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

October 17, 2024

CONGRESS

The House and Senate are not scheduled to conduct legislative business until after the November election with both chambers returning on November 12.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) restored online access to its income-driven repayment (IDR) application after online access was halted due to Saving on a Valuable Education Act (SAVE) plan court injunctions.

ED submitted a new interim final rule filing to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs titled “Income-Contingent Repayment Plan Options.”

POLITICO reported that the Biden Administration postponed involuntary collection measures, such as wage garnishment, until 2025 for borrowers with Federal student loans in default.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report titled “Federal Student Loans: How Education Has Communicated with Borrowers About Resuming Payments.” This report details the various methods ED used to communicate with borrowers about resuming their student loan payments in October 2023.

ED announced a list of 200 institutions that are eligible to apply for the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program.

ED highlighted resources to support communities affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

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

State Lawmakers Call for Rethinking Federal Role in Higher Ed [Inside Higher Education]

College campuses remain largely peaceful, even as widespread protests mark war anniversary [POLITICO]

Academic Success Tip: Addressing Math Anxieties [Inside Higher Education]

Why California’s legacy admissions ban won’t help low-income students go to college [Los Angeles Times]

A Student Group’s Endorsement of Violence Splits Columbia’s Faculty [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Financial pressure grows for colleges, Fitch says [Higher Ed Dive]

Black, Hispanic Faculty Far Less Likely to Get ‘Gold Standard’ Tenure Recommendations [Inside Higher Education]

If you’re rethinking going to college, think again [Los Angeles Times]

Here’s the Latest on the FAFSA Test-Drive of 2024 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

One-quarter of applicants ruled out colleges because of states’ political climate: Poll [The Hill]

Most Campus Tech Leaders Say Higher Ed Is Unprepared for AI’s Rise [Inside Higher Education]

Stopped-out students are confident in their academic skills — but financial concerns remain [Higher Ed Dive]

Who Could Be Donald Trump’s Next Education Secretary? [Education Week]

White House, Used to Road Blocks on Student Debt, Finds Cause for Victory Lap [The New York Times]

Student loan servicer MOHELA faces new punishment from Biden administration [The Washington Post]

‘This Program Exists Because of the Reinstatement of Pell’ [Inside Higher Education]

Why Political Text Blasts Targeting College Students Are Drawing Outrage [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

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

House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Press Release: ICYMI: House-Passed Bill Will Protect Free Speech and Academic Integrity

Press Release: GAO Report Spotlights How ED Effectively Communicated with Student Borrowers About Successfully Resuming Loan Payments

Press Release: Chair Foxx, Subcommittee Chair Bean Question Dept. of Ed’s Push to Tie CTE Programs in Red Tape

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on One Million Public Service Workers Receiving Student Debt Cancellation

White House Fact Sheet: President Biden Announces Over 1 Million Public Service Workers Have Received Student Debt Cancellation Under the Biden-⁠Harris Administration

White House Press Release: Statement from President Joe Biden on Student Debt Cancellation for Over 1 Million Public Service Workers Under the Biden-⁠Harris Administration

ED Press Release: Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announce State-by-State Breakdown of Over $16 Billion in Support for Hispanic-Serving Institutions

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces Successful Beta 1 Testing for the 2025–26 FAFSA form as Beta 2 Testing Begins

ED Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Approves Additional $4.5 Billion in Student Debt Relief for 60,000 Public Service Workers, Bringing Total to Over 1 Million Public Servants

IES Blog: NCES Resources to Support Response Efforts for Hurricane Milton

IES Blog: NCER Intern Reflects on a Summer of Supporting Public Access Implementation

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.9986 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to enhance teacher and school leader quality partnership grants.

Sponsor: Spanberger, Abigail Davis [Rep.-D-VA-7] (Introduced 10/11/2024) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 10/11/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) I, II and III Data Collection Form. Comments are due on or before October 28, 2024.

ED Correction: Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request Forms

ED Comment Request: Federal Student Loan Program: Internship/Residency and Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms. Comments due on or before October 30, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Application for Grants Under the Upward Bound Program. Comments due on or before November 4, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Federal Student Aid (FSA) Partner Connect System and User Access Management. Comments due on or before November 7, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act State Plan Guide. Comments due on or before November 12, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. Comments due on or before November 12, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) Program Evaluation. Comments are due on or before November 12, 2024.

ED Grant: Strengthening Program Evaluation Capacity: Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies To Increase Postsecondary Student Success. Applications due on or before November 14, 2024.

Veterans Affairs Department Comment Request: Child Care Provider Information-For the Child Care Subsidy Program. Comments due on or before November 18, 2024.

ED Comment Request: District Survey on Use of Funds Under Title II, Part A. Comments due on or before November 29, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Interest Rate Limitation Request. Comments due on or before November 29,2024.

ED Comment Request: Income Based Repayment-Notifications. Comments due on or before December 6, 2024.

Children and Families Administration Comment Request: Financing for Early Care and Education: Quality and Access for All-Case Studies. Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

Department of Commerce Comment Request: Existing Awards and Recognition Programs for Standards Development and Best Practices for Standards Workforce Development in Support of the Implementation of the United States Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Student Assistance General Provisions-Readmission for Servicemembers. Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

DOL Comment Request: Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio. Comments are due on or before December 10, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Personnel Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Other Minority Serving Institutions. Applications due on or before December 12, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection. Comments due on or before December 16, 2024.

HHS Grant Forecast: Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership Program Grants. Estimated due date is on or before January 6, 2025.

ED Notice: Postsecondary Student Success Grant

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

ED Notice: Annual Notice of Interest Rates for Fixed-Rate Federal Student Loans Made Under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

ED Notice: Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006

ETA Notice: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Native American Employment and Training Council