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

December 6, 2024

CONGRESS

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) published the House’s legislative calendar for 2025.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced the Senate’s legislative calendar for 2025.

Sen. Thune (R-SD) announced a potential budget reconciliation plan focused on border security, defense and energy matters, signaling that a separate reconciliation bill for tax issues would occur later in the year. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has stated that there is not yet consensus on what specific budget reconciliation plan will follow.

The House passed, by an 327 to 62 vote, H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act. The bill would direct the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources for high school students regarding certain political ideologies such as Communism.

A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to quickly cancel the remaining student loan debt of defrauded borrowers.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic published a report titled “After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward,” which discussed school closures among other pandemic-related matters.

ADMINISTRATION
ED unveiled new guidance to help school district and school leaders as they develop or revise their policies to guide the presence and use of personal devices in schools.

ED released new guidance on using Title II, Part A funds to strategically support educator recruitment, retention, professional learning, and improved student outcomes.

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

House Republicans Aim to Pass Higher Ed Overhaul [Inside Higher Ed]

College closures could increase sharply in the face of the demographic cliff [Higher Ed Dive]

In Wisconsin, Professors Worry AI Could Replace Them [Inside Higher Ed]

University of Michigan Ends Required Diversity Statements [The New York Times]

No letup in financial pressure on colleges in 2025, Fitch says [Higher Ed Dive]

Brown Unveils Diversity Recruiting Strategy [Inside Higher Ed]

They Punished the Protesters. Now No One Is Happy About It. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Howard Expects to Gain R-1 Status. Other HBCUs Will Follow. [Inside Higher Ed]

College Completion Rates Trending Up [Inside Higher Ed]

Affluent White Students Are Skipping College, and No One Is Sure Why [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

How equitable is funding for public colleges? [Higher Ed Dive]

Higher Ed Unionization Boomed Under Biden. Will That Change Under Trump? [Inside Higher Ed]

House bill would cut off federal student aid to colleges that boycott Israel [Higher Ed Dive]

Her Wrestling Empire Was Said to Harm Children. Trump Chose Her for Education. [The New York Times]

Fewer 18-Year-Olds Enrolled in College This Fall [Inside Higher Ed]

Top 5 education policies Trump may pursue his second term [The Hill]

UCLA Bucks Post–Affirmative Action Diversity Trends [Inside Higher Ed]

Why more colleges are seeking Hispanic-serving institution status [Higher Ed Dive]

4-Year Colleges Ride the Dual-Enrollment Wave [Inside Higher Ed]

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

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: Sanders Leads Hearing on the FDA, Diabetes & Obesity Epidemics, and Taking on the Greed of the Food & Beverage Industry

House Committee on Education and the Workforce:

Press Release: Foxx on Horrific Student Math, Science Scores

Press Release: Foxx: DOL Must Withdraw Misguided, Irresponsible Rule That Would Harm Those With Disabilities

Press Release: Foxx Demands Biden-Harris Admin. Withdraw Unlawful Student Loan Rulemaking

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Protecting Americans with Disabilities from Wage Discrimination

December 4: Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Hearing on “Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America’s Educators”

Witnesses: Carole Basile, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State; Melba Spooner, Dean, Reich College of Education, Appalachian State University; Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator

Development; Greg Mendez, Principal, Skyline High School, Mesa Public Schools.

December 11: Subcommittee Hearing on “Examining the Policies and Priorities of AmeriCorps and Its FY 2024 Audit Failure”

Witnesses to be announced.

2175 Rayburn and via webcast.

10:15 a.m. ET

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Announces Resolution of Investigation of Shared Ancestry Discrimination at Temple University

ED Media Advisory: U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Travel to Salt Lake City to Uplift Mental Health and Career Technical Education Programs

IES Press Release: Teacher Certification, Retention, and Recruitment in Palau: Understanding Graduation Patterns of Teacher Education Students at Palau Community College

IES Press Release: New Data on Postsecondary Graduation Rates, Outcome Measures, Student Financial Aid, and Admissions

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.10281 — To promote United States leadership in technical standards by directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of State to take certain actions to encourage and enable United States participation in developing standards and specifications for artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Obernolte, Jay [Rep.-R-CA-23] (Introduced 12/04/2024)

Cosponsors: (3)

Committees: House – Science, Space, and Technology

Latest Action: House – 12/04/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

H.R.8932 — FAFSA Deadline Act

Sponsor: Houchin, Erin [Rep.-R-IN-9] (Introduced 07/05/2024) Cosponsors: (10)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Committee Report: H. Rept. 118-695

Latest Action: 12/05/2024 Presented to President.

H.R.10312 — To authorize workforce development innovation grants for the implementation, expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce programs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sherrill, Mikie [Rep.-D-NJ-11] (Introduced 12/05/2024) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 12/05/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

S.5355 — NACIE Improvement Act

Sponsor: Fischer, Deb [Sen.-R-NE] (Introduced 11/20/2024)

Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Latest Action: House – 12/04/2024 Held at the desk.

S.5448 — A bill to clarify the time period for registering health care apprenticeships under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”) and require the digitization of apprenticeship agreement forms under such Act, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Wyden, Ron [Sen.-D-OR] (Introduced 12/05/2024) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Latest Action: Senate – 12/05/2024 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

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 Rule: Income Contingent Repayment Plan Options. Comments are due on or before December 16, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Study of the Impact of English Learner Reclassification Policies. Comments are due on or before December 16, 2024.

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

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Tribes for Fiscal Year 2026-2028. Comments due on or before December 19, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Comment Request; National Evaluation of the Pathways to Partnerships Program. Comments due on or before December 30, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act State Plan Guide. Comments due on or before January 2, 2025.

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

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Annual Aggregate Report. Comments due on or before January 6, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Interest Rate Limitation Request. Comments are due on or before January 6, 2025.

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Quarterly Case-Level Report. Comments due on or before January 6, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Eligibility of Students at Institutions of Higher Education for Funds Under the CARES Act. Comments are due on or before January 14, 2025.

DOL Comment Request: Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant Program Round 4 (SCC4) Evaluation, New Collection. Comments due on or before January 21, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences. Applications due on or before March 7, 2025.

HHS Notice: Final Scientific Integrity Policy; Withdrawal.