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 House Committee on Education and the Workforce reported H.R. 5993, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, favorably to the full House on a 27-11 vote.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he will not seek reelection in 2024.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) completed the second of three negotiated rulemaking sessions on student loan debt.

ED released new data on Federal student loan borrowers’ participation in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment plan.

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]

How community colleges are revamping their student onboarding process [Higher Ed Dive]

Op Ed: To solve teacher shortages, let’s open pathways for immigrants so they can become educators and role models [The Washington Post]

AI Voice Clones and Deepfakes: The Latest Presidents’ Engagement Tools [Inside Higher Ed]

Colleges Predict Tuition Increases, Layoffs Under Proposed Overtime Rule [Inside Higher Ed]

The U.S. Wants Colleges to Fix a ‘Broken’ System for Transfer Students [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

5.5M Borrowers Enroll in New U.S. Loan Repayment Plan [Inside Higher Ed]

After Antisemitic Attacks, Colleges Debate What Kind of Speech Is Out of Bounds [The New York Times]

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

Senate Majority Leader

Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On FCC Implementation Of The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law To Ensure Everyone Has Access To High Speed Internet No Matter What Zip Code They Live In

Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Avoiding A Government Shutdown

Senate Minority Leader

Press Release: McConnell on House CR: Responsible Measure Allows Important Work To Continue

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy Delivers Remarks During Hearing on Labor Unions

Press Release: Sanders Requests Classified Briefing with FBI and U.S. Department of Education on Rising Incidents of Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Racism on College Campuses and in Schools Across the Country

Press Release: Cassidy to Lead Roundtable on Rising Anti-Semitism on College Campuses

Speaker of the House

Press Release: Speaker Johnson Releases Statement on the Two-Step CR Plan

House Minority Leader

Press Release: ICYMI – Leader Jeffries On NPR: “Extreme Maga Republicans Have Repeatedly Demonstrated They Cannot Govern Without Democrats”

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Press Release: Chair Owens Leads Hearing on Combatting Antisemitism on College Campuses

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Antisemitism on College Campuses

Press Release: Foxx Slams Su for Putting Big Labor Above of Worker Safety

House Committee on the Judiciary

Statements and Webcast from Yesterday’s Full Committee Hearing on “Free Speech on College Campuses”.

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Holds Workforce Hub Convening in Baltimore, Announces Commitments to Train and Hire Local Residents to Support Major Infrastructure Projects

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Releases New Data Highlighting How the Simplified, Streamlined, and Redesigned Better FAFSA® Form Will Help Deliver Maximum Pell Grants to 1.5 Million More Students

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Convenes Higher Education Leaders to Improve Student Transfer to Increase Completion of College Degrees

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Framework for Student Loan Servicer Accountability To Protect Borrowers Nationwide

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education to Host National Summit on Improving Student Transfer Process

DOL Press Release: Us Department Of Labor Kicks Off 9th Annual National Apprenticeship Week

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.Res.854 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)

Expressing support for the designation of November 8, 2023, as “National First-Generation College Celebration Day”.

Sponsor: Moore, Gwen [Rep.-D-WI-4] (Introduced 11/08/2023) Cosponsors: (12)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 11/08/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

H.R.6358 — To amend the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to support workers who are subject to an employment loss, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sykes, Emilia Strong [Rep.-D-OH-13] (Introduced 11/09/2023) Cosponsors: (2)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 11/09/2023 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Press Release: Sykes, Brown, Budzinski, Trone Introduce Fair Warning Act To Hold Employers Accountable, Give Workers More Notice

H.R.6377 — To establish a grant program for States to support apprentices in apprenticeships programs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Cuellar, Henry [Rep.-D-TX-28] (Introduced 11/13/2023) Cosponsors: (3)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce; Ways and Means

Latest Action: House – 11/13/2023 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.

Press Release: During National Apprenticeship Week, Rep. Cuellar Proposes Child Care Stipends for Union Apprenticeship Programs.

H.R.6130 — University Centers for Growth, Development, Prosperity (GDP) Act

Sponsor: Aguilar, Pete [Rep.-D-CA-33] (Introduced 11/01/2023) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Transportation and Infrastructure; Financial Services

Latest Action: House – 11/14/2023 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

NEH Grant Notice: Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions. Applications due on or before January 11, 2024.

ED Grant Notice:  Office of Migrant Education (OME): College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Applications due on or before January 16, 2024.

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

ED Notice: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Information To Be Verified for the 2024-2025 Award Year

ED Final Regulation: Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment

ED Notice: Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education.