E-Update for June 23, 2017

Highlights:

• On June 22, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 2353, the “Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act,” to reauthorize career and technical education programs.
• On June 22, Senate Republicans unveiled their health care overhaul proposal.
• On June 19, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Year Round Pell grants will be available to students beginning July 1, 2017.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):

USED Releases FAQ on State ESSA Plans: U.S. Department of Education (USED) released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on ESSA Consolidated State plans.  The release of the document follows the Department’s posting initial feedback on ESSA state plans to New Mexico, Delaware, and Nevada. Some questions answered in the FAQ include information on how the Department is determining what to include in the initial feedback it is providing to each state and what are the common requests for clarification that the Department has made to states, among other questions. The FAQ document is available here.
June 16, 2017

Congress:

Democratic Members Raise Concerns With AMC Sale of For-Profit Colleges: A group of House and Senate Democratic members led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to the WASC Senior College and University Commission regarding concerns with the announcement by The Dream Center Foundation that it intends to purchase Education Management Corporation’s chain of for-profit colleges and to convert these institutions to non-profit status . This transaction requires the approval of both USED and each of EDMC’s current accreditation agencies.
June 22, 2017

Senate:

Senate Republicans Unveil Healthcare Overhaul Proposal: Senate Republicans unveiled their health care overhaul proposal this week. According to Senate Republicans, the proposal would: help stabilize collapsing insurance markets; end Obamacare mandates that require the purchase of  insurance; improve the affordability of health insurance; preserve access to care for Americans with pre-existing conditions; allow children to stay on their parents’ health insurance through age 26; and strengthen Medicaid.
June 22, 2017

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) statement is available here. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) statement is available here. Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray’s (D-WA) statement is available here. House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott’s (D-VA) statement is available here.

Democratic Senators Send Letter to USED Secretary DeVos on Vouchers and Students With Disabilities: Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray  (D-WA) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a letter to USED Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos requesting clarification on her position regarding the rights of students with disabilities. In the letter, the Senators asked Secretary DeVos to confirm that any newly proposed federal voucher program will ensure that all schools, public and private, will be required to provide the full protections guaranteed to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The press release can be found here.
June 22, 2017

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Free Speech on College Campuses: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Free Speech 101: The Assault on the First Amendment on College Campuses.” At the hearing, students and university officials testified on incidents on college campuses when speaker’s rights have been challenged. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) statement is available here.
June 20, 2017

House:

CTE Bill Passed in the House: The House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 2353, the  “Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act,” to reauthorize career and technical education programs. A Fact Sheet is available here. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and  Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson’s (R-PA) joint statement can be found here.
June 22, 2017

• Prior to the vote, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released an op-ed on apprenticeships and technical education. In the op-ed, she wrote that the federal government should “update our career and technical education laws to give community leaders and educators the tools and freedom they need to build programs that will open up more pathways for students and workers.” The op-ed is available here.

Speaker Ryan Delivers Speech on Tax Reform: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) delivered his first major address on tax reform at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) 2017 Manufacturing Summit. The speech focused on the need to get permanent, pro-growth tax reform enacted in 2017.
June 20, 2017

House Democrats Introduce Bills to Boost College Completion: House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), the committee’s Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, joined other House Democrats in introducing the H.R. 2961, the “Remedial Education Improvement Act,” which would ensure students are moving to credit-bearing courses,  and H.R. 2960, the “Community College Student Success Act,” which would support comprehensive services to increase transfer and graduation rates at community colleges. These bills are a part of House Democrats’ Aim Higher initiative. The bills are available here and here. Fact sheets can be found here and here.
June 20, 2017

Administration:

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

USED Issues Progress Report for Regulatory Reform Task Force: USED Secretary DeVos released a statement on the Department’s Regulatory Reform Task Force’s first progress report as required by President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.” The Progress Report is available here.
June 22, 2017

USED Secretary DeVos Appoints New FSA Office COO: USED Secretary DeVos announced her intent to appoint Dr. A. Wayne Johnson as Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid (FSA). Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in higher education leadership and has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.
June 20, 2017

• On June 21, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), issued a statement in support of the Trump administration’s selection of Dr. A. Wayne Johnson to fill the position of chief operating officer at the USED FSA Office. Chairwoman Foxx’s statement can be found here.

USED Secretary DeVos Makes Announcement on Year Round Pell Grants: USED Secretary DeVos announced Year Round Pell grants will be available to students beginning July 1, 2017. This change will allow eligible students to receive up to 150 percent of their Federal Pell Grant Scheduled Award beginning with the 2017–2018 award year. The Dear Colleague Letter is available here.
June 19, 2017

• On June 20, Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released a statement on USED’s guidance to implement year-round Pell Grants. Her statement is available here.

Upcoming Events:

• On June 27, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. to review the FY2018 President’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) with DOL Secretary Alexander Acosta. More information can be found here.
• On June 28, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education will hold a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on “Exploring Opportunities to Strengthen Education Research While Protecting Student Privacy.” More information is available here.
• On June 28, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing at 1:00 p.m. on criminal justice reforms and efforts to reduce recidivism. More information can be found here.

Publications:

• On June 21, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a new report, “Principles for Effective School Improvement Systems.” The report includes principles to inform how states design effective systems to improve low-performing schools and provide an equitable education for all students. More information is available here.
• On June 20, the Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) released a brief on “The Critical Importance of Costs for Education Decisions.” The brief provides guidance to decision makers in schools, districts, state education departments, and intermediary organizations about ways that cost analyses can help inform their decisions about program choices, budgets, and strategies. The brief can be found here.
• On June 21, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a new report, “Principles for Effective School Improvement Systems.” The report includes principles to inform how states design effective systems to improve low-performing schools and provide an equitable education for all students. More information is available here.
• On June 20, First Five Years Fund released its annual poll showing strong bipartisan support for investments in early childhood education and child care. The poll is available here.

Legislation:

H.R.2992
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for public service student loan forgiveness to certain contractor employees of national laboratories.
Sponsor: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)

H.R.2976
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow for the deferment of certain student loans during a period in which a borrower is receiving treatment for cancer.
Sponsor: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)

H.R.2970
A bill to amend section 428K(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include certain cultural workers, museum professionals, artistic professionals, arts and humanities professors, and music and arts educators among the individuals eligible for loan forgiveness for service in areas of national need.
Sponsor: Nydia Vasquez (D-NY)

H.R.2968
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to provide each borrower with an individualized repayment guide.
Sponsor: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)

H.R.2967
A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish a grant program to appoint nutrition coordinators to oversee local school nutrition policies in local educational agencies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)

H.R.2961
A bill to  amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve remedial education programs that train students in the competencies needed to succeed in higher education.
Sponsor: Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ)

H.R.2960
A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out a grant program to make grants to eligible institutions to plan and implement programs that provide comprehensive support services and resources designed to increase transfer and graduation rates at community colleges, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY)

H.R.2949
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans.
Sponsor: Rep. David E. Price (D-NC)

H.R.2944
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for in-State tuition rates for refugees and asylees.
Sponsor: Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA)

H.R.2933
A bill to promote effective registered apprenticeships, for skills, credentials, and employment, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)

H.R.2926
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to disclose hazing incidents, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA)

H.R.2919
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide that an individual may remain eligible to participate in the teacher loan forgiveness program under title IV of such Act if the individual’s period of consecutive years of employment as a full-time teacher is interrupted because the individual is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is relocated during the school year pursuant to military orders for a permanent change of duty station, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH)

H.R.2902
A bill to amend part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to provide full Federal funding of such part.
Sponsor: Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA)

S.1384
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans.
Sponsor: Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA)

S.1370
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects relating to children and violence to provide access to school-based comprehensive mental health programs.
Sponsor: Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)