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

August 21, 2024

ADMINISTRATION     
The Department of Health and Human Services released final regulations regarding programmatic changes to the Head Start program, such as requirements for wages and benefits.”

CONGRESS
The House Freedom Caucus released a statement urging House Republican leadership to continue its plans for passing all 12 appropriation bills on the House floor to “cut spending and advance our policy priorities.”

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to Federal student loan servicers MOHELA and Nelnet and credit reporting agencies Experian, Equifax and TransUnion regarding duplicate student loan records appearing on borrower credit reports. The letter also inquired about the impact of the duplicate records on credit scores and the scope of complaints from borrowers. 

COURTS
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked parts of the Biden Administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. As a result, the Texas attorney general’s office sent a letter to the Supreme Court stating that emergency relief from the Court is no longer necessary and encouraging the Court to review the SAVE plan for further consideration. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court to vacate the injunction by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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

Anticipating More Unrest, Colleges Prioritize Civic Dialogue [Inside Higher Ed]

The AAUP Is Right. Supporting Boycotts is Academic Freedom. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Column: Kamala Harris wants to tackle corporate ‘price-gouging.’ Here’s what she’s missing [Los Angeles Times]

Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Education? Inside the 2024 Democratic Platform [Education Week]

Tim Walz made an impression in China, students and teachers say [NPR]

Poll: Americans Want Next President to Focus on Workforce Prep, Hiring Teachers [The 74]

More than 1,200 workers go on strike at Cornell [The Hill]

Colleges Face Growing Demands to Step Up Enforcement on Student Protesters Who Cross a Line [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Bilingual Tutoring Encourages Engagement, Academic Success [Inside Higher Ed]

Ben Sasse defends spending levels while he was University of Florida’s president [Higher Ed Dive]

How Biden Raised the Profile of the Free College Movement [Inside Higher Ed]

Why the AAUP Changed Its Stance on Academic Boycotts [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Student Voting Declined in 2022. What Could That Mean for This Election? [Inside Higher Ed]

Supreme Court blocks partial enforcement of final Title IX rule [Higher Ed Dive]

Political focus on culture over competency misses the point [The Washington Post]

Anticipating Fall Protests, Colleges Adopt a Range of Approaches [Inside Higher Ed]

Over 30 tenured faculty face layoffs under University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee plan [Higher Ed Dive]

Increased Financial Aid Can Increase Demand for Basic Needs Services [Inside Higher Ed]

UCLA can’t let protests block Jewish students from campus, judge rules [The Washington Post]

Florida A&M interim president calls for mass resignations after $238M donation fumble [Higher Ed Dive]

Events

On August 29th at 3 PM ET, Apprenticeships for America (AFA) will host an exclusive webinar for members, offering a sneak peek at its upcoming research paper on Community Colleges and apprenticeships. The report reviews case studies from a number of community colleges and explores the opportunities and challenges of these institutions as apprenticeship intermediaries. The webinar will also feature leaders from the profiled colleges who will share insights and answer questions. If you’re not yet an AFA member, membership is free and easy to obtain by completing a brief survey, after which you’ll receive access to the webinar registration. For membership and registration inquiries, contact Rene Bryce-Laporte at rene.brycelaporte@apprenticeshipsforamerica.org.

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

Senate Majority Leader

Press Release: Majority Leader Schumer Statement On The Two Year Anniversary Of The Inflation Reduction Act

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy Reacts to Resignation of Columbia University President, Renews Call for HELP Hearing to Address Antisemitism

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Press Release: Labor Leaders Demands Probe into Allegations about ‘Improper’ OSHA Investigations and Misuse of OSHA Funds

Press Release: Foxx: Columbia’s Refusal to Enforce Rules Against Antisemites is Disgraceful

Press Release: Foxx on Columbia President’s Resignation

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Statement from President Joe Biden on Inflation Reduction Act Anniversary

White House Press Release: FACT SHEET: Two Years In, the Inflation Reduction Act is Lowering Costs for Millions of Americans, Tackling the Climate Crisis, and Creating Jobs

White House Press Release: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Inflation Reduction Act Anniversary

ED Press Release: The Total Number of Higher Education Institutions Decreases by 2 Percent

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Awards More Than $40 Million to Improve College Completion Rates for Underserved Students

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.9370 — To require State agencies to inform recipients of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, participants in the WIC program, and recipients of assistance under the TANF program of card skimming, card cloning, and similar fraudulent methods of stealing such benefits or assistance; and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Gottheimer, Josh [Rep.-D-NJ-5] (Introduced 08/16/2024) Cosponsors: (1)

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

Latest Action: House – 08/16/2024 Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and 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…

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: Program Integrity and Institutional Quality: Distance Education, Return of Title IV, HEA Funds, and Federal TRIO Programs. Comments due on or before August 23, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Rural, Insular, and Native Achievement Programs Progress Update Protocol. Comments due on or before August 23, 2024.

DOL Comment Request: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Common Performance Reporting. Comments due on or before August 23, 2024.

ED Grant: State Personnel Development Grants (SPDG) Program. Applications due on or before August 23, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Stronger Connections Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Grant Program. Applications due on or before August 26, 2024.

ED Comment Request: National Center for College Students With Disabilities (NCCSD) Database of Disability Services and Activities in Higher Education. Comments due on or before September 9, 2024.

DOD Grant Notice: Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Consortium. Applications due on or before September 12, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Regarding Ways To Support the Successful Completion and Submission of the 2025-2026 FAFSA Form. Comments due on or before September 13, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) I, II and III Data Collection Form. Comments are due on or before September 13, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education-Tribal Controlled Colleges or Universities (TCCUs) Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) Grant Program. Applications due on or before September 16, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Performance Reports for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program. Comments due on or before September 16, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Federal Student Loan Program: Internship/Residency and Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms. Comments due on or before September 18, 2024.

ED Comment Request: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan Program) Promissory Notes and Related Forms. Comments due on or before September 19, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Federal Student Aid (FSA) Partner Connect System and User Access Management. Comments due on or before September 30, 2024.

NSF Grant Notice: Advanced Technological Education. Applications due on or before October 3, 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.

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