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

CONGRESS

Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona a letter on companies operating student loan scams and steps that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has taken to prevent such scams.

ADMINISTRATION

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) completed its review of ED’s proposed final rules for financial responsibility, ability to benefit, certification procedures and administrative capability.

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]

The latest college campus freebies? Naloxone and fentanyl test strips [NPR]

Presidents Break With Supreme Court on Affirmative Action [Inside Higher Ed]

Beyond the Rankings: The College Welcome Guide [The Hechinger Report]

In Ithica, Cornell Isn’t Paying Its Fair Share [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

U.S. institutions under fire for their support — or silence — on Israel [The Washington Post]

Op-Ed: Colleges can take steps to address the affordable housing crisis [Higher Ed Dive]

A Day of Tension and Protests on Campus [Inside Higher Ed]

Here’s What Florida’s Proposed Anti-DEI Regulations Would Ban [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Education Department offers more insights into debt-relief plan [Inside Higher Ed]

Maine universities support adult learners finishing degrees [Inside Higher Ed]

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

Senate Majority Leader

Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Announces New Senate Democratic Committee Assignments

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

October 17: Subcommittee Hearing on “How Community Development Financial Institutions Promote Housing and Economic Opportunity”

Witnesses:  Ms. Julia Nelmark, President and Chief Executive Officer, Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation; Ms. Renay Dossman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Neighborhood Development Center.

Statement and Webcast from Yesterday’s Full Committee Hearing on “Name, Image, and Likeness, and the Future of College Sports”

House Minority Leader

Press Release: Leader Jeffries: “We Want To Find A Bipartisan Path To Reopening The House Of Representatives”

Press Release: Leader Jeffries: “We Continue to Offer a Bipartisan Path Forward”

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Postponed; TBA: Subcommittee Hearing on “Protecting Workers and Small Businesses from Biden’s Attack on Worker Free Choice and Economic Growth”

Witnesses to be announced.

10:15 a.m. ET via 2175 Rayburn and webcast

Press Release: POSTPONED: Chair Good Goes After Biden’s Radical Union Agenda

Press Release: ICYMI: Foxx Wants to Fight Student Loan Debt Scammers with Cardona

Press Release: Chair Good Goes After Biden’s Radical Union Agenda

Press Release: Steel, Foxx Bill Will Deter Foreign Adversaries’ Influence in Postsecondary Education

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Remarks by Vice President Harris in a Moderated Conversation with Annie Gonzalez During the National “Fight for Our Freedoms” College Tour

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $11 Million to Expand and Support Parent Education and Family Engagement Efforts

IES Press Release: Most Public Schools Face Challenges in Hiring Teachers and Other Personnel Entering the 2023-24 Academic Year

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.5933 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require additional information in disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts from foreign sources, restrict contracts with certain foreign entities and foreign countries of concern, require certain staff and faculty to report foreign gifts and contracts, and require disclosure of certain foreign investments within endowments.

Sponsor: Steel, Michelle [Rep.-R-CA-45] (Introduced 10/11/2023) Cosponsors: (13)

Latest Action: 10/11/2023 Introduced in House

H.R.5956 —To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide additional information about certain postsecondary educational institutions to individuals entitled to educational assistance under the laws administered by such Secretary.

Sponsor: Kiggans, Jennifer A [Rep.-R-VA-2] (Introduced 10/13/2023) Cosponsors: (0)

Latest Action: 10/13/2023 Introduced in House.

S.3050 — A bill to require a report on artificial intelligence regulation in the financial services industry, to establish artificial intelligence bug bounty programs, to require a vulnerability analysis study for artificial intelligence-enabled military applications, and to require a report on data sharing and coordination, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rounds, Mike [Sen.-R-SD] (Introduced 10/17/2023) Cosponsors: (3)

Committees: Senate – Armed Services

Latest Action: Senate – 10/17/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Notice: Loan Discharge Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins). Comments due on or before October 25, 2023.

ED Comment Request: Evaluation of the Professional Learning Resources of the REL NW Toolkit for Using Technology To Support Postsecondary Student Learning. Comments due on or before October 30, 2023.

ED Comment Request: National Resource Centers Program and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program (1894-0001). Comments due on or before October 30, 2023.

EAC Comment Request: Agency Information Collection Activities; Help America Vote College Program Application Kits. Comments due on or before November 6, 2023.

ED Notice: President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

FCC Rule: Affordable Connectivity Program.

ED Final Regulation: Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment