Building on 20 Years of IES Research to Accelerate the Education Sciences

Legislative Movement in Congress:
H.R.4900 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit institutions of higher education participating in Federal student assistance programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to legacy students or donors.
Sponsor: Bowman, Jamaal [Rep.-D-NY-16] (Introduced 07/26/2023) Cosponsors: (39)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: House – 07/26/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

H.R.4945 — To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to raise public awareness for skilled trade programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Thompson, Glenn [Rep.-R-PA-15] (Introduced 07/26/2023) Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: House – 07/26/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Press Release: Reps. Thompson, Bonamici, Finstad, Kilmer Introduce Bill to Expand Career Counseling for Adult Learners

H.R.5065 — To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program to provide grants for job guarantee programs.
Sponsor: Watson Coleman, Bonnie [Rep.-D-NJ-12] (Introduced 07/27/2023) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce; Ways and Means
Latest Action: House – 07/27/2023 Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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.

H.R.5111 — To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to prioritize programs that provide evidence of performance.
Sponsor: Houchin, Erin [Rep.-R-IN-9] (Introduced 08/01/2023) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Latest Action: House – 08/01/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Press Release: Congresswoman Houchin Introduces Bill to Prioritize Evidence-Based Programs Following Success in Southern Indiana

S.2524 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit institutions of higher education participating in Federal student assistance programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to legacy students or donors.
Sponsor: Merkley, Jeff [Sen.-D-OR] (Introduced 07/26/2023) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/26/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Merkley, Bowman: No More Legacy Admissions At Colleges And Universities

S.2557 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate interest on student loans, establish the Education Affordability Trust Fund, increase annual and aggregate loan limits, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Welch, Peter [Sen.-D-VT] (Introduced 07/27/2023) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/27/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Sen. Welch & Rep. Courtney Introduce Legislation to Eliminate Federal Student Loan Interest

S.2624 — An original bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Baldwin, Tammy [Sen.-D-WI] (Introduced 07/27/2023) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Appropriations
Committee Reports: S. Rept. 118-84, S. Rept. 118-81
Latest Action: Senate – 07/27/2023 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 187.
Press Release: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Baldwin’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Notice: Federal Preemption and Joint Federal-State Regulation and Oversight of the Department of Education’s Federal Student Loan Programs and Federal Student Loan Servicers.

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 Rule: Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program.

ED Comment Request: Loan Discharge Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins). Comments due on or before September 8, 2023.

ED Grant: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education—Historically Black Colleges or Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges or Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) Research and Development Infrastructure Grant Program. Applications due on or before October 2, 2023.