E-Update for November 21, 2022

The information covered below is from November 11 to 18. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, EducationCounsel will not circulate EUpdate on November 28.
Highlights:

On November 14, a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency request from six Republican-led states to also block student loan forgiveness program. On November 17, the Biden Administration filed a new emergency request that the Supreme Court intervene to end the Eighth Circuit’s injunction, which would allow the program to move forward.
Current HELP Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) has expressed that she intends to assume the top spot of the full Senate Appropriations Committee in the 118th Congress, which will likely mean that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will become the lead Democrat on the Senate HELP Committee.
On November 14, USED launched a new initiative titled, “Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success,” to increase access to high-quality workforce training programs and skills-based learning.

Administration:
Federal District Judge rules student loan relief program “unconstitutional;” Federal Appeals Court grants injunction to halt program; Biden Administration files emergency request to SCOTUS to allow student loan […]

E-Update for November 14, 2022

The information covered below is from November 4 to 10.
Highlights:

On November 8, midterm elections were held across the country, the results of which will have effects in both the federal government and state legislatures, and on education policy priorities.
On November 9, President Biden held a press conference following the midterm elections where he shared the Administration’s current positions on several education-related issues, including affirmative action, support for two years of education beyond high school through apprenticeships or community college, increases for Pell Grants, universal pre-kindergarten, and the child tax credit.
On November 10, Federal Judge Mark Pittman of the Northern District of Texas blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program ruling it was “an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s legislative power and must be vacated.”

Administration:
Federal District Judge rules student loan relief program “unconstitutional”: On November 10, Federal Judge Mark Pittman of the Northern District of Texas ruled that President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program was an “an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s legislative power and must be vacated.” Under the plan, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) plans to cancel up […]

E-Update for November 7, 2022

The information covered below is from October 27 to November 3.
Highlights: 

On October 31, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) challenging race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC).
On October 31, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) released final regulations for existing federal student loan discharge programs, including Borrower Defense to Repayment (BD), Total and Permanent Disability Discharge, Closed School Discharge, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
On October 27, USED announced $50 million in supplemental grant funding through the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program to increase attendance and engagement of middle grades and high school students.

Administration:
President Biden announces anticipated approval of 16 million student loan debt cancellation applications, but loan forgiveness continues to be on hold following recent court ruling: On November 3, President Biden announced that USED will have approved 16 million student loan debt cancellation applications by “the end of the week,” or Friday, November 4. Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan, USED will cancel up to $20,000 […]

E-Update for October 31, 2022

The information covered below is from October 21 to 28.
Highlights:

On October 31, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. The cases challenge the use of race-conscious admissions policies.
On October 24, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the national and state results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which showed significant decline in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math scores between 2019 and 2022.
On October 25, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced several key changes to the application process and eligibility criteria for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
On October 27, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced final rules that will strengthen the “90/10” rule for for-profit colleges, clarify procedures for institutions undergoing changes in ownership, and extend Pell Grants to incarcerated individuals.

Administration:
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, reflecting the impact of the pandemic, show significant declines in reading and math scores.: On […]

E-Update for October 24, 2022

Due to the congressional recess, EducationCounsel will not be publishing our EUpdate as frequently. The information covered below is generally for the period of October 7 through October 20.
Highlights:

On October 12, at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress titled, “The Future of Higher Education in a Post-Debt Cancellation United States,” House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) discussed a range of issues, including the appropriations process, President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan, and college affordability.
On October 15, the Biden-Harris Administration made public the new application for student loan forgiveness under the plan that President Biden announced in August. Within the first week, the White House confirmed that more than 22 million Americans submitted an application.
On October 20, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected anemergency request from the Brown County Taxpayers Association to block the Biden’s Administration’s student loan forgiveness plan while litigation continues in lower federal courts. Separately, on the same day, a federal district judge in the Eastern District of Missouri rejected a […]

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 […]

E-Update for September 20, 2022

Note: The information covered below is from Friday, September 9 through Friday, September 16.
Highlights:

On September 13, House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) discussed the Republican vision for higher education policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
On September 15, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and House Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chairwoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced H.R. 8872, known as the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act, which is aimed at reducing the cost of college.
On September 13, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new funding opportunities for the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program and a new National Early Childhood Workforce Center, as well as released new guidance for early childhood programs.

Administration:
Republican governors sign letter asking President to withdraw federal student loan forgiveness plan: On September 12, a group of 22 Republican governors issued a letter to President Biden to express their disagreement with the federal student loan forgiveness plan. The governors wrote that […]

E-Update for September 12, 2022

Highlights:

On August 30, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice of a final rule for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program.
On September 8, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released new information outlining steps that borrowers can take to prepare for the upcoming loan relief application, which is set to be available “by early October.”
On September 7, Republican members of the House Education and Labor Committee sent a letter to House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) requesting an oversight hearing on U.S. Department of Education’s (USED) authority to enact federal student loan debt relief.

Administration:
President Biden issues Executive Order on implementation of CHIPS Act: On August 30, President issued a notice of an Executive Order (EO) titled, “Implementation of the CHIPS Act of 2022.” The EO is about implementation of the bill, which was named for “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors” (CHIPS), and is primarily aimed at growing U.S. manufacturing of semiconductors. The bill also includes a $81 billion investment in the National Science Foundation (NSF) to expand research […]