E-Update for July 15, 2016
Highlights
- Congress is now on recess and will reconvene after Labor Day.
- On July 12, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill by a vote of 31-9.
- On July 13, the U.S. Department of Education released guidance on how to support a “well-rounded education” for students.
- On July 14, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), focusing on the perspective of stakeholders and recently proposed regulations on accountability provisions in ESSA.
- EducationCounsel Policy Assistant Amber Saddler penned this LatestCounsel blog entitled, “This is Not Your Grandfather’s NACIQI”; Takeaways from the June Institutional Quality Review Meeting. The post gives a rundown of the Spring 2016 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), where committee members reviewed petitions for renewal for many accrediting agencies, including most notably, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
U.S. Congress
House Appropriations Committee Approves Its FY2017 LHHS Bill: The House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2017 LHHS bill by a vote of 31-19. The House Appropriations Committee began consideration of the bill on July 13, and between both days of consideration, the only education amendment adopted was an amendment introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to require USED to conduct a review and issue recommendations on how to address the adverse impact of racial and socioeconomic isolation and segregation of schools. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
July 14, 2016
House Appropriations Committee Releases FY2017 LHHS Appropriations Bill Report: In advance of the markup of the FY2017 House LHHS bill by the full House Appropriations Committee, the Committee posted the report that accompanies the bill and outlines funding levels for programs at the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For FY2017, the overall allocation for the House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee is $161.558 billion, which is $569 million below the FY2016 level of $162.127 billion. The FY2017 House LHHS bill provides level funding for Title I when compared to the equivalent of the combined funding level for Title I and School Improvements Grants (SIG) in FY2016, which were consolidated under ESSA. Specific to early learning within HHS, the bill provides a $141.63 million increase for Head Start and a $40 million increase for Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG) above FY2016 levels. The bill also includes a $1.31 billion decrease below the FY2016 funding level for the Pell Grants program.
July 12, 2016
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on ESSA Implementation: The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled “ESSA Implementation: Perspectives from Education Stakeholders on Proposed Regulations.” The hearing focused on USED’s proposed regulations pertaining to determining a reasonable implementation timeline for accountability provisions, and USED’s proposed regulations requiring schools to receive a single summative rating. Witnesses included state and district administrators, and leaders from education non-profit organizations.
July 14, 2016
Senators Murphy and Fudge Introduce Stronger Together Diversity Act: Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced the “Stronger Together Diversity Act.” The legislation would authorize $120 million for a grant program aimed at increasing socioeconomic and racial diversity in education. The House bill is available here; the Senate bill is available here. The bill coincides with USED’s events and speeches highlighting the importance of diversity and equity this month. Also, U.S. Secretary of Education John King released a statement of support for Senator Murphy and Representative Fudge’s “Stronger Together Diversity Act” legislation, noting the necessity of diversity in schools and communities across the country.
July 12, 2016
House Passes Five Bipartisan Higher Education Bills: The House passed by voice vote five higher education bills that were previously approved by the House Education and the Workforce Committee prior to the July 4 recess. The bipartisan package of legislation includes H.R. 5528, the “Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act”; H.R. 5529, the “Accessing Higher Education Opportunities Act”; H.R. 5530, the “Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Capital Financing Improvement Act”; H.R. 3178, the “Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act”; and H.R. 3179, the “Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act.” House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) noted that the legislation will empower students and parents, simplify and improve the student aid process, and enhance support for institutions supporting minority students. House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) added that the package of bills served as a first step in delivering a bipartisan and comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Chairman Kline’s remarks are available here; Ranking Member Scott’s remarks are available here.
July 11, 2016
Administration
USED Releases Guidance on How to Support a “Well-Rounded Education” for Students: USED released guidance on “well-rounded education,” detailing ways that federal funds (across Titles I, II, III, & IV; the Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE); and IDEA) can be used to support students. The guidance is particularly focused on the arts & humanities and on Perkins CTE – and it coincides with efforts on Capitol Hill to reauthorize the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.
July 13, 2016
USED Announces 2016 Promise Neighborhoods Grant Competition: USED announced the 2016 Promise Neighborhoods grant competition, which will award $30 million to up to five organizations to provide coordinated, comprehensive services and school supports to their communities. Applications are due by September 6, 2016. The Federal Register notice is available here.
July 11, 2016
New Legislation
H.R.5696
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support innovative technology partnerships.
Sponsor: Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2] (Introduced 07/08/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
H.R.5699
Serve More Kids Act
Sponsor: Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (Introduced 07/08/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
H.R.5700
To support the education of Indian children.
Sponsor: Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-36] (Introduced 07/08/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
H.R.5702
PREP Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-41] (Introduced 07/08/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
S.3168
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish the Stronger Together Program.
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher S. [D-CT] (Introduced 07/12/2016)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.R.5735
To authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to prioritize efforts to support access to primary and secondary education for displaced children, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Chabot, Steve [R-OH-1] (Introduced 07/12/2016)
Committees: House – Foreign Affairs
H.R.5738
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish the Stronger Together Program.
Sponsor: Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] (Introduced 07/12/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
S.3185
A bill to provide that section 4108(5)(C)(iv) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 may be known as “Bree’s Law”.
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] (Introduced 07/13/2016)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.R.5755
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to provide students with annual estimates of student loan borrowing costs.
Sponsor: Rep. Messer, Luke [R-IN-6] (Introduced 07/13/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
H.R.5756
To establish Federal-State higher education financing partnerships to drive down the cost of tuition for millions of American students.
Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (Introduced 07/13/2016)
Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
Publications
Postsecondary Institutions and Price of Attendance in 2015-16; Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2014-15; and 12-Month Enrollment: 2014-15: First Look (Preliminary Data): This report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is a preliminary report of the data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) fall 2015 collection, which included three survey components: Institutional Characteristics for the 2015-16 academic year, Completions covering the period July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, and data on 12-Month Enrollment for the 2014-15 academic year.
July 14, 2016
America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2016: This report developed by the Forum on Child and Family Statistics continues more than a decade of dedication and collaboration by agencies across the federal government to advance our understanding of our nation’s children and what may be needed to bring them a better tomorrow. Specifically, the report provides accessible compendiums of indicators drawn across topics from the most reliable official statistics; it is designed to complement other more specialized, technical, or comprehensive reports produced by various Forum agencies.
July 12, 2016