E-Update for March 3, 2017
Highlights
- This E-Update includes information for the weeks of February 20th and 27th as we did not publish last week due to the Congressional recess.
- On February 28, President Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, during which he stated that education is the civil rights issue of our time.
- On February 28, President Trump issued an Executive Order establishing for his administration the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which will now be housed in the Executive Office of the President.
- On February 28, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled, “Providing More Students a Pathway to Success by Strengthening Career and Technical Education.”
- On February 23, the House Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee posted instructions for members to submit requests to the Subcommittee for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. The member deadline to submit requests to the Subcommittee is April 6.
U.S. Congress
Budget and Appropriations:
House Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee Holds Members’ Day: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) held a Members’ Day hearing for House Members to provide input on funding for programs within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction as they begin the process of drafting a FY 2018 bill. Members expressed support for maintaining or increasing funding for various education programs, such as Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act, and Title IV.
March 1, 2017
House:
99 Democrats and 1 Republican Urge Trump Administration to Reconsider Decision on Transgender Student Guidance: A group of 99 House Democrats and one Republican sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reconsider his decision to rescind U.S. Department of Education (USED) guidance on Title IX protection for transgender students. In the letter, the Congressional members noted that the guidance helped educational institutions answer common, practical questions while complying with the law.
March 2, 2017
Senate:
Chairman Mike Enzi Sends Letters to USED Secretary DeVos and HHS Secretary Price: Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) wrote to Secretary DeVos to request a comprehensive audit of all student loan-related data maintained by USED. He also wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Price requesting a follow up to the Congressionally required report on the fragmentation and overlap of federal early learning programs. The letter also calls on Departments to begin a consolidation and elimination process to ensure that students are best served by well-coordinated programs. More information about Chairman Enzi’s letters, including the full text, can be found here and here, respectively.
February 29 & 27, 2017
Congressional Review Act Resolutions Introduced in the Senate: A group of 10 senators, including Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), introduced S.J. Res. 25, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by USED relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. In a statement, Chairman Alexander underscored that the current regulations violate the law in that they require states to perform additional measures not required in the law. Press release can be found here. Also, Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), along with 9 other members, including Chairman Alexander, introduced S. J. Res. 26, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by USED relating to teacher preparation issues.
March 2, 2017
Ranking Members Murray and Scott Request Information on USED Programs Audit: Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) wrote to USED Secretary DeVos requesting information on her audit of the U.S. Department of Education programs, as well as reports that the Secretary is considering eliminating a number of deputy assistant secretary positions and the position of Under Secretary.
February 24, 2017
House and Senate Hearings:
House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Holds Hearing on Career and Technical Education (CTE): The House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled, “Providing More Students a Pathway to Success by Strengthening Career and Technical Education.” At the hearing, witnesses discussed how CTE programs help prepare students for successful careers and meet the economic needs of communities and industries across the country. More information and a video of the hearing can be found here. A summary of the hearing is available here.
February 28, 2017
Administration
White House:
President Trump Delivers Joint Address to Congress: President Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. The President said that he is willing to work with members of both parties to make child care affordable and accessible for families and to support paid family leave. Regarding education, the President said that education is the civil rights issue of our time. He also called on Congress to enact a bill to fund school choice for disadvantaged youth, including African American and Latino children, that will give families the freedom to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious, or home school that is right for them. USED Secretary DeVos’s statement can be found here and HHS Secretary Price’s statement here. Additionally, Chairman Alexander’s statement on the speech can be found here and Chairwoman Foxx’s statement here.
February 28, 2016
President Trump and USED Secretary DeVos Visit Florida Private School: President Trump and USED Secretary DeVos visited St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, during which they focused on issues of school choice. The visit comes after the President’s Joint Address to Congress, during which he made the case for Congress to fund school choice.
March 3, 2017
President Trump Issues Executive Order on HBCUs: President Trump issued an Executive Order establishing for his administration the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which will now be housed in the Executive Office of the President. President Trump’s remarks on the executive order can be found here and Ranking Member Scott’s statement here. In conjunction with the announcement of the executive order, the White House held a listening session with HBCU leaders and USED Secretary DeVos addressed attendees of a HBCU Congressional Luncheon. An official readout of the listening session can be found here, Vice President Pence’s remarks from the session here, and USED Secretary DeVos’ statement here. Additionally, USED Secretary DeVos’ remarks at the luncheon can be found here.
February 28, 2016
U.S. Department of Education:
USED Secretary DeVos Speaks at Conservative Political Action Committee Conference: USED Secretary DeVos addressed the Conservative Political Action Committee Conference during which she called for school choice, raised concerns with the effectiveness of School Improvement Grants, and expressed the need for diversity of opinions on college campuses.
February 23, 2017
USED and DOJ Rescind Transgender Student Guidance: USED and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a Dear Colleague letter withdrawing and rescinding the statements of policy and guidance outlining protections for transgender students in schools. The letter states, “the Departments believe that, in this context, there must be due regard for the primary role of the States and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” The letter also states that the withdrawal of these guidance documents does not leave students without protections from discrimination, bullying, or harassment. According to the letter, all schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment. USED Secretary DeVos’ statement can be found here. Ranking Member Murray’s statement is available here, Chairwoman Foxx’s statement here and Ranking Member Scott’s statement here.
February 22, 2017
NACIQI Appoints New Chair and Gains New Members: The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity conducted a meeting, during which they elected Arthur E. Keiser, chancellor and chief executive officer of Keiser University, to chair the panel. Congressional Republicans also appointed two new members to the federal advisory committee ahead of the meeting – Claude Pressnell, president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association and who previously served on Chairman Alexander’s task force on deregulating higher education, and Brian Jones, president of Strayer University.
February 22-24, 2017
USED’s Inspector General Issues Report on the Department’s Response to Closure of Corinthian Colleges: USED’s Inspector General issued a report noting that the Department has taken some steps to improve its response to the unexpected closure of large for-profit schools like Corinthian Colleges — but it should do a better job of requiring risky colleges to post collateral and prevent them from gaming financial stability tests.
February 24, 2017
Upcoming Events
On March 9, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Management Challenges and the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education and the Social Security Administration: Views from the Inspectors General,” beginning at 10am. More information can be found here.
On March 8, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a Public Witnesses Day, beginning at 10am. More information can be found here
Publications
National Center for Education Services Releases & Reports: USED’s National Center for Education Services (NCES) released a first look report on Graduation Rates for selected cohorts 2007-2012, Student Financial Aid data for the academic year 2014-15, as well as Admissions for Fall 2015. The report can be found here. NCES also released a Statistics in Brief profiling the demographic, background, and enrollment characteristics of undergraduates attending for-profit postsecondary institutions in 2012. The brief can be found here. Lastly, NCES released a “User’s Manual for the ECLS-K: 2011 Kindergarten – Second Grade Data File and Electronic Codebook” which includes data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal study. The manual can be found here.
February 27 & 28, 2017
EducationCounsel Publishes Blog Post on Stakeholder Engagement: EducationCounsel’s Kathryn Young wrote a blog post entitled, “Making the Most of the Opportunity to Engage,” in which she makes the case for robust, ongoing stakeholder engagement and outlines the challenges that states and districts may face when conducting stakeholder engagement.
February 21, 2017
EducationCounsel and NCTQ Release Report on the Teacher Pension Crisis: “Lifting the Fog,” written by EducationCounsel’s Sandi Jacobs and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) analyzes state teacher pension policies and offers detailed recommendations for each state to address the teacher pension crisis.
February 2017
Legislation
S.J. Res. 25
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by USED relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
Sponsor: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
S.J. Res. 26
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues.
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE)
S. Res. 69
A resolution celebrating Black History Month.
Sponsor: Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
S. Res. 79
A resolution designating March 2, 2017, as “Read Across America Day.”
Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
S. 383
A bill to coordinate the provision of energy retrofitting assistance to schools.
Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
S. 387
A bill to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to subject the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to the regular appropriations process, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. David Perdue (R-GA)
S. 393
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for employees who participate in qualified apprenticeship programs.
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
S. 405
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide an exclusion from income for student loan forgiveness for students who have died or become disabled.
Sponsor: Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
H. Res 159
A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that infrastructure spending bills should include development programs that recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment rates.
Sponsor: Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY)
H. Res. 168
A resolution encouraging people in the United States to recognize March 2, 2017, as Read Across America Day.
Sponsor: Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)
H.R. 795
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to employer payments of qualified education loans.
Sponsor: Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)
H.R. 1013
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the above-the-line deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers to individuals involved in early childhood education programs.
Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
H.R. 1027
A bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve access to, and the delivery of, children’s health services through school-based health centers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD)
H.R. 1060
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include certain individuals who work on farms or ranches as individuals who are employed in public service jobs for purposes of eligibility for loan forgiveness under the Federal Direct Loan program.
Sponsor: Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT)
H.R. 1065
A bill to establish biennial budgets for the United States Government.
Sponsor: Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN)
H.R. 1079
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to disclose their concealed carry or open carry policies with respect to firearms, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
H.R. 1080
A bill to amend the Securities Act of 1933 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exemption and payments from taxation for 501(c)(3) bonds issued on behalf of HBCUs.
Sponsor: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
H.R. 1112
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the transfer of unused Post-9/11 Educational Assistance benefits to additional dependents upon the death of the originally designated dependent.
Sponsor: Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID)
H.R. 1120
A bill to promote and ensure delivery of high quality special education and related services to students with visual disabilities or who are deaf or hard of hearing or deaf-blind through instructional methodologies meeting their unique learning needs; to enhance accountability for the provision of such services, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA)
H.R. 1123
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify certain provisions relating to the capital financing of historically Black colleges and universities.
Sponsor: Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)
H.R. 1127
A bill to increase purchasing power, strengthen economic recovery, and restore fairness in financing higher education in the United States through student loan forgiveness, caps on interest rates on Federal student loans, and refinancing opportunities for private borrowers, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)
H.R. 1129
A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to strengthen student visa background checks and improve the monitoring of foreign students in the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
H.R. 1135
A bill to reauthorize HBCU Historic Preservation program.
Sponsor: Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)
H.R. 1143
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to address the increased burden that maintaining the health and hygiene of infants and toddlers places on families in need, the resultant adverse health effects on children and families, and the limited child care options available for infants and toddlers who lack sufficient diapers.
Sponsor: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
H.R. 1144
A bill to impose a tax on certain trading transactions to invest in our families and communities, improve our infrastructure and our environment, strengthen our financial security, expand opportunity and reduce market volatility.
Sponsor: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
H.R. 1165
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exclusion from gross income for AmeriCorps educational awards.
Sponsor: Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
H.R. 1189
A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide greater access to the supplemental nutrition assistance program by reducing duplicative and burdensome administrative requirements, authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to certain community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose of establishing and implementing a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially and economically disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Jose Serrano (D-NY)
H.R. 1193
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize institutions of higher education to provide additional loan counseling, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Dave Trott (R-MI)
H.R. 1194
A bill to establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, to study and make recommendations to address social problems affecting Black men and boys.
Sponsor: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
H.R. 1200
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for collegiate housing and infrastructure grants.
Sponsor: Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
H.R. 1206
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to include the cost of applying to an institution of higher learning as part of the benefits provided under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program.
Sponsor: Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN)
H.R. 1216
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide veterans affected by school closures certain relief and restoration of educational benefits, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN)
H.R. 1239
Official title: A bill to authorize the Secretary of Defense to make grants to support the study of world languages in elementary schools and secondary schools.
Sponsor: Rep. David E. Price (D-NC)
H.R. 1241
A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a school food authority to make publicly available any waiver of the Buy American requirement, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
H.R. 1331
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide educational and vocational counseling for veterans on campuses of institutions of higher learning, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN)