E-Update for the Week of May 6, 2019

Highlights:

• On May 1, POLITICO reported that USED has hired FI Consulting, an economic consulting firm, to analyze the “economic value” of the federal government’s student loan portfolio. The Department currently has a $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio, and the Department has allegedly considered selling off some of the debt to private investors.
• On April 30, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) held a markup of its fiscal year (FY) 2020 Labor/HHS appropriations bill. The bill was reported out from the Subcommittee on a partisan voice vote. The bill includes an allocation of $75.9 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (USED), an increase of $4.4 billion over FY2019 levels. The House Appropriations Committee will consider the bill on May 8.
• On April 29, CQ reported that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) will be waiting to move forward on FY2020 appropriations bills until there is an agreement on overall spending levels also known as spending caps.

Budget and Appropriations:

House Labor/HHS Subcommittee advances FY2020 spending bill, full Committee to consider May 8: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) held a markup of its fiscal year (FY) 2020 Labor/HHS appropriations bill. The bill was reported out from the Subcommittee on a partisan voice vote. The bill includes an allocation of $75.9 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (USED), an increase of $4.4 billion over FY2019 levels. The House Appropriations Committee will consider the bill on May 8. A press release is here. The bill is here.
April 30, 2019

Senator Shelby not moving forward on FY2020 appropriations until spending caps deal reached: CQ reported that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) will be waiting to move forward on FY2020 appropriations bills until there is an agreement on overall spending levels also known as spending caps. The Chairman indicated he will not be using the same overall spending levels as the House Appropriations Committee, which used a deeming resolution to set spending limits for their FY2020 appropriations bills. “We’ll have different numbers,” stated the Chairman. Further, Chairman Shelby suggested that the debt limit suspension could be used as a vehicle to reach a deal for spending caps. “Sometimes if you put two or three big issues together you know sooner or later will probably pass, or are apt to pass, you pick up a lot of support if you join them,” said the Chairman.
April 29, 2019

Congress:

House:

Dreamer act postponed until Democrats resolve intraparty issues: POLITICO reported that the House plans to bring H.R.6, the “Dream and Promise Act,” to the floor this month has stalled, and the fate of the bill is uncertain. The bill would combine the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship for children brought here without documentation, along with a proposal to allow some immigrants with the ability to apply for citizenship. According to the report, the bill is on hold while Democrats work through intraparty disagreements on the bill. In April, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) had stated he hoped to bring the bill to the floor during the May work period. The POLITICO article is here.
May 2, 2019

Child abuse prevention bill reintroduced, markup expected in next few weeks: House Education and Labor Committee leaders introduced H.R.2480, the “Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” (CAPTA). The bipartisan bill is intended to combat the rising rates of child abuse, as the “opioid crisis has devastated families and communities.” The bill will help states build networks of services that can help prevent child abuse; build the capacity of child protective services agencies; improve data sharing and quality of data; and, support evidence-based strategies to treat child abuse and neglect. No announcement has been made about the bill being marked up, but it is expected this could happen in the next few weeks. A press release is here. The bill is here.
May 2, 2019

House explores federal responsibility for improving school integration: The House Education and Labor Committee held a full committee hearing titled, “Brown v. Board of Education at 65: A Promise Unfulfilled.” The hearing highlighted the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled school segregation unconstitutional. The hearing was largely an opportunity for Democrats to highlight the need for federal efforts to support school integration efforts, while also an opportunity for Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) to emphasize his displeasure with U.S. Department of Education (USED) actions such as the rescission of the Obama-era school discipline guidance and the delay of the significant disproportionality rule. Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) led her Republican colleagues in recognizing the need for greater school integration, while arguing improved and increased school choice programs are the best tool to accomplish this. A recording of the hearing is here. Chairman Scott’s opening statement is here. Ranking Member Foxx’s opening statement is here.
April 30, 2019

Administration:

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

DeVos to Manhattan Institute – we are ‘breaking the stranglehold’ on public education: USED Secretary DeVos was awarded the Alexander Hamilton award by the Manhattan Institute. During her acceptance remarks, the Secretary described her efforts to “[break] the stranglehold Washington has on America’s students, teachers, and schools starting with the all the social engineering from the previous administration.” Specifically, the Secretary highlighted the proposed regulations for Title IX, the delay of the Borrower Defense and gainful employment rules, and the rescission of the Obama-era school discipline guidance. Further, the Secretary described the Education Freedom Scholarships program as a means to “fuel state-led efforts to develop more opportunities for their own students.” The full remarks are here.
May 1, 2019

USED hires economic consultants to examine federal student loan portfolio: POLITICO reported that USED has hired FI Consulting, an economic consulting firm, to analyze the “economic value” of the federal government’s student loan portfolio. The Department currently has a $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio, and the Department has allegedly considered selling off some of the debt to private investors. However, the Department has commented saying “selling off the portfolio isn’t what we’re doing” and instead the consultants will provide a “clear understanding of the state of the portfolio, which is the responsible thing to do since we’re charged with overseeing it and it has ballooned to nearly $1.5 trillion.” The POLITICO article is here.
May 1, 2019

DeVos highlights school choice proposal, criminal justice reform, Second Chance Pell at National Teacher of the Year ceremony: USED Secretary DeVos delivered remarks at the annual National Teacher of the Year Ceremony, which celebrated Rodney Robinson’s selection as the 2019 National Teacher of the Year. During her remarks, the Secretary highlighted her Education Freedom Scholarships proposal, as well as the First Step Act, which provides various criminal justice reforms. Further, the Secretary also referenced the Second Chance Pell pilot program. The Secretary’s full remarks are here.
April 29, 2019

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On May 1, Chiefs for Change published a report titled, “Choosing Wisely: How States Can Help Districts Adopt High-Quality Instructional Materials.” The report analyzes instructional materials from across the country and finds that districts often recommend low-quality materials. The report provides a series of recommendations to address this. Key recommendations include defining “high quality” for instructional materials and professional development; creating objective rubrics and tools to evaluate instructional materials; collecting, studying, and publishing data on district curricular choice; incentivizing smart choices; and ensuring frequent review of curricula. The full report is here.
• On May 1, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Center for American Progress (CAP) co-published a report titled, “Ensuring Accountability and Effectiveness at the Office of Federal Student Aid.” The report provides an overview the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office and provides a series of recommendations for policymakers when attempting to improve the office. Key recommendations include identifying that performance-based organizations (PBOs) have improved effectiveness when problems have clearer solutions; the FSA office should have goals reassessed frequently; oversight should be consistent with the FSA structure; develop a better understanding of the problems within the office; and evaluate the relationship between Congress and the FSA. The full report is here.
• On May 1, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) published a report titled, “The Evolution of Career and Technical Education.” The report analyzes career and technical education (CTE) courses over the last 30 years to determine how the courses have changed over time and how such trends should be used to inform CTE policies and programs. Key findings of the report include identifying that the students enrolling and completing CTE courses has slightly decreased over time; and that traditional vocational CTE programs have largely decreased over time, but “new era CTE” courses such as engineering and computer science have increased. The full report is here.
• On April 29, the Century Foundation published a report titled, “How Can the Federal Government Support Integration in Charter Schools?” The report discusses the Charter Schools Program (CSP) and how it can be leveraged to improve integration efforts. The report recommends changes to the CSP in order to improve integration such as building integration into the purpose of the program by adding priorities to the grant program; expanding priorities for diversity; revising the priority for serving a low-income demographic; requiring data on school demographics and comparison to surrounding schools; and expanding allowances for weighted lotteries. The full report is here.

Upcoming Events (Congressional and Administration):

• Not Official: On May 8, it is expected that the full House Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY2020 House Labor/HHS bill and report.
• On May 8 at 10:00am, the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a full committee hearing titled, “Paid Family and Medical Leave: Helping Workers and Employers Succeed.” No witnesses for the hearing have been announced. More information will be posted here. An announcement from the Committee is here.
• On May 9 at 10:15am, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment is holding a hearing titled, “The Cost of Non-Completion: Improving Student Outcomes in Higher Education.” This is the Subcommittee’s third hearing focused on the Higher Education Act (HEA). No witnesses for the hearing have been announced. More information will be posted here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On May 7 at 2:00pm, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is hosting a congressional briefing titled, “High Performing Middle Schools: Equipping and Empowering Teachers and Leaders.” The briefing will focus on what is being done across the country to support grades 5-8 and how federal investments are critical to ensuring continued success of these programs. More information and registration are here.
• On May 9 at 2:00pm, the National Indian Education Association is hosting an event titled, “Blended and Personalized Learning.” The event will feature a discussion on how to engage teachers in professional learning opportunities and to inform teachers on the benefits of blended and personalized learning from an indigenous perspective. More information and registration are here.

Legislation:

H.R.2421
A bill to ensure that certain incidents involving a covered employee that are reported to the title IX coordinator at an eligible institution of higher education have been reviewed by the president of the institution and not less than 1 additional member of the institution’s board of trustees, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)

H.R.2437
A bill to amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to provide parity for outlying areas, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Michael San Nicholas (D-GU-At large)

H.R.2441
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to improve the public service loan forgiveness program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD)

H.R.2465
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that enables college-bound residents of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa to have greater choices among institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Gregorio Killi Sablan (D-MP-At Large)

H.R.2480
A bill to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA)

H.R.2486
A bill to reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
Sponsor: Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)

H.R.2494
A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to increase support for mental health.
Sponsor: Rep. Debra Haaland (D-NM)

H.R.2503
A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to increase support for mental health.
Sponsor: Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN)

S.1278
A bill to reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
Sponsor: Senator Doug Jones (D-AL)

S.1281
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide grants for institutions of higher education to prevent substance misuse, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)

S.1292
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for Federal student loan reform.
Sponsor: Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

S.1299
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to local educational agencies to encourage girls and underrepresented minorities to pursue studies and careers in STEM fields.
Sponsor: Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)