E-Update for September 26, 2022

The information covered below is from Friday, September 16, through Thursday, September 22.

Highlights:

• During the week of September 26, the House is likely to consider H.R. 7780, the “Mental Health Matters Act,” which is a comprehensive package aimed at building a pipeline of school-based mental health services providers, increasing students’ access to school-based mental health services providers and evidence-based trauma support services, and implementing evidence-based interventions in Head Start, among other provisions. The bill was approved by the House Education and Labor Committee on May 18 by a vote of 26-18 along party lines.
• On September 21, the House passed by a vote of 232-193, S. 1098, the “Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act,” which allows two borrowers, who had previously consolidated their federal student loans, to sever their consolidated loan into two separate loans. The bill, which previously passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent will now head to the President’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.
• On September 21, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to advance with bipartisan support, H.R. 8876, the “Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022,” which reauthorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV) and increases federal investments over five years.
• On September 20, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled, “Back to School: Meeting Students’ Academic, Social and Emotional Needs,” to explore how schools are helping students get back on track academically and address their social and emotional needs.

Administration:

Biden-Harris Administration participates in National HBCU Week: During the week of September 19, U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Miguel Cardona and other members of the Biden-Harris Administration participated in events as part of National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week. USED Secretary Cardona spoke at an event where he noted, “HBCUs have a proud legacy of creating doors of opportunity where none previously existed and providing students of color with an education grounded in affirmation, inclusion, and excellence.” Vice President Kamala Harris joined Secretary Cardona for an event at Claflin University, which is a HBCU in South Carolina. During her speech, VP Harris highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s recently announced student loan forgiveness plan, as well as support for Pell Grant increases, HBCUs, and mental health care for students. VP Harris stated, “Students said and young voters said, ‘We want to know that you’re going to invest in our centers of academic excellence and, in particular, our HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.’ And so we have invested over $5 billion to put the resources into these institutions that are putting the resources into the future leaders of our country.” Additionally, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities convened in Washington, D.C., to recognize the contributions of HBCUs, as well as acknowledge the critical role these important institutions play in advancing the nation’s global competitiveness.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosts symposium on the future of education research: On September 20, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a symposium focused on its recent report, “The Future of Education Research at the [Institute of Education Sciences]: Advancing an Equity-Oriented Science” with a focus on the report’s implications for the broader field of education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. Adam Gamoran, President of the William T. Grant Foundation and the Chair of the National Academies committee that produced the report, was joined by nineteen speakers and panelists including other report co-authors, current and former senior leaders at USED, leading education researchers, and school district officials. Symposium sessions explored the following topics: “The Urgency of Centering Equity in Education Research,” “Strategies and Mechanisms for Mobilizing Knowledge,” “Heterogeneity and Implementation,” and “Grounding Research in the Needs of the Communities.” Although the report’s recommendations were specifically geared to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the symposium’s discussions contemplated the rationale, opportunities, and challenges of taking a more equity-oriented approach to the design, production, and use of research evidence across the entire education ecosystem.
September 20, 2022

White House:

White House issues fact sheet on impact of potential federal student loan debt relief: On September 20, the White House issued a fact sheet regarding the Biden Administration’s student loan debt relief plan, which highlighted the number of borrowers from each state that would be eligible for debt relief. The recently announced student loan debt relief plan cancels $20,000 in federal student loans for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for non-Pell Grant recipients who are eligible (eligibility is limited to individuals with annual income less than $125,000 and married couples with combined income less than $250,000). The fact sheet notes that 90% of the relief dollars will be discharged to borrowers earning less than $75,000 per year, and over 40 million borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness. According to the fact sheet, nearly 20 million borrowers could also see their entire remaining federal loan balance discharged. Additionally, the Administration calls attention to how debt relief will “help narrow the racial wealth gap,” as nearly 71% of Black undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients and 65% of Latino undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients. USED is expected to release additional details about how borrowers will be able to access student debt relief in the coming weeks.
September 20, 2022

White House announces leadership for CHIPS bill implementation: On September 20, the White House announced the leadership of the newly established CHIPS for America offices, whose roles will be housed at the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Named for “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors” (CHIPS), the bill is primarily aimed at growing U.S. manufacturing of semiconductors. In addition to supports for the semiconductor manufacturing sector, the bill included a $81 billion investment in the National Science Foundation (NSF) to expand research and development opportunities, as well as support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the technology sector. The bill also included supports for STEM education from Pre-K to graduate-level education and establishes a ten-year National STEM Teacher Corps pilot program to recruit and retain high-quality STEM teachers to increase STEM student achievement and participation rates. Ronnie Chatterji will serve as the White House Coordinator for CHIPS Implementation at the National Economic Council (NEC), and will work closely with the National Security Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Steering Council to ensure effective interagency coordination. Chatterji had served as the Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Commerce since April 2021. In this role, he was responsible for developing policy related to U.S. competitiveness, labor markets, supply chains, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. Michael Schmidt will serve as the Director of the CHIPS Program Office. Schmidt most recently served as a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Department. Additionally, Eric Lin will serve as Interim Director at the CHIPS Research and Development Office; Todd Fisher will serve as the Interim Senior Advisor for the CHIPS Program Office; Donna Dubinsky will serve as Senior Counselor to the Secretary for CHIPS Implementation; and J.D. Grom will serve as Senior Advisor to the Secretary on CHIPS Implementation.  In the announcement, U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo shared, “These leaders bring decades of experience in government, industry and the R&D space, with a special emphasis on standing up and implementing large-scale programs.”
September 20, 2022

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

USED awards $177 million in new grants to increase access to competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities: On September 21, USED’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) announced new five-year grant awards for the Disability Innovation Fund’s Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) demonstration project. $177 million in awards will go to programs in 14 state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to decrease the use of subminimum wages and increase access to competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities. USED Secretary Cardona said, “These grants will support innovative efforts underway across the country to provide educational opportunities to youth and adults with disabilities so they can secure better-paying jobs, build economic security, and lead more fulfilling, independent lives.” The grants provide funding for state vocational rehabilitation agencies to support job seekers with disabilities to secure high-quality jobs for a living wage in the areas of green jobs, essential worker industries, the transportation industry, and the arts in which they will work alongside their non-disabled peers at comparable wages. USED Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) Deputy Assistant Secretary Katy Neas added, “Individuals with disabilities who are served by the SWTCIE grantees will be able to enjoy the four principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act: equality of opportunity; full participation; independent living; and economic self-sufficiency.”
September 21, 2022

Congress:

House passes legislation allowing for the separation of previously consolidated federal student loans: On September 21, the House passed by a vote of 232-193, S. 1098, the “Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act,” which allows two borrowers, who had previously consolidated their federal student loans, to sever their consolidated loan into two separate loans. The joint consolidation loan remainder (unpaid principal, outstanding charges and fees, and accrued unpaid interest) would be split proportionally based on the percentages that each borrower originally brought into the loan. The two new federal direct loans would also have the same interest rates as the joint consolidation loan. The bill will also allow survivors of domestic violence or economic abuse or borrowers who are unable to reach the other borrower to submit an individual application to separate their portion of the joint consolidation loan. S. 1098 passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent in June 2022, and will now head to President Biden’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.

During consideration of the bill in the House, House Education and Labor Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) expressed support for the intent of the bill, but voiced opposition specifically to S.1098. Primarily, some Republicans raised concerns that the bill would allow two borrowers to split a consolidated loan into two “new” loans, which could then qualify for student loan forgiveness under the Biden Administration’s recently announced student loan debt relief plan. Additionally, Ranking Member Foxx opposed the bill for several other factors, including what she asserted could be a timeline as long as 12- to 18-month for implementation, calling attention to the “urgency of the situation that borrowers are in.” Republicans introduced a Republican alternative in the House Rules Committee, H.R. 8909, the “Simplified Joint Consolidation Separation Act,” which was rejected by a 3-7 vote. The Republican bill would have allowed borrowers to split their loans but, would have prevented new loans from qualifying for student loan forgiveness.
September 21, 2022

House:

House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Foxx leads House Republicans in requesting data on school use of federal pandemic relief funds: On September 16, House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), along with 17 Republican Representatives, sent a letter to USED requesting data on how schools have used COVID-19 funding to combat learning loss. In the letter, the Republican Members expressed concern about the recently announced nationwide decline in reading and math scores and the need for Congress to understand how schools are using the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to combat this growing problem. Additionally, the letter notes that USED implemented a data collection tool this spring for state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to report how they are spending ESSER dollars on a variety of factors with the data collection being completed on July 1. The Members wrote, “We understand…that it will take time to process and aggregate the data. However, your department has not even provided an estimate of when this information will be made available. A timely release of this data is important so parents and other education stakeholders can ensure that officials are addressing local needs especially since much of this money has not yet been spent. We appreciate that you recognize the role stakeholders should play in the development of SEAs’ and LEAs’ ESSER plans but how can you expect them to provide meaningful consultation for 2023 and 2024 when they have minimal insight into expenditures and outcomes for 2021 and 2022?”
September 16, 2022

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education holds a hearing on student academic, social, and emotional needs as a result of COVID-19: On September 20, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled, “Back to School: Meeting Students’ Academic, Social and Emotional Needs,” to explore how schools are helping students get back on track academically and address their social and emotional needs. The Subcommittee heard from four witnesses, including Phyllis Jordan, Associate Director of FutureEd, a nonpartisan think tank at Georgetown University; Aaliyah Samuel, President and CEO of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL); Penny Schwinn, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education; and Matthew Blomstedt, Commissioner of the Nebraska Department of Education.

In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Ind/Dem-Northern Marianas) noted that “While the initial shift to online learning certainly saved lives, not being in the classroom impeded students’ social and emotional development and disrupted the stability that helps young people thrive.” In speaking about federal funding for schools passed as part of ARP, he said, “That is why Democrats have been focused on providing key resources for students and educators so they could return to the classroom safely.” Subcommittee Ranking Member Burgess Owens (R-UT) also used his opening remarks to express his concerns with school closures stating, “It was obvious from the beginning that children were suffering from shuttered classrooms. Despite this, many school districts prolonged school shutdowns…These closures didn’t only affect academic performance. Many adolescents also faced immense emotional and mental trauma during the pandemic, due to forced social isolation.” In contrast to the Subcommittee Chairman, Ranking Member Burgess then went on to question the impact of ARP funds saying, “To help schools reopen they were given exorbitant amounts of COVID-19 funding with zero accountability measures in place to ensure these taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately. Through ESSER alone, states were given $190 billion to help schools safely reopen. Most of these funds have yet to be spent.” Republican Subcommittee Members also took issue during the hearing with the role of teachers unions related to school closures stating that they, “held schools hostage to further their political agenda and, every time school districts capitulated to appease unions…unions moved the goalposts. This kept students out of school far longer than necessary and dramatically worsened pandemic-era learning loss.”

Subcommittee Chairman Sablan, bringing the discussion back to recovery from learning loss stated that, “In a national survey of more than 800 public schools, conducted by the Department of Education…98 percent of those schools are implementing learning-recovery programs, like tutoring and remedial instruction, and over 70 percent of those schools have shored up mental health supports.” Sablan also highlighted specific strategies states and districts are using to address learning loss by noting that, “Research estimates that high-dosage tutoring three times a week for a year can help students gain 19 weeks in instructional time, that a double-dose of math each day for a year can produce 10 weeks of gains, and that summer learning can help students gain the equivalent of 5 more weeks.”

Phyllis Jordan, from FutureEd, also raised the non-academic impact on students noting that “schools saw absenteeism rise over the past year and student engagement decline [where] many students experienced anxiety and depression, and teachers felt stressed out and stretched thin.” But, she also said that to address these issues “A body of research points educators to interventions that can help students recover academically and socially [and] we’re seeing school districts adopt these solutions in their plans for [ARP] spending.” Aaliyah Samuel, from CASEL, also talked about the importance of using federal recovery funding to address the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of students following the pandemic and that “SEL creates the conditions necessary for academic recovery, and [that] districts and states alike have invested in making SEL a priority for their students—including in 1,457 school districts.” However, Penny Schwinn, the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, seemed to criticize the amount of funding and the deadlines for spending these funds, commenting that “As a nation, we continue to discuss the generational impact of COVID on our current students, but we have not allowed for an investment runway to align to those needs, nor quantifiable goals and expectations at the federal level on the necessary rate of improvement.” The final witness, Matthew Blomsted, the Commissioner of the Nebraska Department of Education, commented on the short- and long-term benefits of COVID-related federal funding for schools remarking that “…the historic investment of funds has further set schools on a path to address unfinished teaching and learning and the non-academic effects on students [and]…the capacity to counteract the ongoing challenges that are just coming to be fully realized.”
September 20, 2022

House Ways and Means Committee advances home visiting and mental health legislation: On September 21, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to advance with bipartisan support, H.R. 8876, the “Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022,” which reauthorizes the MIECHV program and increases federal investments over five years. The MIECHV program supports pregnant women and parents with young children who live in communities that face greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes. Additionally, home visiting programs help families partner with health, social service, and child development professionals to set and achieve goals that improve their health and well-being. The reauthorization adopted the name of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, who championed support for home visiting as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee prior to her passing away this summer. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) shared that the Committee was “honoring her service and legacy by passing the reauthorization of home visiting legislation…and will allow even more families to access this life-changing support.” Over the five-year reauthorization, the new bill includes a $100 million increase in base funding starting in fiscal year (FY) 2023, and the phase in of additional federal matching starting in FY2024, which requires a 25% state match. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) shared, “The Ways and Means Committee continues to show that when we work together, we not only deliver for the American people, but we accomplish big things.” A section-by-section summary of H.R. 8876 is here and a fact sheet is here.
September 21, 2022

Upcoming Events (Congress & Administration):

• On September 28 at 2:00 pm, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) will host a webinar titled, “2023–24 FAFSA® Updates.” This webinar is intended for students, parents, and college access professionals who are interested in what’s new with the 2023–24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and will include FAFSA Updates. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. More information and registration here.
• On September 29 at 1:00 pm, FSA will host a webinar titled, “Federal Policy Update.” This webinar is intended for counselors, mentors, and college access professionals who are interested in learning about recent federal updates, as well as recent regulatory changes and upcoming changes related to the FAFSA Simplification Act. FSA will also respond to participant questions. More information and registration here.
• On September 29 at 3:00 pm, the White House Office of Public Engagement and White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) will host a virtual event to mark 15 years since the establishment of the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) program. The event will take place during AANAPISI Week 2022. More information and registration here.
• On September 30 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement Committee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Advisory Council (NAC) will hold a virtual meeting. Participants will hear from the Chair, and the meeting will feature a discussion of STEM engagement updates on topics of interest and STEM engagement partnerships, as well as formulation of new findings and recommendations. Meeting information is here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On September 28 at 2:00 pm, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) will host a webinar titled, “How States are Using the ESSER Set-Aside on the Road to Recovery.” CCSSO will provide an update on how state education agencies are using their 10 percent state set-aside of ARP ESSER funds. Through CCSSO’s COVID Relief Data Project, CCSSO is tracking state ESSER spending data to illustrate how state education agencies are leveraging COVID relief funding. Participants will learn about the latest ESSER state spending trends and will hear from states that are using federal relief funding to bring about an effective and equitable pandemic recovery. Speakers include Carissa Moffat Miller, CEO, Council of Chief State School Officers; Austin Estes, Program Director, COVID Relief Data Project, Council of Chief State School Officers; Catherine Truitt, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Jonathan P. Moore, Deputy Superintendent for Student Achievement, Nevada Department of Education; and Katy Anthes, Commissioner of Education, Colorado Department of Education. More information and registration here.

Publications (Congress & Administration):

• On September 20, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report titled, “Tracking the Funds: Specific Fiscal Year 2022 Provisions for Department of Education.” The report provides information on the use of $392.2 million in earmarked USED funds through the FY2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill for 473 projects at the request of Members of Congress. The report provides key observations on the use of directed spending, which show that the large majority of projects (93 percent) are designated to receive between $100,000 and $5 million, though projects range from $14,000 for a childhood literacy program to $50 million for a science and engineering endowment fund at a public university in Alabama.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On September 16, the American Library Association (ALA) released new data on the documentation of banned books in 2022. The data shows that between January 1 and August 31, 2022, 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique titles were targeted. The ALA writes that these numbers are on track to exceed record counts from 2021, when the ALA reported 729 attempts to censor library resources, targeting 1,597 books, which represented the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling these lists more than 20 years ago. ALA President Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada wrote, “The unprecedented number of challenges we’re seeing already this year reflects coordinated, national efforts to silence marginalized or historically underrepresented voices and deprive all of us – young people, in particular – of the chance to explore a world beyond the confines of personal experience.”
• On September 19, The Century Foundation published a new analysis titled, “The Facts on HBCUs: Top 10 Facts about Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” Century Foundation Senior Fellow Denise Smith examined 10 myths about HBCUs and the role they play in American higher education, presenting facts to support the analysis. The analysis begins with, “Myth 1: HBCUs are no longer needed.” Smith provides evidence that supports how HBCUS serve a higher proportion of low-income Black students than other institutions. Smith also dispels myths like “HBCUs discriminate against white students”; “HBCUs provide an inferior education”; and “HBCUs receive enough funding.” Smith writes that “it is impossible to quantify the totality of funding inequities experienced by HBCUs,” but that some Southern states still refuse to appropriate the matching state funds required by law.
• On September 19, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) launched a new resource as a part of their Right to Learn Campaign titled, “Right to Learn: Your Guide to Combatting Classroom Censorship.” The comprehensive toolkit was developed to provide public school students and parents resources to push back against book bans and classroom censorship efforts in their school districts. Included in the resource are talking points, actions and tactics, background information on school governance, and ideas for community organizing.
• On September 20, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), in partnership with AASA, the American Superintendents Association published a new resource titled, “Better Access to Data Helps Superintendents Make Decisions. They Want More of It.” The resource provides insights from data collected in a recent The Harris Poll among 253 superintendents across the country. Key takeaways show that 98 percent of superintendents feel that if they had better access to information, they would be more confident in their decision making, and 99 percent of superintendents feel that state data could be more useful.
• On September 20, Policy Studies Associates published a new report titled, “All the Voices: Statewide Collaborations for School Leadership under ESSA.” The report chronicles the work of states and districts to explore how the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) could be used by states and their districts, especially those serving high-need communities, to promote more effective and equity-minded school principals. The report outlines a few of the outputs from district and state education leaders in this effort: ideation of statewide equity indicators; creation of new principal programs for urban districts; contribution to school leadership preparation programs; and development of new, equity-minded resources for school leadership.
• On September 20, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Washington University in St. Louis published a new research article titled, “Infrastructure of social control: A multi-level counterfactual analysis of surveillance and black education.” The researchers aimed to address the “public dialogue” that occurs after school shootings, when policymakers respond by increasing surveillance measures to ensure safer learning environments. National survey data showed that schools “ranking highest in surveillance infrastructure suspend more students than schools that rank among the lowest in their surveillance capability, even when controlling for school social disorder and student misbehavior.” The researchers note that declining mathematics test scores and lower college enrollment at schools with high surveillance may indicate negative spillover effects of the measures.
• On September 20, RAND Corporation published a new research report titled, “Prioritizing Strategies to Racially Diversify the K–12 Teacher Workforce: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys.” Drawing on results from the 2022 State of the American Teacher survey related to increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce, the report provides a source of evidence that teacher preparation providers, education leaders, and policymakers could use to identify and prioritize a set of practices to increase workforce diversity in their localities. Researchers found that teachers of color identified increased pay and loan forgiveness as their top approaches to recruit and retain more teachers of color, and that working with other staff of color and nurturing positive collegial relationships could boost retention. The report offers recommendations, beginning with “lower the cost of becoming and being a teacher.” Policymakers could also ensure loan forgiveness and scholarship programs and consider compensation policies. Authors also recommend increasing the diversity of the teacher applicant pool and focusing on building positive collegial relationships and inclusive school environments.
• On September 21, The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) released two reports regarding “student lists.” Student lists are lists of prospective undergraduate students that can be provided by College Board, ACT, and other vendors, and contain the contact information of prospects who satisfy “search filter” criteria (e.g., test score range, high school GPA, zip code) specified by the university. The first report, titled, “Geodemographics of Student List Purchases: A First Look” analyzes actual student list purchases made from the College Board by public universities. The analysis found that student list products “are structurally racist and classist,” as the lists are part of recruitment used by selective universities to “systematically target affluent, predominantly white schools and communities in off-campus recruiting visits.” The second report, titled, “The Student List Business: Primer and Market Dynamics” provides an overview of how student lists work, and recent dynamics in the market for student list data. Both reports find that although student lists perpetuate biases and exclusion in recruiting, they also play an important role for college access, especially for underrepresented students. TICAS notes that a third report exploring policy options to address the student list business is forthcoming.

Legislation:

H.R. 8909
A bill to establish a process for separating joint consolidation loans to ensure timely relief for borrowers.
Sponsor: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

H.R. 8914
A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to make awards to increase or improve access to comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for individuals exposed to violent encounters involving law enforcement personnel, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO)

H.R. 8923
A bill to revise counseling requirements for certain borrowers of student loans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA)

H.R. 8932
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to clarify requirements for disclosure of transfer of credit policies.
Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX)

H.R. 8945
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the use of political tests in the selection, hiring, or promotion of students or faculty at institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)

H.R. 8948
A bill to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY)

H.Con.Res. 106
A concurrent resolution supporting the designation of the week of September 19 through September 23, 2022, as “Malnutrition Awareness Week.”
Sponsor: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

H.Res. 1361
A resolution providing for consideration of the bill (S. 1098) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans; and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)

H.Res. 1365
A resolution supporting the designation of the week of September 18 through September 24, 2022, as “Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week.”
Sponsor: Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)

S. 4890
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish protections for a member of the Armed Forces who leaves a course of education, paid for with certain educational assistance, to perform certain service, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Margaret Hassan (D-NH)

S. 4892
A bill to require elementary and middle schools that receive Federal funds to obtain parental consent before changing a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form, allowing a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

S. 4897
A bill to make reforms at institutions of higher education.
Sponsor: Sen. Tom Cotton

S. 4912
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to repay a portion of student loan default, to make student loan debts dischargeable in bankruptcy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)