The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Status of Appropriations Entering August Recess
Education Department Reverses Course on Batch FAFSA Corrections
Title IX Goes into Effect, Gets Upheld in Alabama
Senate Blocks Bipartisan Tax Package
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Happy August! Our DC Digest will move to once a week on Fridays as activity in Washington D.C. slows down for the August recess. We'll be back in September with our regular twice-a-week messaging!

The Highlights 📰

Budget & Appropriations

The latest coverage on Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations that are relevant to Duke.

Duke Government Relations' primer on the federal appropriations process.

APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE

Senate appropriators this week moved forward four more appropriations bills for FY25, including Energy and Water, Defense, Labor-HHS, and Financial Services. That brings the Senate to a total of 11 passed appropriations bills out of 12 for FY25. The remaining funding measure is the Homeland Security bill, which we mentioned on Tuesday, which still has yet to reach a bipartisan agreement. Both the House and Senate are now off on August recess.

Student Aid, Institutional Support and Taxes

The latest updates regarding legislation and regulatory actions related to student aid, higher education institutional support, taxes and more.

NASFAA Student Aid Reference Desk

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REVERSES COURSE ON BATCHA FAFSA CORRECTIONS

The Education Department announced this week that colleges and universities would not be allowed to make corrections to FAFSA forms all at once this application cycle. The Department had previously stated earlier this summer that FAFSA corrections would be available by the first half of this month. The Department attributed the change in part to its need to allocate resources toward the 2025-26 application cycle, and says it will increase technical resources and assistance for colleges to make their corrections.

Change in Plans

TITLE IX GOES INTO EFFECT, GETS UPHELD IN ALABAMA

The Biden-Harris Administration's new Title IX rule officially went into effect yesterday despite facing multiple legal challenges in more than half of the United States. In the administration's first legal win for Title IX, a judge in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday against the four Southern states --Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia--in their effort to block the rule, citing that the, "evidentiary record is sparse, and the legal arguments are conclusory and underdeveloped.”

Title IX Tip-Off

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

SENATE BLOCKS BIPARTISAN TAX PACKAGE

The Senate blocked its proposed $78 billion dollar tax package on Thursday after a majority of Republicans, one Democrat and two independent lawmakers voted against Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) cloture vote that we mentioned in Tuesday's digest. The package included an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and relief concerning tax deductions related to domestic research and experimental costs, among other provisions. The vote landed 48-44, and would have required 60 votes in favor to move forward.

Tax Package Voted Down

LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE PATENT RIGHTS LEGISLATION

Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced legislation week titled, "The Realizing Engineering, Science, and Technology Opportunities by Restoring Exclusive (RESTORE) Patent Rights Act of 2024." Representatives Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) introduced its companion bill in the House. The bill seeks to better protect patent owners from infringers by issuing an injunction from courts after it has been determined that patent infringement occurs. The legislation will apply to the infringement of university patents and affiliated startups.

Patent (Legislation) Pending

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