E-Update for June 3, 2016

Highlights

• The House and Senate were in recess this week. Next week, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) and the full Senate Appropriations Committee will markup the fiscal year (FY) 2017 Senate Labor/HHS appropriations bill.
• Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that House Republicans will release a broad proposal to overhaul anti-poverty programs Tuesday, June 7. This will be the first in a series of policy proposals developed by House Republicans to be released in the following month.
• On June 14, Results for America, the National Head Start Association, and Bellwether Education Partners are holding an event entitled, “Moneyball for Head Start: Using Data and Evidence to Improve Outcomes.” EducationCounsel Principal Bethany Little will be speaking at the event; register here.

U.S. Congress

House Democrats Call for Protections to Pell Grants: House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Representative Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) wrote to the House Appropriations Committee expressing concern with the possibility of proposals that would weaken the Pell Grant program being included in the FY2017 Labor/HHS bill, and supporting an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award. Their letter is available here.
May 31, 2016

Senator Murray Urges USED to Improve Financial Aid Processes for Homeless Students: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) calling for the Department to address obstacles faced by unaccompanied homeless students in applying for and receiving federal aid. Ranking Member Murray requested, among other changes, excluding burdensome parental information requirements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
May 31, 2016

Senate Democrats Urge ITT Tech to Halt Use of Mandatory Arbitration Clauses: Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the CEO of for-profit college ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT Tech), calling on the school to halt its use of mandatory arbitration clauses. The letter highlighted the fact that the University of Phoenix and DeVry have halted the use of such clauses in their college enrollment agreements, and asked ITT Tech to do the same. Their letter is available here.
May 27, 2016

Administration

USED Releases Fact Sheet on Supporting Dual Language Learners in Early Ed: USED announced the release of a policy statement and toolkit from USED and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support early childhood programs and states by providing recommendations that promote the development and learning of young children, birth to age five, who are dual language learners (DLLs). The joint policy statement from USED and HHS is available here. The toolkit is available here.
June 2, 2016

FSA Announces Delay in Implementation of Gainful Employment Rule: USED’s Federal Student Aid office announced that it would push back the timing of its implementation of its “gainful employment” rule. FSA will not start the 45-day clock on data challenges from colleges until later in June.
May 31, 2016

USED Announces New Firm to Monitor Corinthian Colleges Operator: USED announced the selection of law firm Squire Patton Boggs to monitor Zenith Education Group, the group which operates former Corinthian College campuses. The firm will provide independent oversight of Zenith Education Group’s operations and report to USED.
May 27, 2016

USED Releases Toolkit to Support Foster Youth Pursuing College and Career Opportunities: USED released a toolkit to support current and former foster youth pursuing college and career opportunities. The toolkit provides resources to help foster youth navigate social, emotional, educational, and skills barriers as they transition into college or career. The toolkit is available here.
May 26, 2016

Events

On June 7, the Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee will markup the FY2017 Senate Labor/HHS bill at 10:30 am in Room 138 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A webcast of the subcommittee hearing will be streamed here.

On June 9, the full Senate Appropriations Committee will markup the FY2017 Senate Labor/HHS bill at 10:30 am in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A webcast of the full committee hearing will be streamed here.

On June 14, Results for America, the National Head Start Association, and Bellwether Education Partners are holding an event entitled, “Moneyball for Head Start: Using Data and Evidence to Improve Outcomes.” EducationCounsel Principal Bethany Little will be speaking at the event; register here.