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

March 9, 2021

HOUSE and SENATE
The House of Representatives voted 219-212 to pass the American Rescue Plan. The Senate passed the chamber’s version of the bill by a vote of 50 – 49 on Saturday, March 6^th. The bill now goes back to the House for their final vote.

House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) announced her plan on how to restore the authority for Members of Congress to use earmarks in the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations cycle.

ADMINISTRATION
The Senate voted 64-33 to confirm Miguel Cardona to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education last Monday. Secretary Cardona was sworn into office the following evening on Tuesday, March 2.

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) met this week and voted to recommended to end the U.S. Secretary of Education’s recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accreditor of institutions of higher education.

The U.S. Department of Education Inspector General released a report that finds the Obama Administration’s original termination of ACICS’ recognition was handled improperly. The report also finds that the Trump Administration’s temporary reinstatement of the accreditor’s authority was not improper.

Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer General Mark Brown submitted his resignation to U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona.

The Institute of Education Sciences released an Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System report.

The National Center for Education Statistics released its 2019 Digest of Education Statistics.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]
What’s in the Senate’s $1.9 trillion covid bill: Checks, unemployment insurance and more [The Washington Post]

$40 Billion for Colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

Federal advisory board votes to drop controversial for-profit college accreditor [The Washington Post]

Changes in Financial Aid [Inside Higher Ed]

Biden directs fresh review of Title IX rule on campus sexual assault [The Washington Post]

As Pell Grants open up for incarcerated students, programs ready for growth [Higher Ed Dive]

This Is Not a Good Time to Fall Off the College Track. Students Are Doing It Anyway [Education Week]

Federal student aid chief appointed by DeVos resigns [POLITICO]

How a decline in community college students is a big problem for the economy [The Washington Post]

Calls to change funding to increase faculty diversity at California Community Colleges [EdSource]

Colleges That Require Virus-Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works [The New York Times]

E-Job Hunting Met With Ambivalence [Inside Higher Ed]

Common App: Interest in selective schools soars among international and first-gen students [Higher Ed Dive]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:
Speaker of the House
Press Release: Pelosi Statement on Senate Passage of American Rescue Plan

Senate Majority Leader 
Remarks: Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Senate Pressing Forward With The Confirmation Of President Biden’s History-Making Cabinet-Level Nominees

House Minority Leader 
Press Release: McCarthy Floor Speech on H.R. 1

Senate Minority Leader
Press Release: McConnell: Democrats’ Longest Vote in Recorded Senate History Shows Pure Partisanship is “Tougher Than They Thought It Was Going to Be”

House Education and Labor Committee
March 11: Business Meeting: Organizational Meeting to approve new subcommittee assignments.
10:15 a.m. via Zoom

Press Release: Foxx Statement on Biden’s Title IX Executive Order

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
March 9: Full Committee Hearing: “Examining Our COVID-19 Response: An Update from the Frontlines”
Witnesses: Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ, Director, Kedren Health Vaccines, Los Angeles, CA; Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health, State of Washington, Olympia, WA; Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, Dean, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI; Mary Ann Fuchs, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President of Patient Care & System Chief Nurse Executive, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC
10:00 a.m. in 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building or webcast

Press Release: Senator Murray Applauds Passage of Nearly $40 Billion for Higher Education and Support for Student Loan Borrowers in American Rescue Plan

Home Committee on Rules
March 9: Senate amendment to H.R. 1319 – American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
12:00 p.m. via Cisco Webex

House Committee on the Budget 
Press Release: Chairman Yarmuth’s Remarks Before House Rules Committee Ahead of Final Passage of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Senate Committee on the Budget 
Press Release: Graham Statement on Vote Against $1.9 Trillion Liberal Wish List

House Committee on Appropriations
March 11: Subcommittee Hearing: COVID-19 and the Mental Health and Substance Use Crises
Witnesses: Lisa Amaya-Jackson, Co-Director, UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress; Arthur Evans Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, American Psychological Association; Verna Foust, Chief Executive Officer, Red Rock Behavioral Health Sciences; Mark Stringer, Director, Missouri Department of Mental Health
11:00 a.m. via Youtube

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration:
White House Press Release: White House Announces Additional Staff

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Biden to Sign Executive Orders Establishing the White House Gender Policy Council and Ensuring Education Free from Sexual Violence

White House Press Release: Readout of the White House’s Listening Session with Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders on Rising Hate Crimes and Incidents Against Asian American Communities

ED Press Release: Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Federal Student Aid Leadership

IES Report: “Demographic and Academic Characteristics Associated with College Readiness and Early College Success in the Republic of the Marshall Islands”

IES Blog: Data Matters: The Blog of the ED Office of the Chief Data Officer

GAO Blog: For Women’s History Month, Women in the Workforce and Economy

Legislative Movement in Congress Last Week:
H.R.1319 — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] (Introduced 02/24/2021) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Budget Committee Report: H. Rept. 117-7
Latest Action:  Senate – 03/06/2021 Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 – 49.

S.Amdt.1386 to S.Amdt.891 — Purpose: To prohibit funds made available under title II to States, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education that permit any student whose biological sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity designated for women or girls. Amends Bill: H.R.1319
Sponsor: Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (Submitted 03/06/2021) (Proposed 03/06/2021)
Latest Action: 03/06/21 Amendment SA 1386 ruled out of order by the chair.
Press Release: Tuberville Offers Amendment Protecting Women’s Title IX Rights

S.599 – A bill to establish the Department of State Student Internship Program as a paid internship program to provide students with the opportunity to learn about a career in diplomacy and foreign affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Committees: Senate – Foreign Relations
Latest Action: Senate – 03/04/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Press Release: Booker, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Promote Diverse Recruitment and Hiring at the State Department by Creating Paid Internship Program

S.603 – A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the refinancing of certain Federal student loans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 03/04/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

H.R.1536 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include all members of the Armed Forces in the definition of “independent student” for purposes of determining the eligibility of such members for Federal financial assistance, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Reschenthaler, Guy [R-PA-14] (Introduced 03/03/2021) Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 03/03/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Press Release: Reschenthaler Reintroduces Bill to Make College More Affordable for National Guard and Reserve Servicemembers

H.R.1586 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a program under which an institution of higher education may elect to cosign Federal student loans made to students attending the institution, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10] (Introduced 03/03/2021) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action:  House – 03/03/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

S.555 — A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage for employers with at least $1,000,000,000 in annual revenue, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (Introduced 03/03/2021) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action:  Senate – 03/03/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Press Release: Hawley Announces Legislation To Require $15 Minimum Wage for Billion-Dollar Corporations

S.Res.91 — A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of “Career and Technical Education Month”.
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (Introduced 03/03/2021) Cosponsors: (52)
Latest Action:  Senate – 03/03/2021 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

H.R.1521 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support innovative, evidence-based approaches that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of postsecondary education for all students, to allow pay for success initiatives, to provide additional evaluation authority, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Sherrill, Mikie [D-NJ-11] (Introduced 03/02/2021) Cosponsors: (3)
Committees: House – Education and Labor
Latest Action: House – 03/02/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

S.518 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support innovative, evidence-based approaches that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of postsecondary education for all students, to allow pay for success initiatives, to provide additional evaluation authority, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (Introduced 03/02/2021) Cosponsors: (2)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 03/02/2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:
ED Comment Request: College Affordability and Transparency Explanation Form (CATEF) 2021–2023. Comments due on or before April 5, 2021.

VA Meeting Notice: Veterans’ Family, Caregiver, and Survivor Advisory Committee. The meeting will take place on March 30, 2021 via Webex. Registratoin at https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/ veteransaffairs/ onstage/ g.php? MTID= eac2c7ae95c9a6ca78f36d73e42850fe1.  

BIA Comment Request: Bureau of Indian Education Adult Education Program. Comments due on or before May 3, 2021. 

ED Grant Notice: Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program. Deadline for transmittal of applications: June 1, 2021.

ED Notice: Applications for New Awards. Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice, and the Transformative Research in the Education Sciences Grant Programs. Competition reopened for eligible applicants until March 11, 2021.